Developmental Considerations in a Problematic Ecology: Achieving Equity and Socially Just Learning Environments for African American Adolescents With Emotional and Behavioral Challenges

Abstract

This article critically discusses the ecology of public schools in the United States: systemic barriers and associated biases that permeate these learning contexts and derail efforts to close opportunity gaps for African American adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges. Using results from a mixed-methods study, we illustrate the ubiquity of an a-developmental perspective that guides perceptions of what is needed to keep these students in and successful at school. A close examination of school mental health providers’ perceptions of what is important and feasible in public school contexts shows recommended interventions to be necessary but not sufficient. We highlight important considerations in the reframing of schools as a dynamic developmental system and conclude with recommendations about how to harness adolescents’ strengths to generate strategies that move us toward more equitable and socially just schooling.