Organizational Culture and Intergroup Contact in a Racially Diverse After-School Program

• In Event: Learning From Within: Cross-Cultural Explorations of Diverse Learning Communities

Abstract

Amidst increasing attention to the resegregation of American schools, the literature shows a mix of potential benefits and harms that students experience in diverse educational spaces. In this qualitative case study of two high school debate teams, I examine the ways that the organizational culture that youth and adults construct affects the interactions youth have with cross-race peers. I argue that organizational culture of diverse educational settings can both hinder and facilitate intergroup contact and is crucial to understanding how organizations shape the outcomes of diversity. This work adds to the literature on school diversity by examining the role of afterschool spaces and by building theory on the relationship between organizations, diversity, and youth development.

Author

• Sebastian Castrechini, Northwestern University
  Presenting Author