- Since desegregation, U.S. schools have been sites of assimilation, where "acting white" is often felt as being necessary to succeeding in school.
- Research suggests that cultural pride and awareness enables black boys to discover their own agency.
- In a 1998 study on elementary school reading comprehension, African-American children performed significantly better on stories depicting black imagery and cultural themes.
- In an after-school program at an inner city high school, researchers saw the arts encouraging self-expression: "Students didn't want to talk about their lives, but they did want to rap about it."
- The report suggests that foundation giving in this area be directed toward studies of programs that use culturally responsive pedagogy to improve racial identity, resilience and/or achievement; an educational campaign to spread the results of these studies; and new initiatives, including extensive training.
Published by
- Heinz Endowments