Black, Brown, and Rural All Over: The Impact of Rural Identity on the Educational Aspirations of High School Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 26
  In Roundtable Session: Broader Considerations: Lessons From International and Rural Contexts

Abstract

The Brown Decision (1954) relied on social science evidence that indicated that Black children in segregated schools felt inferior to White children, which harmed Black children socially and emotionally, and negatively affected their motivation to learn. Today, 21st century rural schools and students also are continuing to experience historical, geographical, as well as racial or ethnic segregation. Similar to DuBois' theory of double consciousness, culturally, socially, racially, or ethnically segregated rural students may suffer from the additional internal "double stigma" of being both Black (or White) and rural. The purpose of this study is to examine, the impact that 21st century, racially or ethnically isolated rural schools and communities have on the identity development and postsecondary aspirations of secondary students.

Authors

• Janeula M. Burt, Bowie State University

• Dana Thompson Dorsey, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill