Never Give Up: Portraits of Academically Successful Black Boys at a Single-Sex Middle School

• In Event: 18.024 - #StayWoke: Cultivating Critical Consciousness With Differently Positioned Youth

Abstract

Black boys are experiencing minimal academic success compared to other groups (Children’s Defense Fund, 2014). They are overrepresented in suspension/expulsion rates and underrepresented in advanced-placement/honors courses (Oakes, 1985; Skiba, et. al. 2008), and are more likely to be designated learning disabled, placed in special education programs (Skiba, et. al., 2008) and to drop out of high school (Schott Foundation, 2010). The creation of single-sex (SS) schools for boys of color has been embraced in various parts of the U.S. as a strategy to ameliorate distressing social and academic trends associated with Black males (Fergus et al., 2014). With identity posited as a profound contributing factor, (O’Connor, 1999; Noguera, 2003), these schools not only express commitment to boys’ academic success, but also to fostering identity (http://www.coseboc.org). Prior research purports how supporting Black male identity can promote positive academic outcomes (Smalls et. al., 2007). Learning coupled with identity reflects a dual commitment endemic to single-sex schools for boys of color, and thus scholars must strive to best understand how SS schools shape Black boys’ identities (http://www.coseboc.org). This paper examines how urban, early-adolescent Black boys experience academic success and positive identity within a single-sex school for boys of color.

Two-hour interviews, 200+ hours of observation, and student projects exploring identity were used to theorize how 20 Black boys achieved academic success, navigated structure/culture and relationships, and constructed identity within a single-sex school serving 4th-8th graders (n=138). Sampled boys (n=6) self-identified as African-American (n=2), Afro-Caribbean (n=2), African-Immigrant (n=1) and Biracial (n=1). All participants were low-income and resided in single-parent homes. Interviews required boys to retrospectively self-report “memorable” experiences related to distinct school processes/practices, peer/teacher relationships, and student projects exploring identity and identity construction. Observations were conducted three days per week for ten months (i.e. academic year) in core subjects, electives, lunch/recess, gym, advisory/homeroom, etc. Student identity projects included a family tree, “ancestor” interview, and written reflection addressing how the school environment shaped their identity. Interviews and observation fieldnotes were transcribed verbatim. Data sources were analyzed using a method comprised of “open-coding” (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) and cross-case analysis (Yin, 1984).

Boys’ narratives reveal three preliminary interrelated themes of academic success and identity development: (1) conflicted intellectualism; “I have smart things to say about books we read, but other boys in my grade are ‘phonies.’” Black boys are able to identify as “smart,” but less willing to acknowledge intelligence in peers. (2) Transcending negative stereotypes; “The media says I’m suppose to be dumb and in jail… I will be successful.” Boys hold positive self-concepts despite media portrayals, which overwhelmingly suggest otherwise. (3) Transformative brotherhood; “I’ve learned so much about myself through friendships with boys at this school.” Self-knowledge was acquired through boys’ relationships in the single-sex environment. These excerpts highlight the potential of a single-sex school to support positive identity for Black boys and constitute emerging theory of how these school environments are experienced.

Author

• Joseph D. Nelson, Swarthmore College