Empowering Agency Over Grit: Cultivating Academic Success and Identity Among Black Males Through the A.N.D. Model
By Charles Cole, III, Ed.D., MPA
Executive Director, The Agentic Institute
Published in Freedom: Volume 3
Keywords
Agency, Black Male Students, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Critical Consciousness, Educational Equity, A.N.D. Model
Abstract
While the absence of grit has been promoted as a major explanation for the lack of academic success among Black males, such an emphasis is misguided, perpetuates negative stereotypes, and suppresses the intellectual development of those it purports to help. This paper advocates for a holistic framework of agency specifically for Black males that addresses structural barriers such as socioeconomic issues, racial biases, and institutional inequalities. Drawing from the qualitative studies and lived experiences of Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, psychologist Wade Nobles, and author and poet Maya Angelou, combined with the oral histories of three academically successful Black males—two African American and one Barbadian diaspora—who earned doctoral degrees despite systemic obstacles, this study presents the A.N.D. model (Awareness, Navigation, Duty). Despite meaningful cultural differences in their family backgrounds and community contexts, all three participants demonstrated remarkably similar patterns of agency development. The A.N.D. model employs culturally responsive pedagogies that foster understanding of personal and communal histories, promoting an educational environment where Black males can thrive. By replacing the deficit conception of blaming academic underperformance on a lack of grit, this approach challenges the inadequacies of the grit narrative and provides a substantive framework that enables educators to empower Black male students across diverse cultural contexts to achieve educational success and personal growth.
Digital Object Identifier
DOI: https://DOI.org/10.65373/CYJH8154
Download PDF
