Abstract
This qualitative study examines the progress of a rural New Jersey school in addressing longstanding racial conflict after implementing a Youth Participatory Action Research project two years prior. Here we take up the thread as students continued to develop activities meant to increase awareness of ongoing issues, and as adults used professional development time to model best practices in managing racialized interactions. Eight teachers and staff not originally involved and nine students who had been directly involved were interviewed and a student focus group conducted. All participants agreed that progress had been made though issues around curriculum and discipline remained. Both the adults and the students engaged in considerable self-reflection about their roles. Adults reported the impact of hearing the students’ voices on school practices, and students discussed how their roles as researchers and peer leaders had contributed to their standing as experts.
Highlights
This qualitative study examines the progress of a rural New Jersey school in addressing longstanding racial conflict after implementing a Youth Participatory Action Research project two years prior
We take up the thread as students continued to develop activities meant to increase awareness of ongoing issues, and as adults used professional development time to model best practices in managing racialized interactions
Deerfield High School is situated in rural southern New Jersey, where centuries-old habits of thought and interaction have continued to isolate Black students
Summary
This qualitative study examines the progress of a rural New Jersey school in addressing longstanding racial conflict after implementing a Youth Participatory Action Research project two years prior. Racialized violence in rural areas does not usually receive prominent attention by the national media (Simpson, 2020; Cook et al 2018), this incident starkly and publicly revealed the racism in the community that underlay continuing inequities in the disciplinary, academic, and cultural practices in the school. To address the inequities and the “lack of trust in administration/staff to respond to discrimination” (Zion, 2020) the students presented policy proposals which the school board approved. These included curricular changes, student inclusion on the equity council, peer education for all students, and professional development for faculty and staff. The Rural Educator, journal of the National Rural Education Association begin the process of repair, we asked the following research questions: 1. To what extent did adult and student participants have similar views of the equity issues?
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