The Achievement Gap Between African American Athletes and Their White Counterparts in Higher Education

Abstract

The achievement gap between African American athletes and their white counterparts is plaguing the United States. There are many reasons for the achievement gap. This synthesis will highlight the reasons while also discussing the solutions. To examine this matter to the fullest extent, there were 14 peer-reviewed articles chosen that talk about the reasons for the achievement gap. Several topics included in the articles were lack of role models and social supports, racial stereotypes, obsessive pursuit of sport goals, and the background of African American athletes. This synthesis will also discuss solutions to the achievement gap in collegiate athletics. These topics included funding, peer-to-peer mentoring, and credit-bearing courses.