“I’ll Do Some Soul Searching”: Navigating a Black Student–Teacher Relationship Within the Sociopolitical Terrain of Urban Science Education

Abstract

Using a multitiered framework, embedded in anti-Blackness, this qualitative case study centers a Black woman teacher and Black girl who were subjugated to multiple layers of oppression in a middle school science classroom. Findings revealed that systemic pressures, like standardized testing and school choice, hindered genuine learning. The teacher-participant felt compelled to prioritize test preparation over holistic education and noted how the science fair exacerbated racial inequities while midyear teacher reassignments fractured student–teacher relationships. This study underscores the need to name sociopolitical and historical factors to address structural and systemic inequities in urban science education.

Keywords

urban development < social case studies < subjects African American students < urban education school choice < urban education standardized testing < subjects

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