Abstract
Ethnic-racial climate is a salient dimension of school context, especially amid the current sociopolitical climate. This study examined perceptions of school ethnic-racial climate among adolescent students of color, and the significance they place on being part of a diverse student population, in two urban middle schools, using interviews and focus groups. Qualitative analyses revealed that students’ perceptions were contradictory. Students characterized their school interactions in meritocratic terms, where opportunities were grounded in equality and individual effort. However, their reports of racialized treatment were frequent, whereby ethnically segregated peer groups and the presence of stereotypes were prominent. Despite this, students articulated the benefits of school diversity, most notably, because it supported them in “mastering their dreams.” Findings suggest that early adolescents are challenged with navigating the racialized context of the school environment. As such, schools must interrogate the promotion of colorblindness, in favor of practices that are more culturally affirming.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
