Why Study the U.S. South? The Nexus of Race and Place in Investigating Black Student Achievement

Abstract

This article highlights the significance of the U.S. South in scholarly discussions regarding the academic achievement gap involving Black students. Despite national concern, patterns embedded in Black student achievement as related to geographical influences generally are ignored, especially in the South, where the majority of Black people in the United States reside. The authors refine the scholarship on the Black-White achievement gap through an analysis of racialized national spaces and population shifts, to set forth a more comprehensive understanding of school achievement than previously existed. In elucidating the nexus between race and place and the implications for Black student achievement, the authors specifically highlight the saliency of the U.S. South as a critical-and neglectedsite for the investigation of such issues.

An Analysis of a White Preservice Teacher’s Reflections on Race and Young Children Within an Urban School Context

“…Multiracial and African, Latino, Asian-Pacific Islander, and Native American students now constitute slightly more than half of all students attending public schools in 15 southern states. As the South continues to become a more diverse and urbanized region, scholars note that it has been a neglected site of investigation for Black student achievement (Morris & Monroe, 2009). Although the reasons for academic inequities and the achievement gap are complex, the increasing racial and ethnic diversity among students in K-12 schools and the accompanying decline in diversity among the population of teachers is certainly worth considering.…”

Legislature Size and Non-Elite Populations Theory and Corroborating Evidence

“…Morris and Monroe (2009) argue that a major explanation for the low graduation rates of African Americans and others in the United States has to do with the cultural legacy born of slavery in the South. The authors demonstrate how and why the South is critical to understanding the educational achievement gap (see also Fitzpatrick and Yoel 1992).…”

Supporting Students Living Below the Poverty Line

“…They found that "although race looms large in southern understandings of daily life…family structure, maternal attributes, peers' skill levels, and rural and nonrural location" (p. 317) were the most salient factors in explaining variation in students' achievement in their particular study. They suggested that it is important for social workers to study and address issues of poverty and location when seeking to understand student achievement (see also Morris & Monroe, 2009). This finding underscores the impact of a student's geographic and social context on his or her experience in school.…”