For some American teens, one of the ways to become "unpopular" in High School - - is to be an "A" student.
That's because in some schools - - doing homework, studying hard and getting good grades has a controversial label - - "acting white".
20 year old Diijon Dacosta says, "If you dress too proper like with your shirt tucked in and stuff- they'll probably say you act too white."
Researchers at Vanderbilt University surveyed 166 students from both the inner city and the suburbs. The kids said that "acting white" often meant getting good grades, joining clubs and being a leader.
And on the other side, there is "acting black".
Dr. Don Rice, a Psychologist. says, "That would include, of course, not studying, not doing homework, not joining various honor societies, or other school projects- I think is all part of that identity."
He says one problem is that the culture promotes athletes and rap stars moe than African-Americans who are well educated or well spoken. "Very seldom does one think of a black kid as being smart or geeky in that sense and because they're not getting the messages through television, they're not getting the messages through movies ... They don't really see the opportunities, they don't see how, uh, sitting down and learning algebra can lead to something that would be a better life."
