Never Giving Up: A Phenomenological Study of Hope in African American Students in a Small Urban Public High School

K-12 schools in America's post-industrial urban centers are faced with the task of leading children to educational achievement and social development amid lingering social issues such as poverty, violence, and unemployment. Children in these metropolitan settings have the burden of pursuing goals and dreams in unfavorable and often dangerous social contexts. Theory and literature related to student achievement suggests that inner-city students benefit from hope. Few studies report the influence of hope from the perspective of students.;The purpose of this research study was to examine the influence of hope in the lives of several urban African American high school students who attend a small urban public high school that serves predominantly marginalized African American youths. The related research question was: In what ways do students who attend THS experience hope? Subquestions related to student characteristics and school experience supported the formal research question.;Phenomenological inquiry utilized the method of interviewing. Data were collected from 10 students, five boys and five girls. Each student participated in one interview. Interview questions were structured to gain insight into student perspectives of hope; life-goals; and experiences while attending the small urban public high school. Data analysis was guided by procedures endorsed by Miles and Huberman (1994).;Findings and conclusions suggested that students in this study possessed hope-related characteristics such as determination, vision, and optimism.;Findings and conclusions also revealed that students experienced hope through relationships with key individuals as well as access to institutions that featured critical resources helpful to their pursuit of life-goals. Another conclusion revealed that students attributed online learning and relationships with staff at the site school to their experience with hope. Though not emphasized in the literature, findings in this study suggested the need for school staff to provide and demonstrate frequent and noticeable care for students.;This research study provided the site school with student reports of their enrollment experiences that could influence teacher-student interaction, administrator-teacher interaction, and school partnerships. By amplifying student voices, this study also contributed to the literature related to hope, achievement in urban education, and strategies for addressing the needs of marginalized youths.