Diversity in private education: The impact of racial discrimination on students' mental health

Abstract

Minority students and their families have viewed attending private schools as a way to increase their social and financial mobility. The Supreme Court case of Runyon vs McCrary (1976) prohibited private schools from excluding students based on race or ethnicity which led to increased access to quality education for racial and ethnic minorities. Private schools generally have more funding, resources, and due to smaller class sizes, students typically have more access to their teachers than students who attend public schools. Longstanding neglect of many racial and ethnic minority communities has resulted in their public schools being understaffed and overpopulated amongst other systemic issues. To break the generational cycle of unequal access to education that many minorities experience in America, families send their children to private schools and in some cases, students choose this themselves. While the increase in access to resources and quality of education is often indisputable, it is crucial to carefully consider the experience of being a racial and ethnic minority in these settings and if this experience is like that of their white peers.