The Black Butterfly: The Geographic Context Shaping Possibility in Baltimore's Community Schools

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Sixteen
  In Roundtable Session: Geographies of Race and Inequality in Education (Table 1)

Abstract

Community schools acknowledge the larger neighborhood ecosystem in which children and families live. Through partnerships, they attempt to meet the needs of families but can find themselves working to meet “transactional needs” of the communities they serve more than “transformative needs,” (Shaia & Finnigan-Carr, 2018). While community schools play a vital role in providing for their communities, they may not be able to reach their transformative needs because of the unforgiving nature of the forces of racial capitalism shaping those communities. Using census data combined with GIS mapping, the study uses Baltimore, home to more than 130 community schools, as a case study to understand the context for the power and limits of community schools’ ability to transform communities.

Author

• Jessica Shiller, Towson University
  Presenting Author