http://irhe.sciedupress.com International Research in Higher Education Vol. 4, No. 4; 2019 Published by Sciedu Press 7 ISSN 2380-9183 E-ISSN 2380-9205 Are We Spinning Our Wheels? The Impact of PBIS, Counseling, and Mentoring on the Behavior and Achievement of Elementary Age African American Males Elesha Buckley 1 , Myron Labat 2 , David Lee 3 & Cherie Labat 4 1 Hattiesburg Public School District, Hattiesburg, MS, USA 2 Educational Leadership, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA 3 Educational Leadership, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA 4 Columbus Municipal School District, Columbus, MS, USA Correspondence: Myron Labat, Educational Leadership, Mississippi State University, 248-D Allen Hall P.O. Box 6037 Mississippi State, MS., 39762 USA. Tel: 1-228-323-4980. E-mail: mbl225@msstate.edu Received: November 15, 2019 Accepted: December 9, 2019 Online Published: December 20, 2019 doi:10.5430/irhe.v4n4p7 URL: https://doi.org/10.5430/irhe.v4n4p7 Abstract The gap in educational achievement between African American males and their peers plays a key role in one of the most substantial problems facing American society (Burchinal, McCartney, Steinberg, Crosnoe, Friedman, McLoyd, & Picanta, 2011). However, the challenges faced by those working to narrow the achievement gap between African American males and their counterparts continue to persist. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS), counseling, and mentoring on disruptive classroom behavior among African American males. The researchers also examined whether Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS), counseling, and mentoring had an impact on reading scores of African-American male students in Pre-K through fifth grade. Prior studies in this area indicated that participation in PBIS was not a significant predictor of the number of disruptive behaviors that resulted in office referrals received by African American male students in Pre-K through fifth grade. Findings in this study seemed to be consistent with those studies. However, researchers did find participation in counseling to be a significant predictor of disruptive behaviors among African American male students in Pre-K through fifth grade. Keywords: PBIS, school culture, achievement gap, counseling and mentoring, Black males 1. Introduction African American males fall well behind their White male and female peers when it comes to achievement on standardized testing. They also lag behind Black females in their achievement on math and science standardized tests (Praeger, 2011). Black males are also more likely to be labeled as having a learning disability and placed in special education than any other student group (Zilanawala, Martin, Noguera, and Mincy, 2018). Furthermore, nearly half of African American males do not complete high school in most American cities (Praeger, 2011). Bracy and Peguero (2014) assert that those who do not graduate from high school have poorer health, have a greater probability of being unemployed, they are more likely to be delinquent and use drugs, and have a higher likelihood of incarceration. Taking into consideration these potential outcomes, it is understandable why this issue has caught the attention of educators and researchers all across the nation. Praeger (2011) further conceptualizes the severity of this pervasive issue by pointing out that schools are serving populations of Black boys who have a higher probability of being incarcerated than they do entering college. In addition to the substantial achievement gap between African American males and their counterparts, there also exists a discipline gap (Gregory, Skiba, & Noguera, 2010). According to Rudd (2014) and Richard and Hardin (2018), Black males are disciplined more often for disruptive behavior and are suspended and expelled more often than White students. More than 70% of the school children involved in school-associated arrests or referred to law enforcement were Hispanic or African American (Rudd, 2014). The findings of a survey of 72,000 schools revealed that African American students comprised only 18 percent of those enrolled in the schools, yet they accounted for