The impact of racism on education and the educational experiences of students of color.

Abstract

Scholars have tried to understand the impact of race and racism on the educational experiences of African American students for several decades. Unable to make causal claims of racism as directly contributing to achievement gaps, scholars have documented inequitable access and opportunity as both a historical phenomenon (Anderson, 1988;Ladson-Billings, 2006) and a contemporary manifestation of social processes that appear to create disproportionate outcomes for African American students relative to their White peers across a number of domains. Indeed, an inference that one can draw from the qualitative and statistical data is that race does matter when it comes to the education and educational experiences of African Americans and other students of color. Overwhelmingly, the data suggest that despite making gains in terms of high school graduation and college attendance, students of color-particularly African Americans-still face schooling environments that are often racially hostile or, at the very least, places that refuse to address

“To Be Young, Gifted and Black”

“…As Black folk in this country, we are forced to see ourselves through a compound lens—how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. Like other African Americans, the racial injuries we sustained and unfortunately will continue to sustain have had a profound impact mentally, physically, and psychologically (Dixson et al, 2016; McCall, 2015). Joyce ended up in the emergency room with chest pains so severe she was convinced she was having a heart attack.…”

Reducing Disparities in Academic Outcomes Among Youth of Color: Evidence From an Alternative Education Program

“…Department of Education, 2018). In New Orleans, the long history of racialized underinvestment in education and policy maneuvering to silence African American voices can be explained in part by the oppressive systems operating at the state level (Dixson et al, 2014, 2016; Henry & Dixson, 2016).…”

“…Paradigms of critical race theory argue that race is embedded in every structure that governs American society, and disparities in academic outcomes among African American students are a logical consequence of larger systems of subordination (Dixson & Anderson, 2018;Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) , 2018). In New Orleans, the long history of racialized underinvestment in education and policy maneuvering to silence African American voices can be explained in part by the oppressive systems operating at the state level (Dixson et al, 2014(Dixson et al, , 2016Henry & Dixson, 2016).…”

Exploring Black parents’ critical consciousness in relation to their engagement with their children's schools

“…(p. 1364) instead of recognizing how redlining, residential segregation, and property taxes-all structural attributions-often dictate the schools where students enroll. In another example of how citing individual attributions are a further manifestation of racism in schools, Dixson et al (2016) posit, "when the emphasis is on individual achievement instead of the historical and social context of the achievement gap, white supremacy is further reinforced" (p. 191). These notions of choice, competition, and individual achievement suggest that the United States is a meritocratic society, which CRT actively works toward uncovering and resisting.…”

“…Critical race theorists note the permanence or omnipresence of racism, which presupposes that race is embedded in American society and infuses everyday life and mainstream institutions (Decuir & Dixson, 2004). By interrogating and analyzing power structures and the privilege and positionality that is conferred to those who identify as white in our society, CRT seeks to challenge notions of fairness, individualism, and competition, which have been used to obscure the ways in which race animates and informs all aspects of society (Dixson et al., 2016; Reynolds, 2010). For instance, CRT critiques narratives of colorblindness and meritocracy that mask the permanence and centrality of race in society and make race‐based outcomes seem to be due to something other than racism.…”