School Ethnic–Racial Socialization: Learning About Race and Ethnicity Among African American Students

Abstract

Research has sought to understand how parents socialize their children around race and ethnicity, but few studies have considered how contexts outside the home are also important sources of socialization. In this paper we review and integrate literature on practices in school settings that have implications for ethnicracial socialization using a framework based on Hughes et al. (Dev Psychol 42(5):747-770, 2006) review of parental socialization. The practices reviewed include cultural socialization, preparation for bias, promotion of mistrust, egalitarianism, colorblindness, and silence. Our review shows a wide range of practices in education that may influence the development of ethnic-racial identity and ethnic-racial consciousness, but more research is needed to understand the role that schools play in developing African American youth's understanding of race and identity.

School climate and ethnic‐racial identity in school: A longitudinal examination of reciprocal associations

“…Schools formally and informally socialize youth about race and ethnicity (Aldana & Byrd, 2015), and the interactions youth experience in school can influence and are influenced by their ERI development (e.g., Nasir & Cooks, 2009;Warikoo, 2010). Such interactions may reflect the school climate, a multidimensional construct that refers to student's perceptions of school norms, values, and shared beliefs that both shape and are a product of social interactions among school staff, teachers, and students in classrooms and in public spaces within the school (Thapa, Cohen, Guffey, & Higgins-D'Alessandro, 2013).…”

The complexity of school racial climate: Reliability and validity of a new measure for secondary students

“…School racial socialization is messages about race and culture communicated at school (Aldana & Byrd, ; Byrd, ). This area draws on the parental racial socialization and multicultural education literatures (e.g., Bennett, ; Hughes et al ., ) to focus on what students learn about their own and other groups in the formal curriculum as well as informal messages.…”

“…This area draws on the parental racial socialization and multicultural education literatures (e.g., Bennett, ; Hughes et al ., ) to focus on what students learn about their own and other groups in the formal curriculum as well as informal messages. Many of these dimensions have been found to be associated with the outcomes of African American youth in particular (Aldana & Byrd, ) but have less often been studied for youth of different racial backgrounds.…”

Understanding the school environments that engage and motivate young adolescents

“…Over the last four decades, American classrooms have become increasingly ethnically, racially, and socioeconomically diverse (Aja, Bustillo, Darity Jr, & Hamilton, 2014;Aldana & Byrd, 2015;Banks, 2006). While research shows that this increased diversity provides an opportunity for increased skill development in promoting democratic dialog, social understanding, and identity development (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, & Gurin, 2002;Ramirez, Bromley, & Russell, 2009), current practices regarding the education of this diverse population fall on a wide spectrum of efficacy ranging from revolutionary to disenfranchising.…”

“…At the heart of this concept is the idea that those defining diversity actually identify difference as a deficit (Aldana & Byrd, 2015;Brown, 2011;Swartz, 2009). In this understanding of diversity, any characteristic that does not fall within normed expectations-that is non-white, non-male, nonheterosexual, etc.-becomes understood as problematic.…”