The experience for African American males in education has always been challenging. There was a time when laws prohibited African Americans from reading and learning with Caucasian students. In today's schools the data indicate that an achievement gap between African American students and their peers is still prevalent, especially for African American male students at every grade level from elementary through high school. The goal of this study was to find a solution to help close the achievement gap that exists for African American male students in urban elementary schools by looking at the best instructional practices that have been used by successful teachers of African American male students. This qualitative and quantitative study used teacher observations, teacher interviews, and a survey of instructional practices to examine how 10 successful elementary teachers in an urban school district engaged African American male students to help them succeed in school. Categories such as building relationships, effective instructional practices, beliefs and expectations, understanding the impact of race, and understanding culture were studied. Conclusions from the study included the importance of building relationships with African American males showing respect and concern to engage them in the learning process; the need to differentiate the curriculum and individualize instruction to make it appropriate for all levels; deliver culturally relevant lessons using the African American culture in their instruction; and understanding the impact of race and obstacles race creates for African American male students.