The purpose of this experimental study was to examine the impact of home computers with computer based instruction and parental/guardian monitoring on the academic performance of underserved African American elementary school children in the Birmingham, Alabama public schools. The study participants were 28 fourth grade students who were randomly selected from one elementary school. The study utilized three groups. Two groups were subjected to experimental treatment conditions of (1) provision of computer-based instruction and a computer in the home but without parental/guardian monitoring and (2) provision of computer-based instruction and a computer in the home with parental/guardian monitoring of the usage of the computers, respectively. The third group received only computer-based instruction but was not provided with a computer until the completion of the study. The results of the study indicated that there was no significant difference between the three groups of fourth graders in terms of their academic achievement in language arts, mathematics and reading after the experimental treatment. However, when the data were analyzed by gender, some differences were found between girls and boys. Boys with home computers but without parental monitoring showed regression in language arts, but they performed significantly better when they had both computers and parental/guardian monitoring. Girls performed best when they had just the computers without parental monitoring, but showed relatively less improvement when parents were involved. It is recommended to conduct similar studies with larger samples drawn from different schools, to clarify these findings.