The relationships between parent and child verbal interaction and academic achievement were examined for at-risk adolescent Black males. The Verbal Interaction Questionnaire was used to measure student's perceptions of parental communication, and scores from the Stanford Achievement Test battery and school grades measured academic achievement. Students were identified as at risk by teachers using such factors as lack of motivation and poor academic performance. For this sample, no significant relationships were observed between the measure of parental verbal interaction and 11 measures of school achievement, even though other studies have identified significant correlations with academic achievement. Locus of control and self-esteem were significantly related to some of the measures of achievement. Three tables present study findings. (Contains 13 references.) (SLD)