Friends, family, and neighborhood: Understanding academic outcomes of African American youth

This study examines the relationship between academic performance and a number of contextual factors for African American freshmen in an urban setting. Living arrangements, relatives and friends' religiosity, exposure to academic success, and neighborhood perceptions were analyzed to investigate their impact on intention to complete school, grade point average (GPA), and number of suspensions. Results indicate that gender, church attendance by peers, and percentage of relatives completing high school were significant in predicting positive academic outcomes. Perception of neighborhood deterioration was inversely related to intention for school completion and GPA. School suspensions were positively related to perception of neighborhood deterioration. Implications for interventions are discussed.