Fighting for our lives - Preparing teachers to teach African American students

The quest for quality education is a part of the ongoing struggle faced by African Americans. Few, if any, teacher education programs design programs that expressly meet the needs of African American students. Although some teacher preparation programs are designed for "urban" education, the significance of African American culture rarely is a feature of such programs. This article addresses the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and details a variety of pedagogical and programmatic strategies that have been employed to assist teachers in better meeting the needs of African American students.