Taught in the Matrix: A Review of Black Girls’ Experiences in U.S. Schools

Abstract

In recent decades, a growing body of work casts light on Black girls’ schooling experiences to inform the emerging field of Black girlhood studies. Our theoretical review applies intersectionality as a guiding analytic framework to synthesize literature in this emerging field. We specifically highlight the macro and microlevel domains of power (interpersonal, cultural, structural, and disciplinary) in U.S. K–12 schools shaping Black girls’ schooling experiences. The data were drawn from a systematic search of 75 research articles. Our analysis indicated that schools perpetuate racial containment through the policies and practices they maintain as well as the cultural artifacts, objects, and people that coalesce to influence school culture, the instructional practices and curricula Black girls encounter, and the social scripts and covert messaging that dictate how Black girls claim agency in school environments. A key contribution of this review aims to situate power—a central concept in intersectionality—to offer new insights and directions for research on Black girls.