Perspectives of Middle- and Upper-Income Blacks Educated in Predominantly White and Integrated Schools

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Students Telling Stories About Social Mobility, Privilege, and Education

Abstract

This study sought to better understand the K-12 school experiences of middle and upper income Blacks educated in predominantly White and integrated schools. Through the narratives of six participants (split evenly between Generations Y and Z), the study contributes toward knowledge about within-group differences central to perspective and experience among African Americans in K-12 settings. Through the theoretical frame of social location (Grant & Sleeter, 1986)—the interconnectedness of race, class, and gender—findings revealed variances in experience. For example, while most participants felt that social class positively influenced their cross-cultural interactions, perspectives on the impact of race were evenly split across generational lines. Taken together, social location must be considered when analyzing the academic experiences of Black students.

Author

• JerMara C. Welch, The University of Arizona