30.066 - Educational Research and the (Re)Construction of Black Educational Opportunity in Public Discourse and Civic Action

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium explores the role of mass media in shaping public assessments of Black educational opportunity and whether and what policy interventions are warranted to secure Black educational equity and access. The symposium emphasizes the prospect of educational researchers intervening in popular press discourse to shape the public’s perception of black bodies and black educational experience in ways that are likely to build civic conviction to advance policy and practice that honor the humanity and agency of Black children and their families. Panelists will share research that illuminates how contemporary press coverage underanalyzes key features of the Black educational experience and the accordant policy implications; and discuss the challenge of translating their research for public consumption and policy engagement.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research Focus on Black Education

Chair

• Carla D. O'Connor, University of Michigan

Papers

• Blacks and the Pursuit of Opportunity and Equity in a Suburban District: Unmasking Institutional Racism - Karolyn D. Tyson, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Opportunity Hoarding, Shallow Diversity Talk, and the Limits of Liberalism - Amanda E. Lewis, University of Illinois at Chicago; John B. Diamond, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• My Teacher Needs a Referral: Narratives From Black Girls on School Discipline Practices - Alaina Neal, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Us Versus Everybody: Black Children's Dynamic Conceptions of Community, Opportunity, and Transformation Amid Declared "Crises" - Natalie Renee Davis, Northwestern University- SESP

• Seeing #BlackGirlMagic in Mathematics - Maisie L. Gholson, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor