The only book designed and written specifically for African American junior high and high school students, this step-by-step guide provides much needed strategies, tactics, and tools to help them create successful educational careers in school. From the editor and publisher of the highly acclaimed Black Student's Guide to College Success (1993, revised ed. 1995), this guide contains contributed essays by fifteen educators (many from historically black colleges), supplemented by success stories of contemporary black high school students. It will help students to make informed choices, to deal with the challenges and obstacles to high school success both in and out of the classroom, and to complete their high school education. Each essay deals with a specific topic of concern to black high school students and is designed to motivate them to make intelligent choices about their education and their future and to develop pride and self-esteem.

Following a Foreword by L. Douglas Wilder, former Governor of Virginia, and a Preface by Richard Arrington Jr., Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, the guide features fifteen informative essays, geared to the needs of the black student entering high school, written in a conversational manner to which students can relate. Each essay is written by a successful professional or educator in that field and is followed by a short essay by a black high school student on his or her personal experience in overcoming obstacles to succeed in high school. Essays address these topics: selecting a high school; planning for the future; the politics of high schools; opportunities for success in the classroom; study habits and hints; athletics; extracurricular activities; leadership in and out of the classroom; making the smart choice—saying no to drugs, alcohol, crime, and pregnancy; choosing your friends; black pride and self-esteem; getting involved in the black community and churches; networking in an integrated society; the benefits of part-time work; and the career hunt—further education or the work force. This informative and motivational guide, designed specifically for African American students, will help them, their parents, teachers, and guidance counselors to address issues facing black students in order for the students to successfully complete their high school education.