Dr. Horace R. Hall is professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Research at DePaul. He is also the founder and co-director of R.E.A.L. (Respect, Excellence, Attitude, and Leadership), a Chicago-based youth mentoring program.

Hall (DePaul School of Education) takes an in-depth look at the role of school-based mentoring in changing the academic and social fates of minority male youth. The author uses this compact volume particularly to remind America that there is a cultural practice that can sustain minority males' value in society: mentoring. He also indicates that educators, parents, and community leaders can play a definitive role in helping these young men to become valuable members of their respective communities. In order for mentoring to work, educators must be committed to activities such as allowing minority males to express themselves with freedom, and to viewing minority males through their "Learners Everyday Negotiation Strategy." Moreover, they must develop mentoring experiences that help both teachers and students see that they can be both effective learners and leaders. Hall concludes that these relationships provide minority males with the academic and social support needed to realize their potential and dreams. Now it is up to educators and communities to commit further resources to mentoring minority youth. Recommended.

• Part 1 PrefacePart 2 AcknowledgmentsPart 3 Prologue: Endangered?Chapter 4 Chapter 1- Youth Mentoring: A View Through Multiple LensesChapter 5 Chapter 2- Embracing Young Males of Color in the School DomainChapter 6 Chapter 3- Constructing a Space for BoysChapter 7 Chapter 4- Extending beyond a Space for BoysChapter 8 Chapter 5- A REAL History Lesson Part 1: Origins of a SBM ProgramChapter 9 Chapter 6- A REAL History Lesson Part 2: A Quest for RealnessChapter 10 Chapter 7- REAL Profiles: Mentors and Mentees