Black high school students’ critical racial awareness, school-based racial socialization, and academic resilience

Oct 15, 2026

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Research examining how Black high school students’ perceptions of school-based racial socialization and racial identity shape their attitudes and dispositions toward school. The study analyzes how students describe context-based racial identity and how racialized features of school culture influence academic and psychosocial resilience. The work supports educators in applying a developmental psychology framework emphasizing ecology and phenomenology, linking strong racial identity to resilient academic outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research focus and purpose

Racial identity, school culture, and resilience

Colorblindness context and critical hope

Critical race theory framework

Implications for educators

UC Berkeley Berkeley Review of Education Title Black high school students’ critical racial awareness, school-based racial socialization, and academic resilience Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9c79v43t](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9c79v43t) Journal Berkeley Review of Education, 5(1) ISSN 1947-5578 Author Graves, Daren Publication Date 2014-01-01 Supplemental Material [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9c79v43t\#supplemental](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9c79v43t#supplemental) Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Available online at [http://escholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre](http://escholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre) Black High School Students’Critical Racial Awareness, School-Based Racial Socialization, and Academic Resilience Daren Graves 1 Simmons College Abstract This research focuses on how Black high school students’perceptions of their school-based racial socialization and their racial identities impact their attitudes and dispositions toward school. The author examined the intersection of racial identity and school culture by examining how Black students describe their context-based racial identity and the racialized aspects of their schools’ cultures. The purpose of this research is to help educators who work with Black students understand how to apply a developmental psychology framework that foregrounds the importance of ecology and phenomenology and can be used to leverage the relationship between strong racial identity and academic resilience. PVEST (Spencer, 1997; 2001) provides a psychological framework for educators to both assess the differential identity formation processes of their students and how they can help students navigate the identity formation process. Keywords: racial identity, school culture, Black students, education, psychology, sociology Researchers have long examined the role that Black racial identity awareness plays in the academic performance of Black youth. Earlier psychological research suggested that Black students’ race and racial identity were deterministic deficits and thus risk factors for school failure (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986; Rushton & Jensen, 2005) . More recent research contradicts these findings by demonstrating how Black youth who display racial identities that acknowledge the existence of current racism and stand in solidarity with other oppressed groups are more likely to display academic and psycho-social resilience (Altschul, Oyserman, & Bybee, 2006; Carter, 2008; Sellers, Smith, Shelton, Rowley, & Chavous, 1998; Spencer, Noll, Stoltzfus, & Harpalani, 2001) . Regardless of whether research identifies the racial identities of Black youth as assets or risk factors, the research has collectively focused on demystifying the relations among racial identity, life experiences, and academic outcomes. Often overlooked in this research is the progression from identity to specific life and academic outcomes. The current colorblind era (Bonilla-Silva, 2003) forms a crucial context that informs the identity formation process and its impact on academic outcomes and dispositions. Bonilla-Silva posits that colorblind racism, or the covert circulation of racist ideas through the extension of abstract liberalism and the naturalization of racial behaviors, characterizes the racial context. In this racial context, Black students receive messages 1 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to: Daren Graves, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115. Email: [daren.graves@simmons.edu](daren.graves@simmons.edu). Berkeley Review of Education Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 5-32 6 Graves from media and schools that the U.S. has transcended the blights of racism and other forms of oppression (Duncan-Andrade, 2009) . The notion that racism is a relic of the past can facilitate a sense of false hope (Duncan-And

FAQs

What relationship does the research investigate between school-based racial socialization and students’ school attitudes?

It examines how Black high school students’ perceptions of school-based racial socialization and their racial identities influence their attitudes and dispositions toward school.

How does the study frame identity formation and resilience for educators?

It uses a developmental psychology approach that foregrounds ecology and phenomenology, supporting educators to leverage links between strong racial identity and academic resilience through PVEST (Spencer, 1997; 2001).

Why is the “colorblind era” considered important to the study’s context?

The colorblind era is described as shaping identity formation and affecting academic outcomes, including how messages about transcended racism can foster false hope and leave students unprepared for racism’s realities.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben