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Abstract
Minority suburbanization has been a fast growing demographic shift in the United States during the first decade of the 21st century. This article examines the tapestry of the suburbanization experience of a group of high-achieving Black American students and their families as told by them. Departing from the all too common, deficit orientation toward Black American academic performance, we focus on how these families and students negotiate the challenges and opportunities in a highly competitive, liberal school district. Using socio-cognitive acculturation theory superimposed over an ecological framework as theoretical grounding, this study reveals how participants’ dual identity consciousness combined with a strong achievement orientation and adaptive strategies facilitated their acculturation to the suburban academic and post-school success despite challenges.
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Author Biographies
Xiaoqi Yu is a doctoral graduate in Cultural Foundations from Kent State University. She is a co-researcher of the project “Black-American Academic Engagement and Success in Shaker Heights, Ohio: Family Stories.” Her research interest includes special focus on students’ social-cultural border crossing and its impact on their educational outcome.
Vilma Seeberg is an associate professor at Kent State University. She publishes on education, individual agency and social change, with particular attention to structural inequality, critical theory and the capability approach. She is currently working on a forthcoming book, Black American Students’ Achievement in the Suburbs: Academic Success through Family Engagement.
Larissa Malone is a doctoral graduate of the Cultural Foundations at Kent State University. She is a co-researcher of the project “Black-American Academic Engagement and Success in Shaker Heights, Ohio: Family Stories.” A critical race theorist, her research agenda includes African Diaspora, acculturation in diverse societies, and comparative international education.
