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Breathing Life Into Pedagogical Ambitions: Privileging Black Children's Conceptions of Self-Determination in an Afrocentric School

Mon, April 8, 4:10 to 5:40pm, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Floor: 800 Level, Hall F

Abstract

Scholars have long argued that that an equitable, high-quality educational program for African American children cannot rest solely on the promise of traditional academic achievement; explicit attempts must also be made to support the sociopolitical and socioemotional development of Black youth (Ginwright; 2004; Shujaa, 1993). In the interest of thinking about Black students’ critical capacity and political activism in particular, scholars have advanced pedagogical models aimed at producing young people who are equipped to assess and dismantle the very forces contributing to their own oppression (Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 1999; Ladson-Billings, 1995, 2014; Potts, 2003). African-centered, or Afrocentric schools constitute one example of these politically-oriented and culturally-specific approaches to Black education. By design, this pedagogical approach works to develop a sense of self-love and self-determination in Black students, along with a commitment to combating white supremacy in all forms (Caruthers, 1994; King, 2005).
There is extensive theoretical scholarship on Afrocentric education (ACE) and many U.S. schools across have adopted principles consistent with the model. Still, less is known about Black children’s sociopolitical meaning-making within these learning environments. The empirical focus has been largely on capturing student achievement gains in relation to Afrocentric design principles (Durden, 2007; Lomotey & Brookins, 1988). Consequently, the narrative of African-centered education remains one told primarily from the perspectives of educators and validated through the lens of traditional achievement, thus constraining our ability to fully assess these models in relation to their articulated, politicized goals for Black student development. What then does it mean and feel like to participate in ACE? How do children’s representations align with and/or challenge pedagogical ambitions—In short, what stories do they tell?
In response to these inquiries, I report on a subset of findings from a larger, 18-month study of Black children’s sociopolitical development across two sites. Using ethnographic fieldnotes, 28 interviews, student illustrations and other artifacts collected in an Afrocentric elementary school, I offer a multilevel analysis of this particular educational environment. Herein, I foreground the voices of Black children and consider how students’ meaning-making (regarding self, school and community) nuance and/or complicate adult’s intentionality and conceptions of emancipatory practice.
I evidence the following assertions: Though this school endeavored to advance familial values and cultivate self-determination in a collective sense, Black children’s articulations indicate that “self” became largely understood by students as the embodiment of individual excellence and perseverance. Similarly, while the school frequently highlighted the historical achievements of African American trailblazers in an effort to instill in children high self-confidence and racial pride, children had a tendency to disregard the salience of race/racism to success in the contemporary era. This work demonstrates the importance of capturing youth voice and meaning-making in research on schooling and particularly, when studying spaces with emancipatory pedagogical ambitions. In this case, Black children’s assessments illuminate tensions related to structure/agency and individual vs. collective forms of empowerment that might otherwise be difficult to discern. Additionally, child representations point to actionable ways that schools might amend their educational model(s) to better align with their own professed ambitions.

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