Black Students White Schools- Caught Between Two Worlds

This study explores the experiences of eight black students in a predominantlywhite affluent suburban high school. The investigation examinesthe obstacles that impede the educational paths and mar the personalexperiences of these students. But more importantly it seeks to uncover theorganizational factors of the institution and/or the personal traits of thestudents that make it possible for these black students to have successfuleducational experiences despite the many challenges they face. These areeight young men and women who demonstrate resilience in their young lives.This study of their experiences examines the building blocks of that resilience.It uncovers why they are able to achieve despite the array of psychologicalsocial and educational obstacles they encounter everyday in their highschool.Readers may see reflections of themselves or their students or their childrenin the struggles of these eight students. To see them in their honors andadvanced placement classes . . . to see them walking through the hallwaysjuxtaposed against the backdrop of the white school - readers gain a betterunderstanding of how these students are forced to grapple and ultimatelytame two different worlds.