Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

School of Education

First Advisor

Dr. Bruce Campbell, Jr.

Second Advisor

Dr. Zarah Adams

Third Advisor

Dr. Monica J. Taylor

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which attending a predominantly White suburban public high school shaped the racial identity development of Black students. In addition, the researcher was also able to identify the policies and practices that benefit and or harm the racial identity development of Black children as they matriculate through high school. African American children matriculating through suburban public schools do so at serious risk to their racial identity development (L. A. Jones, 2018; Leath et al., 2019). Cultural and social challenges faced by African American children in suburban schools include navigating a system that is built entirely around the White experience (L. A. Jones, 2018). Cross’s (2021) Nigrescence theory, which captures the various stages of African Americans as they move from a state of cultural unconsciousness to cultural pride, was used as the theoretical framework for this study.

The participants of this study were Black alumni, who graduated from Sunnyside High School (SHS; pseudonym) prior to 2020. SHS is a large suburban public school that prior to 2023 had a student body that was predominately White. Data collection for this qualitative study included semistructured individual interviews with 11 Black alumni of SHS, a small focus group consisting of five Black alumni of SHS, and a document review of public records connected with SHS. Through the data collection process, the researcher was able to identify the following six themes: (a) racial socialization: role of parents/family members; (b) racist encounters; (c) affinity spaces for Black students; (d) lack of culturally relevant pedagogy; (e) insufficient number of Black teachers; and (f) attending a predominantly White suburban public high school prepared individuals for a racialized society.

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