Keepin' It Real: School Success Beyond Black and White (Transgressing Boundaries: Studies in Black Politics and Black Communities)

Why are so many African American and Latino students performing less well than their Asian and White peers in classes and on exams? Researchers have argued that African American and Latino students who rebel against "acting white" doom themselves to lower levels of scholastic, economic, and social achievement. In Keepin' It Real: School Success beyond Black and White, Prudence Carter turns the conventional wisdom on its head arguing that what is needed is a broader recognition of the unique cultural styles and practices that non-white students bring to the classroom. Based on extensive interviews and surveys of students in New York, she demonstrates that the most successful negotiators of our school systems are the multicultural navigators, culturally savvy teens who draw from multiple traditions, whether it be knowledge of hip hop or of classical music, to achieve their high ambitions. Keepin' it Real refutes the common wisdom about teenage behavior and racial difference, and shows how intercultural communication, rather than assimilation, can help close the black-white gap. Why do so many African American and Latino students perform worse than their Asian and White peers in classes and on exams? And why are they dropping out of school at higher rates? Common wisdom holds that racial stratification leads African American and Latino students to rebel against "acting white," thus dooming themselves to lower levels of scholastic, economic, and social achievement. But is this true? Do minority students reject certain practices, such as excelling in school, and thus their own mobility, because they fear that peers will accuse them of forsaking their own racial and ethnic identities? "Keepin' It Real" sets the record straight. Drawing on survey fieldwork and interview data from low-income Latino and African-American youth in New York City, Prudence Carter here shows that African American and Latino youth are no different than other youths in valuing education as the key to economic mobility. Rather, resistance to "acting white" indicates a rejection only of the generic American, "white," middle-class styles of interaction, speech, dress, and musical tastes.; Carter further demonstrates that the most successful negotiators of our school systems are not necessarily those who assimilate into the dominant white mainstream, but rather those most adept at crossing the cultural divide. These students, which she terms multicultural navigators, do not "act white" or "act black". Rather, these culturally savvy teens harvest resources from multiple traditions-whether it be knowledge of hip hop or of classical music-to strategically negotiate different expectations and achieve their high ambitions. Capturing the diversity of African American and Latino youths' experiences, "Keepin' it Real" refutes facile, convenient assumptions about teenage behavior and racial difference. Carter concludes with positive steps that both teachers and students can take to help close the black-white education gap. By working together to promote cultural insight and intercultural communication, educators, parents, community leaders, and students can help ensure that school success truly has no color Why do so many African American and Latino students perform worse than their Asian and White peers in classes and on exams? Why might African American and Latino students be less engaged in school? Common wisdom holds that racial stratification leads African American and Latino students to rebel against "acting white," thus dooming themselves to lower levels of scholastic, economic, and social achievement. Keepin' It Real sets the record straight. Drawing on survey fieldwork and interview data from low-income Latino and African-American youth in New York, Prudence Carter here shows that African American and Latino youth are no different than other youths in valuing education as the key to economic mobility. Rather, resistance to "acting white" indicates a rejection only of the generic American, "white," middle-class styles of interaction, speech, dress, and musical tastes. Carter further demonstrates why some African American and Latino students thrive academically, and others do not. The most successful negotiators of our school systems are not necessarily those who assimilate into the dominant white mainstream, but rather those most adept at crossing the cultural divide. These students, who are potentially what she terms multicultural navigators, do not "act white" or "act black". Rather, these culturally savvy teens harvest resources from multiple traditions--whether it be knowledge of hip hop or of classical music--to strategically negotiate different expectations and achieve their high ambitions Contents......Page 18 Introduction Minding the Gap: Race, Ethnicity, Achievement, and Cultural Meaning......Page 22 1 Beyond Belief: Mainstreamers, Straddlers, and Noncompliant Believers......Page 38 2 “Black” Cultural Capital and the Conflicts of Schooling......Page 66 3 Between a “Soft” and a “Hard” Place: Gender, Ethnicity, and Culture in the School and at Home......Page 96 4 Next-Door Neighbors: The Intersection of Gender and Pan-Minority Identity......Page 126 5 New “Heads” and Multicultural Navigators: Race, Ethnicity, Poverty,and Social Capital......Page 156 6 School Success Has No Color......Page 176 Appendix......Page 194 Notes......Page 202 Bibliography......Page 214 A......Page 232 C......Page 233 G......Page 234 M......Page 235 R......Page 236 T......Page 237 Z......Page 238 Prudence Carter Investigates Why African-american And Latino Students Perform Less Well Academically Than Their Asian And White Peers And Argues That What Is Needed Is A Broader Recognition Of The Unique Cultural Styles And Practices That Non-white Students Bring To The Classroom. Prudence L. Carter. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 195-212) And Index. A few years before I embarked on the study discussed in these pages, I traveled across eight states to recruit academically talented students for admission to Brown University.