A qualitative case study research design was used to identify instructional approaches used by urban middle school teachers to effect changes in African American students’ learning outcomes and performance. The impetus for this study derived from a lack of research on instructional approaches used by urban middle school teachers to teach African American students that may have a positive effect on their learning outcomes and performance in core academic subjects such as English/Language Arts, History, Math, and Science classes.

Several instructional approaches were identified by conducting interviews and observations of six effective, high-performing urban middle school teachers selected from a K-12 learning center in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Research indicates that learning outcomes and academic performance of some African American students lag far below their White counterparts in the same core subjects due to academic achievement (Rothstein, 2001). The aim of this study was to identify specific instructional approaches that were used by the six teachers to effect changes in their African American students’ learning outcomes and performance in academic core subjects. The teachers who participated in the study had a high percentage of African American students in their core classes.

Findings revealed that certain instructional approaches used by the teachers did effect changes in some students’ learning outcomes and performance in core subjects such as Math and Science. The instructional approaches identified were active engagement activities, collaborative small learning groups, direct-instruction, guided practice instruction, high-expectations, coupled with activities to build self-confidence and self-esteem, and technology-based instruction.