Classroom Programs as Counterspace: Black and Latino Students' Perceptions of Relationships With Teachers

• In Event: 18.071 - Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: 18.071-10 - Restorative Relationships and Counter-Spaces in Schools

Abstract

School climate is connected to increased academic achievement when students feel safe and supported, as well as encouraged and pushed to learn. Utilizing a case study approach, this study aimed to provide a nuanced understanding into the perceptions of Black and Latino students’ views of their relationships with their teachers. This study utilized a school climate framework and Critical Race Theory to critically analyze focus group data of high school students’ simultaneous experiences in two different school settings. The findings illuminate elements of a school program that provided a social and academic counterspace for Black and Latino students where they felt the free from negative stereotypes.

Author

• Bernadette Castillo, University of Houston