Years ago, a groundbreaking review of student data from the 2013-2014 school year indicated that Black students were overrepresented among those experiencing punishment in a variety of contexts. In the intervening decade, new data has emerged, schools have implemented policies to reduce racial disparities, researchers have highlighted new methods…

This article presents a new approach to understanding higher rates of punitive discipline utilized against Black students and in Black schools by combining the theoretical construct of antiblackness with Robert Emerson's last resort sanctions to create the framework of Antiblackness in Last Resort Sanctions. This article is the first to apply last…

In this essay, we draw on the extant literature to demonstrate the entrenchment of a "reform" paradigm in school discipline policy, research, and practice. We argue that the slow pace of school discipline reform has not served Black children and youth and compels a stronger stance on ending exclusionary discipline once and for all. So…

The journey to finding one's place in academia can be complex, especially for Black students navigating Predominantly White institutions (PWIs). My path through higher education--from feeling invisible in some White spaces to discovering true belonging at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU)--illustrates how educational environments…

In recent years, researchers have shifted from pathologizing Black youths, when investigating the Black-White achievement gap, to focusing on factors contributing to their resilience and success. A critical review was conducted of three widely cited asset-based theoretical frameworks that are used to examine African American students' academic…

The fullness of Black students' experiences in college has yet to be archived. The same can be said of Black people broadly, whose existence has long been reduced by and to what is observable, by systems of power and those at the helm. This is perhaps due to the structural and structural limitations of data collection efforts, or not of interest…

Career and technical education (CTE) is considered a key academic pathway for sustainable careers in several high-growth industries. However, African-American employees are underrepresented in these industries. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) may represent invaluable options to address this inequality. Our analysis of the…

Deficit narratives about Blackness are embedded in research, discourse, and policies as policymakers and researchers theorize about differences in schooling outcomes between Black students and their peers. We offer a counterstory to prevailing conceptualizations of student absenteeism by arguing that they center racialized and deficit narratives…

Cultivating Black joy is critical, given censorship placed in schools, on Black bodies, and in the curriculum. This article conceptualizes how the dimensions of culturally responsive teaching practices can help reclaim and reconstruct Black students' sense of well-being in the classroom and their sense of Black Joy. Furthermore, this conceptual…

This teaching note reviews a four-part discussion post assignment that asks Black-identified students enrolled in a class connected to a Black living-learning community to make sociological and personal connections to concepts related to race, anti-Blackness, and institutional racism in Yaa Gyasi's novel "Homegoing." Reflecting on their…

While researchers have used qualitative and quantitative methods to study postsecondary education access opportunity for rural Black youth, the use of critical mixed methods approaches to examine postsecondary education inequities for rural Black youth is unrealized. The purpose of this paper is to highlight lessons learned in using…

Mental health treatment utilization is low among Black undergraduate women, despite the prevalence of mental health stressors and difficulties. The consideration of pre-treatment preferences and expectations may help address this disparity. The current study is an attempted replication and extension of prior findings demonstrating race-based…

This article describes experiences of a literary coach working with a first-grade teacher to make Pro-Black culturally relevant pedagogy foundational to the coaching relationship. Responding to the failure of mandated programs to support Black students' literacy proficiency and the success of culturally relevant pedagogies, they addressed the…

Hip-hop music and culture have existed for decades in the United States. Since the 1970s, five critical elements have been defined as parts of hip-hop culture: the MC (oral), the DJ (aural), graffiti (visual), knowledge (mental), and breakdancing (physical). The existing literature connects each of these forms of hip-hop to the experiences of…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are more than just institutions of higher learning; they are cornerstones of their communities, contributing significantly to the economic, social, and educational fabric. Not only do HBCUs have a long and distinguished history of providing high-quality education to African Americans,…