A. Wade Boykin

Alfred Wade Boykin (1947–2025) was an American psychology professor known for his work in the field of education. He was a member of the faculty of Howard University. He made contributions to the study of academic discrepancies between African American children and Caucasian children. Through his work at the Capstone Institute at Howard University he created plans for implementations of educational reform.

Education Boykin completed his undergraduate work at Hampton University, graduating in 1968. He went on to get his M.A. and PhD in experimental psychology from the University of Michigan.

Career After obtaining his PhD from the University of Michigan, Boykin became an associate professor at Cornell, where he gained tenure. In 1994, Boykin took a job at Howard University. From 1994 to 2004 he was the co-director of the National Center for Research on the Education of Students (now called Capstone). Capstone is devoted to researching and implementing school reform and improvement. These plans are based upon the Talent Development model of schooling. He was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences for a year and was called as a member of the Emergency Commission on Urban Children. He was a member of a National Academy of Education panel and an American Educational Research Association panel. On this panel he advised the President and Secretary of Education on issues regarding effective mathematic instruction. He was a member of the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Educational Disparities, a panel member for the National Minority Student Achievement Network, a board member for Project Grad USA, and a member of multiple editorial boards. The Talent Quest Model of education is a further development of Boykin's concept of the Talent Development Model. Both of these models emphasize the idea that every student can attain academic success as long as he or she is supported properly. The paper addressed existing theories on intelligence, how it can be tested, what intelligence test scores have been shown to correlated with, the relationship of genetics to intelligence, the relationship of the environment to intelligence, and group differences in scores. The study involved low-income African American and Caucasian fifth grade students. The students were given a scenario in which academic achievement occurred, each scenario represented a different learning orientation: individualistic, competitive, verve, or communal. The children were then asked questions that evaluated their attitudes towards the scenarios. Similarly, Boykin questioned the role of context in standardized testing in a 1977 study.

Publications Boykin AW. The role of cultural factors in school relevant cognitive functioning synthesis of findings on cultural contexts, cultural orientations, individual differences (SuDoc ED 1.310/2:441880) Boykin AW. Reformulating educational reform: Toward the proactive schooling of African American children (ERIC reports) Boykin AW. The role of cultural factors in school relevant cognitive functioning description of home environmental factors, cultural orientations, and learning preferences (SuDoc ED 1.310/2:441059)

Awards and honors 2007 Faculty Senate Exemplary Teaching Award, Howard University Spencer Fellow of the National Academy of Education Distinguished Scholar, American Educational Research Association on Minorities Dalmos Jones Distinguished Visiting Professor, City University of New York Graduate Center Visiting Mellon Scholar, Teacher's College, Columbia University Distinguished Alumni Award, Department of Psychology, Hampton University