Back to Black: a call to situate community school inquiry within Black research paradigms

Abstract

As community schools have expanded across the nation, so too has the body of research striving to explore this educational philosophy. This conceptual article calls to more fully account for Black experiences with community schools by deepening the ways we situate community school research within Black research paradigms: paradigms that offer ways to illuminate Black experiences with community schools and nuance our understanding of community schooling as an educational philosophy and means to address the experiences and material conditions of Black youth and their families often surviving poverty. Leveraging Black Critcal Theory and culturally sensitive research approaches as guiding lenses, this article provides a reflection of the current landscape of contemporary community school research and considerations for paths forward for community school literature, with particular attention to youth, family and community engagement community school literature.