Browsing by Subject "desegregation"
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Item A case study of the voices of African American teachers in two Texas communities before and after desegregation, 1954 to 1975(2009-05-15) Standish, Hilary A.This qualitative study explored the experiences of African American educators who worked in two communities in Texas during the years 1954 to 1975. The goal was to document the educators? perceptions of teaching in segregated schools, their recollections of how the desegregation process was implemented in their districts, and their perceptions regarding teaching in desegregated schools. College Station schools desegregated in 1966, and Bryan schools desegregated in 1971. The study considered the years 1954 to 1975. A purposive sample of eleven African American teachers was interviewed. The data was analyzed in two ways. Findings generated using the categorical content method of narrative analysis revealed the following: In Phase One, when participants worked in segregated schools, they had to deal with numerous hardships; yet they had a high sense of teacher efficacy, had high expectations for students, and were highly regarded in their roles as teachers. 2) In Phase Two, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling had no immediate impact on the communities? schools, although there were a series of arsons committed against African American schools that proved to be critical in bringing about desegregation. 3) In Phase Three, the participants were typically re-assigned or demoted; yet several factors made their work easier, although it became difficult to develop meaningful relationships with students and some students felt disconnected from the educational process. Narrative analysis using the holistic content method discerned three overarching patterns found across the collective body of data. They were a) double consciousness, b) an ethic of caring, and c) resiliency traits. In addition to the above findings, the model of an inverted rite of passage was developed to describe the African American educators? experiences in which participants underwent a process of change, over which they had little control. Desegregation compelled them to leave familiar settings, and to make personal and professional adjustments. In contrast to traditional rites of passage, the participants did not emerge from this process with new-found, elevated statuses. Instead, they occupied a socially ambiguous terrain as they joined predominantly White faculties at desegregated schools.Item Representation, Structure, and Public Management in School Desegregation: An Examination of Student Outcomes(2013-08-06) Capers, Kaisheka Jur?eAs we near the 60th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, questions still remain about its salience and our ability to provide equal educational opportunities to students of all races and ethnicities. Additionally, scholars and observers alike note the continual shift toward resegregation in American schools, but few have probed exactly why this occurs and the empirical implications of this shift. As such, this dissertation project explores the ?new? political domain of school desegregation policy to understand why some school districts are resegregating while others maintain their racial balance, and the substantive implications of this divide for minority students. The goal of this research is two-fold. First, I investigate the determinants of desegregation policy, arguing that a set of institutional (representation), structural, and management factors best predict a district?s level of racial balance as an indicator of the active pursuit of desegregation. Second, I examine student outcomes and performance under both educational settings?racially balanced and imbalanced?to determine where students fare better and how much the racial context matters to student outcomes. I frame this question theoretically in the organizational theory research on external control, in which I argue that the policy environment, in this case, the racial context as denoted by the level of racial balance, influences the extent to which structure, representation, and management affect outcomes. I compare outcomes under the two policy environments, racially balanced and imbalanced districts, to see their effect on the noted factors and where students fare better. The general results show that the broad assumption and desegregation literature finding that racially balanced schools are better for minority students is not supported. Minority students can also gain the same if not better outcomes in racially imbalanced districts. I also find that while the tested predictors play an important role, the policy environment significantly contributes to their role and outcomes. For policy makers and practitioners this means that one way to gain the equality that the Brown decision sought is to shift the focus on improving board and teacher representation or management strategies and practices. The dissertation challenges assumptions of political decisions and outcomes that fail to consider the external policy environment.