Cultivating Communally Bonded Schooling in a St. Louis Black Suburb: Centering Stakeholders’ Perspectives

• In Event: The Ecology of Black Education in a Chaotic Political Landscape: Recreating Community, Advocacy, and Engagement

Abstract

Objectives
Findings from interviews with Black civic and educational leaders capture their efforts to construct educational possibilities for mostly low-income Black students. The following research question guided the paper: What are community stakeholders' perspectives about what Black students need to achieve in the Black suburban school district? Amid continuing racial inequality, it is especially important to understand the agency exemplified by Black community members and stakeholders to support Black students' educational ecosystems (family and community).

Background
The 2014 murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, brought national attention to the systemic inequities in the St. Louis region in the criminal justice, education, and health systems (Dowden-White, 2011; Jones et al., 2015; U.S. Department of Justice, 2015; Weathersby & Davis, 2019). Jennings, a majority Black suburb adjacent to Ferguson and St. Louis city, offers important perspectives on the experiences of youth in mostly Black and economically diverse suburbs (Author, 2015). Once a predominantly white suburb, today Jennings is largely Black (89.7%), and the school district has changed drastically from being provisionally accredited to being accredited with distinction in the past ten years (Bock, 2010; Singer, 2011; Delaney, 2017; Rivas, 2019).

Theoretical Framework
The Communally-bonded Schooling-Model (CBSM) guided the research project. CBSM emanates from the strengths within Black school-communities while considering the intransigence of racial structures. Tenets include:

1. Intergenerational trust and cultural bonding between educators and Black students;

2. Critical presence of Black educators;

3. Educators reach out to students and families;

4. Leaders bridge educational institutions and communities.

5. Schools serve as pillars in Black communities.

We couple CBSM with a Critical Race Theoretical (CRT) framework (Bell, 1992; Dixson & Rousseau, 2005; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) to use counter-narrative or counter-story, which Solórzano and Yosso (2002) defined as “[a] tool for exposing, analyzing, and challenging the majoritarian stories of racial privilege” (p. 32).

Methods/Data Sources
An ethnographic approach guided the data collection and analysis. Data sources include archival and other socio-historical sources, census data, in-depth interviews with community stakeholders, and ethnographic observations. The interviews were transcribed and coded in multiple passes to understand participants' continuous patterns of thought, action, and behavior (Fetterman, 1989; Miles & Huberman, 1984; Yin, 1989). A cross-case comparison was used to interpret the data.

Findings
Superintendents Setting the Foundation
Beginning in 2014, two successive Black superintendents took deliberate steps to focus on facilitating students' academic growth by attending to mostly low-income Black students and their families' social context. These district leaders' efforts can serve as a model of best practices for encouraging communally-bondedness in similar districts.

Responding to Social Determinants of Health and Education
District leadership demonstrated an awareness of social determinants of health by providing wrap-around services for students.

Leveraging Community Collaborations
Stakeholders forged collaborations with area businesses and universities, cultivating a community-based ecosystem approach to education.

Conclusion
This study highlights the importance of creating and sustaining educational spaces that foster quality education for children, including in racially homogenous but economically diverse suburban spaces where significant numbers of low-income Black children now live and attend schools.

Authors

• Jerome E. Morris, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Nicole R. Misra, University of Missouri - St. Louis