“Creating a Sense of Urgency in Texas”: The State of African American Education in the K-12 Context

• In Event: Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Education: Can Our Voices Be Heard?

Abstract

There is a dearth of research that examines the contemporary racial, socio-cultural, political and economic contexts of African American education in Texas--a state that educates the largest number (638, 377) of African American students in K-12 public schools in the United States. Using a basic qualitative research design, we interviewed education and community leaders across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, engaged in participant observations and collected documents and artifacts to examine ways to improve African American students’ access and success at critical points along the K-12 academic pipeline. Overall, this study contributes to the larger discourse that examines the dynamic relationship between race, place, schooling experiences and outcomes.

Authors

• Ifeoma A. Amah, The University of Texas - Arlington

• Olga Hickman, The University of Texas - Arlington

• Bernice King-Strong, The University of Texas - Arlington