CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2019
| Author | Collier, Israel Aiesha |
|---|---|
| Title | African American Student Academic (Dis)engagement: A Manifestation of White Fragility in the Classroom |
| Summary | Although the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) has been authorized several times since 1950, the United States (U.S.) does not have an education policy that exercises racial equality for many Black students. Education equity is a current topic of contested debate. Institutionalized racism widens the achievement gap between Black and White American students. Using Critical Race Methodology, the first question of the study’s qualitative research seeks to garner a better understanding of the perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards “White Fragility”, a form of implicit bias. The second research question explores the effects of “White Fragility” on African American student learning. The underlying theory is that the Pygmalion Effect creates a vehicle for a manifestation of “White Fragility”: African American student academic (dis)engagement. This relationship is not well-articulated in the literature. The case study gathered in-depth qualitative data from three high schools in three cities, including: Imperial, Missouri, St. Paul, Minnesota and Jacksonville, North Carolina for the purpose of closing the Black-White achievement gap in a country where education is not equal for all. Interviews were conducted with students, teachers, professors and a former administrator. The results correlate “White Fragility” with “barriers” and/or “barriers” with “disengagement”, designating “White Fragility” as a plausible impediment to African American student learning and more specifically, Black progress in advanced coursework. The thesis concludes by providing recommendations for future research and practical implications for policy stakeholders. |
| Supervisor | Kata Orosz, Ph.D. |
| Department | School of Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2019/collier_israel.pdf |
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