My brother’s keeper: A case study examining a mentoring relationship between African American males

Prepare2Nspire (P2N) is a near-peer mentoring and tutoring program dedicated to creating dynamic mathematical experiences for urban learners. P2N’s mission is multi-fold. The program acts as an extracurricular outlet for in-school mathematics learning, providing students of color with social support from adult mentors. Additionally, P2N aligns education and community development by focusing on social and institutional improvements in the host neighborhood. This paper used case study methodology to examine African American male mentoring relationships at P2N. Through a mentoring and tutoring approach, middle school participants related to adult mentors through shared lived experiences, essential norms were enforced within the learning community, and emphasis was given to team collaboration. Moving forward, P2N will continue to promote African American male mentorship to disrupt deficit-based perspectives and increase social and academic motivations of African American youth.