Got Skillz? Recasting and Negotiating Racial Tension in Teacher–Student Relationships Amidst Shifting Demographics

Abstract

This paper reports on a curriculum designed for Black students whose school teachers and administrators sought to address concerns about students’ academic underachievement and behavioral challenges. In order to design the curriculum, we examined Black students’ reactions to race- and academic-related stress as a result of their interactions with mostly White teachers and peers in an increasingly diversifying predominantly White, middle-class community. Grounded in principles of Racial Encounter Coping Appraisal and Socialization Theory (RECAST), a paradigm for understanding the racial coping strategies utilized by individuals to contend with racial stress and well-being, the study sought to elucidate racial tensions found in schooling relationships that foster racial disparities in classrooms. Specifically, our team conducted focus group sessions with Black parents and students which were guided by our use of the Cultural and Racial Experiences of Socialization Survey (CARES), a racial and ethnic socialization measure that elicits responses from students about the kinds of messages students receive about race and ethnicity from people parents and teachers. Data from the sessions subsequently informed the design of Let’s Talk? (LT), a racial conflict resolution curriculum for Black adolescents. In this paper, we share what we learned about students’ school experiences and coping mechanism through their participation in LT.

Kids are all in the same storm but not in the same boat.

“…We are also seeing innovations in treatments for youth experiencing racism that build on the racial socialization framework mentioned earlier (e.g., Anderson et al, 2019; Metzger et al, 2021). Similar approaches for mitigating the effects of racism, discrimination, and harsh discipline practices are being extended to schools (e.g., Coleman-King et al, 2021; Okonofua et al, 2022) and early childhood settings (Schoch & Gal-Szabo, 2023).…”

“Wearing a Mask Won't Protect Us from Our History”: The Impact of COVID‐19 on Black Children and Families

“…Specifically, some Black parents reported that remote learning buffered their children from being targeted for disciplinary infractions (Miller, 2021 ; St. George, 2021 ). Black children must navigate racial discrimination in school and manage racial encounters with students and teachers while tasked with learning (Bentley‐Edwards et al, 2020 ; Coleman‐King et al, 2021 ). Black girls, for example, are adultified by their teachers, and often described as loud and unruly, while their self‐advocacy is interpreted as aggression or anger (Adams‐Bass, 2021 ; Adams‐Bass & Bentley‐Edwards, 2020 ; Butler‐Barnes & Inniss‐Thompson, 2020 ; Morris, 2007 ).…”

Understanding and addressing racial stress and trauma in schools: A pathway toward resistance and healing

“…While we advocate for a whole school approach, principles from the STARS blueprint can also be applied within courageous conversations where they interrogate their assumptions about race and culture and how those assumptions impact students and the overall school racial climate (Howard, 2020). Several programs and interventions across the pedagogical and psychological literature promote conversations and training to address race in schools (e.g., Coleman-King et al 2021;Picower, 2021;Stevenson, 2014) so that staff feel better prepared to address such topics, respond to race-based incidents, and promote positive adjustment for youth. Along these lines, we advocate for the incorporation of existing or developing best practices in talking about race and utilizing RES strategies, including tools and interventions to increase self-efficacy, competency, skills, and confidence (Anderson & Stevenson, 2019;Stevenson, 2014).…”