“This School Helps A Lot”: Personal Agency Among Black Youth Within a Supportive School Environment

Natural Mentors, Racial Pride, and Academic Engagement Among Black Adolescents

Youth & Society ◽

10.1177/0044118x16680546 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 463-483 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Audrey R. Wittrup ◽

Saida B. Hussain ◽

Jamie N. Albright ◽

Noelle M. Hurd ◽

Fatima A. Varner ◽

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Keyword(s):

Academic Success ◽

Black Students ◽

School Environment ◽

Academic Engagement ◽

Black Youth ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Racial Pride ◽

School Based ◽

Natural Mentors ◽

Relational Closeness

The current study examined the potential of relational closeness in the natural mentoring relationships (NMRs) of Black students to counter and protect against the noxious effects of school-based discrimination on academic engagement. The study sample included 663 Black students between the ages of 12 and 19 ( M = 14.96 years, SD = 1.81 years), all reporting a natural mentor. Approximately half of participants were female (53%). Participants were recruited from three different school districts in a Midwestern metropolitan area. Findings indicated that perceived school-based discrimination was negatively associated with academic engagement. Relational closeness in NMRs countered, but did not protect against, the negative effects of perceived school-based discrimination on students’ academic engagement. Additional analyses indicated that one mechanism through which relational closeness in NMRs may promote greater academic engagement among Black students is via increased racial pride. Results highlight the potential of NMRs to counter messages of inferiority communicated through discriminatory experiences in the school. Fostering relational closeness between Black students and supportive non-parental adults in their lives may be an effective strategy to boost academic achievement among Black youth experiencing discrimination in the school environment. In addition to fostering stronger bonds with natural mentors, strategic efforts to reduce school-based discrimination are needed to truly bolster the academic success of Black youth.

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Creative Problem Solving in Public School Supervision

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/0161-1461.2003.320 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 320-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David A. Shapiro ◽

Nelson Moses

Keyword(s):

Public School ◽

Problem Solving ◽

School Environment ◽

Professional Growth ◽

Cognitive Learning ◽

School Personnel ◽

Collaborative Problem Solving ◽

The Public ◽

School Supervision ◽

Team Functioning

This article presents a practical and collegial model of problem solving that is based upon the literature in supervision and cognitive learning theory. The model and the procedures it generates are applied directly to supervisory interactions in the public school environment. Specific principles of supervision and related recommendations for collaborative problem solving are discussed. Implications for public school supervision are addressed in terms of continued professional growth of both supervisees and supervisors, interdisciplinary team functioning, and renewal and retention of public school personnel.

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