Trust Me, You Are Going to College: How Trust Influences Academic Achievement in Black Males

• In Event: 435 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 14. The Racial Context of Schools and Schooling

Abstract

Despite a longstanding history of structural and institutional challenges, there are a significant number of Black males who achieve positive academic outcomes. Black male identity and public education is fraught with multiple issues surrounding race, gender and identity. This paper examines Black males who attended college after graduating from an all-male, predominantly Black Charter High School in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Findings suggested three types of trust helped participants achieve college attendance; trust in themselves, trust in close others, and institutional trust. Examples of differing types of trust and the intersectionality of race and gender are highlighted, as well as implications for building trust in schools in the future. The findings from this paper demonstrate that trust can be established when institutions are willing to provide a safe, nurturing environment which recognizes the inherent strengths of all students.

Author

• Stuart Rhoden, Arizona State University