Two African American Women Graduates of Historically White Boarding Schools and Their Social Integration at a Traditionally White University

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the saliency of the relationship between White independent boarding schools and postsecondary opportunity for African American students. It specifically focuses on the question: Are Black graduates of elite, independent, historically White boarding schools academically and socially prepared for what they will encounter in traditionally White colleges and universities (TWCUs)? Utilizing multiple data-collection strategies (interview/observation, questionnaires, and journaling), the study explores the experiences of two African American female boarding school graduates and their academic and social transitions to college life at a TWCU in the urban South. The students' reflections illustrate how their boarding school background not only influenced their academic success in college but also affected their ability to integrate into the institution's social systems. INTRODUCTION As the 21st century unfolds, more and more parents in the United States are being confronted by the seeming inadequacies of the nation's public educational system. Reports suggest that it is becoming increasingly difficult for parents and educators to find common ground in their efforts to ensure that students are provided with safe learning environments that foster personal and educational growth (Giles,1995). Moreover, public schools across the nation continue to be plagued by wanton acts of violence, low student academic achievement, teacher apathy, administrative incompetence, and limited fiscal resources (Alexander-Snow, in press). Families, particularly African American families, who were once deeply committed to public education as a moral issue, are increasingly opting to send their children to independent day and boarding schools (Datnow & Cooper, in press). African American parents often find themselves caught in the crossfire of intense political debate when it comes to choosing an elementary and secondary educational institution for their children, and those who opt to send their children to private institutions are no less embattled. On one hand, historically Black independent boarding schools have been touted for their culturally relevant teaching and for providing African American students with a culturally rich academic context that promotes the development of positive self-concept and group esteem (Asante, 1987; Lomotey, 1990). Yet, despite the purported success of these schools, the majority of African American children who attend private schools are enrolled in historically White independent boarding schools (tiles, 1995). Many Black parents compare the abundance of resources, the diverse academic programs, and impressive facilities of White private schools to the less expansive resources, programs, and facilities of Black private schools and conclude that the former are better equipped to prepare their children for collegiate success (Ladson-Billings, 1994). These parents ascribe to the conventional wisdom which suggests that because historically White independent boarding schools in the U.S. mirror the social and academic structures of the larger society and possess the advantages described above, graduates of these institutions will experience little or no difficulties adjusting to collegiate life. Since the 1960s, African American families have increasingly viewed predominantly White, elite boarding schools as viable educational opportunities for African American youth (Foster & Foster, 1994). In general, these schools purport to offer rigorous college preparatory curricula that emphasize social responsibility, actively promote a multicultural and multiracial environment, and strive to build a diverse and pluralistic student body (Speede-Franklin, 1988, p. 22). Despite the vastly different social, cultural, and experiential backgrounds of many of these institutions' African American students compared to their European American classmates, elite boarding schools have achieved a measure of success in retaining and graduating Blacks (Slaughter,1974). …