Author(s): Camille A. Smith
Published: January, 2005 in Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development
URL to article
Research Focus Area: Asset-based best practices for serving Black and Latinx teens
Abstract:
Both socioeconomic and school factors contribute to the underachievement of poor children and children of color. This article explores factors that contribute to the underachievement of students of color and offers practices that culturally proficient school leaders can use to build a school culture that may positively impact the academic achievement of students of color.a
Research Question(s):
How to meet the academic needs of a culturally and linguistically diverse student population? How does a lack of respect and acceptance for cultural diversity impact the achievement of African American students? What are the ways that school leaders can be more successful in addressing the academic needs of students of color in their schools?
Methods:
Literature Review, Statistical Analysis
Setting:
The study was set in California, as the academic landscape for African American, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students in the state reflects their academic underachievement. The study specifically took place in a community with a culturally and linguistically diverse population of students to illustrate the failure of schools in educating students of color or poor students.
Key Findings:
- African American, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students are not being well educated in the United States, which could affect their social stability and threaten their economic integration into society.
- Beyond low socioeconomic statuses, there is a strong correlation between poor academic performance and various school factors, including a lack of respect for ethnic diversity, low expectations, poor student/teacher relationships, and a sense of privilege felt by school officials that impede change.
- African American and Hispanic students score two to three times lower than White and Asian students. Those who score at or above “proficient” levels are 1/5th of what their White and Asian counterparts score.
- Inadequate support by teachers of African American students results in them internalizing negative stereotypes, causing them to suffer from ‘stereotype threat.’ This negatively affects their grades and academic identity while heightening their resentment towards school.
- African Americans remain devalued in public schools – they are twice as likely to achieve corporal punishment than their white counterparts. This has far-reaching effects on African American students.
- A lack of respect and awareness by educators on cultural diversity is one of the main reasons contributing to low academic achievement by African American students. This lack of awareness stems from the assumption of rightness, the luxury of ignorance, and the legacy of privilege. This mistreatment can be conscious or unconscious and can be a result of racism that is either institutional or personal.
- Cultural diversity training for educators reduces discipline problems, lowers student dropout rates, and creates positive relationships between students and teachers.
Implications:
- To address the lack of awareness amongst educators, redesigning social systems to surface the silences and denials of White privilege is key. Examining White privilege within schools can be done through introspection of Whites to examine their own assumptions, power, and position in America and the role that these factors play in feeding onto racism.
- Educational leaders need the knowledge, skills, and capacity to address issues of both institutional and personal racism as well as the challenges that arise in a culturally diverse environment through honest dialogue, problem-solving, and educational equity plans.
- Culturally proficient leaders and schools are required to address the needs of all students, eradicate stereotypes, and examine programs for subtle practices of discrimination.
- Culturally proficient leaders must learn and teach strategies to effectively manage differences in a culturally diverse environment – through cultural diversity training of staff.
- Culturally competent leaders should incorporate parents’ viewpoints as well as community leaders who reflect the cultural makeup of the student population in order to improve the overall achievement of students. They should also be pro-active in classrooms, provide assistance to educators through feedback, hire culturally diverse staff and help them examine school practices regarding inclusion, address and support diversity, and respond quickly to racial incidents.
Limitations:
A significant limitation of the study is the assumption that all African American students are economically disadvantaged. There are cases where culturally diverse students from good socioeconomic backgrounds outperform other advantaged children in school. Moreover, California is not necessarily the only state that faces underachievement in students who are racially and economically disadvantaged. A more inclusive and comprehensive study will create a better understanding of the issue as it will have a larger scope of the sample size.