Download or read book The California Community College Experience, for Real written by Khalid Akil White and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This case study provides an in depth view of the experiences of African American male students within the California Community College (CCC) system at one Northern California site. Each young man interviewed is or was an active participant in an on campus support program specifically for African American males. The participants' experiences as African American male students enrolled in a California community college, lead to a greater understanding of African American males in the California Community College system, as a demographic. Findings suggest the importance of appreciating the stories and lived experiences of the subjects prior to joining the on campus group for later success at the Community College level. Findings suggest that this all-male, student support group created a means of increasing student persistence, retention and transfer rates. Moreover, findings show how African American male students' academic engagement, self-perception and interpersonal relations are positively impacted by their participation in the group. Thus, the practices of this all-male support group should be replicated across the California Community Colleges. The all-male support group is demonstrative of an effective means that the California Community Colleges could employ to increase the persistence, retention, completion and transfer rates of their male students, in general and for African American students specifically. Further, the findings suggest the utility of the all-male support group on campus as positively affecting the educational and personal circumstance outcomes of African American male students. Future research could be employed to better uncover the positive components that undergird the effectiveness of the all-male support group on campus for African American male students. In summary, the participants appear to have greater perceived engagement with the Community College experience through the all male support group.