Education in the United States: Is It a Black Problem?

This review offers a critical analysis of John Ogbu's "Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A study of academic disengagement." In his study, Ogbu explains the Black-White achievement gap as one born from the cultural attitudes held by Black middle-class students toward academics. Despite Ogbu's intent to further the scholarly discussion on this issue, the study falls short and is itself replete with limitations. Ogbu's utilization of a deficit-oriented modality and an unsound methodology, coupled with his failure to critically analyze the interplay of identity formation, culture, and history, together severely restrict the study's scope and utility.