ROYSTER, JR., ALBERT L., Ed.D. the Plight of the African
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ROYSTER, JR., ALBERT L., Ed.D. The Plight of the African American Student: A Study of the Schooling Experiences of African American Professionals in Public Education and how their Schooling Experiences Impacted their Careers and Subsequent Lives. (2017) Directed by Dr. Ulrich C. Reitzug. 183 pp. The purpose of this study was to conduct research on the early history of segregation and desegregation, which directly impacted how African Americans were educated—or not educated—in American history. My focus was geared toward investigating several aspects within the historical educational experiences of African American students. Two time periods were examined. The first time period chronicled the schooling experiences of African Americans who attended segregated, or both segregated and desegregated schools, after the Brown decision of 1954. The second time period chronicled the schooling experiences of African Americans who attended only desegregated schools. Although research has been done on segregation and desegregation, this study focused on the schooling experiences of African Americans. Themes were analyzed to see if African American’s career outcomes were affected by the available educational opportunities during these time periods. Narrative research was used to collect the participants’ life experiences within the two specific time periods. Eleven African American participants were interviewed. Restorying was used to make sense of those experiences as they related to the topic being researched. The questions given to the participants were aimed at gathering personal accounts of the challenges and struggles African Americans faced, and currently face, in education in our country. Several themes emerged from analyzing the narratives of the participants. These themes pertained to unequal facilities of African American schools compared to white facilities; a shared sense of community among African American students, families, and communities; high regard for education in African American families and communities; hostile environments created by whites in response to the desegregation of schools by African American students; and the ongoing discrimination of African American students; and the ongoing impact of the positive experiences in segregated schooling on their subsequent lives. THE PLIGHT OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT: A STUDY OF THE SCHOOLING EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND HOW THEIR SCHOOLING EXPERIENCES IMPACTED THEIR CAREERS AND SUBSEQUENT LIVES by Albert L. Royster, Jr. A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Greensboro 2017 Approved by Committee Chair I dedicate this doctoral dissertation to my parents, Al Royster Sr. and Linda Royster. Being an only child, you two have always been my biggest supporters and cheerleaders. Without you, I would not be the man I am today. Thank you for keeping me grounded and putting God first. ii APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation, written by Albert L. Royster, Jr., has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair Committee Members Date of Acceptance by Committee Date of Final Oral Examination iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I wish to thank the members of my dissertation committee. This dissertation could not have been completed without the wisdom, feedback, and guidance from my chair, Dr. Reitzug, and the support, constructive criticism, and direction of my committee members Dr. Craig Peck, Dr. Anne W. Davis, and Dr. Carl Lashley. I am very appreciative to the participants in this work. The African American students who persevered during segregation and early desegregation have my utmost respect. The amount of diligence and patience needed to survive during those eras is unimaginable. They did not have many procedures and protocols to ensure fairness and opportunities that many students take for granted today. Their frankness and honesty during our interviews are invaluable to me as an educator and to anyone who may peruse this research work. In addition, my hat goes off to the African American students in the later time periods who overcame the odds by being successful and pursing their education further and obtaining college and graduate level degrees. As I traveled through the journey of creating a dissertation I could be proud of and seeing the end result, the following Bible verse comes to mind: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, The New King James Version). Without God in Christ, this work would not be possible. I want to acknowledge my mentor and one of the main reasons why I am the administrator I am today, Lynn Briggs. She motivated me to pursue my doctorate and always pushed me to be the best administrator I could be. Another colleague, Reggie iv Wilkerson, kept me on the right track and gave me encouragement during my trying times as a high school principal. Tameka Little was instrumental in pushing me down the home stretch to finish what I started when the demands of life casted shadows of doubt in my mind. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family for their constant encouragement and support during this whole process. My mom, Linda, my dad, Albert Sr., and my daughter Kyra, are my heart and soul. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 Problem Statement .......................................................................................4 Research Questions ......................................................................................7 Overview of Subsequent Chapters .............................................................10 Chapter II .......................................................................................10 Chapter III ......................................................................................11 Chapter IV ......................................................................................11 Chapter V .......................................................................................12 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .............................................................................13 Defining Segregation and Racism .............................................................13 Historical and Legal Aspects of Segregation and Desegregation in Society and Education ...........................................................................14 Present Day Segregation and Desegregation in Society and Education ................................................................................................32 The Impact of Segregation and Socioeconomic Status (SES) on Education ...............................................................................................33 Critical Race Theory and Hearing African Americans Voices ..................37 Oral History and Narratives of African American Schooling Experiences ............................................................................................40 III. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................57 Type of Qualitative Study ..........................................................................57 Introduction of Myself as a Researcher and Participant ............................60 Key Concepts and Variables ......................................................................63 Autoethnography............................................................................63 Achievement Gap...........................................................................63 De jure Segregation........................................................................64 Desegregation ................................................................................64 vi Socioeconomic Status (SES) ..........................................................65 Low Socioeconomic Status ............................................................65 Pearsall Plan ...................................................................................66 Phenomenology..............................................................................66 Racial Grouping .............................................................................67 “Separate but Equal” ......................................................................67 Segregation ....................................................................................68 Spatial Theory ................................................................................68 Social Disorganization Theory ......................................................68 Storying ..........................................................................................69 Unitary Status.................................................................................69 Research Setting.........................................................................................69 Research Participants .................................................................................70