How Alienation Manifests in the Public Education System

Our identities influence the social groups to which we belong; for instance, an individual who self-identifies as Latino may be inclined to join others who share the same identity or life experiences. Identities can shape whether we belong to the out-group versus in-group. For example, the construction of racial identities aimed to organize people across the world in various groups such as Negroid, Mongoloid, and Caucasoid. Organizing groups of people into a social hierarchy of human beings aimed to promote the racial superiority of those considered Caucasoid and the racial inferiority of other groups—creating an out-group versus in-group dynamic. Consequently, this influenced the organization of people and associated privileges in the United States, as well as places like South Africa, Brazil, etc. through political acts like Jim Crow, Apartheid, and Hispanization.

This grouping process and associated privileges are evident in numerous domains of our social life in the United States including the public education system. Consider how the racial composition of a school can influence:

• The number of teachers certified at the school.
• The number of AP courses offered at the school.
• The school's infrastructure and access to resources such as internet, smart technology, etc.
• The presence of a school resource officer (police officer) or not.
• The conditions of the school library, sport programs, etc.

We can argue that African American and Latino youth encounter cultural and social alienation when they enter the public education system (Christian, 2014; Nieto, 2000). Alienation reflects many aspects of their lived experience and can translate into thinking and feeling as if they do not belong and their complete physical removal from the school environment. Mau (1992) provides a multidimensional perspective of alienation:

1. Powerlessness demonstrates a lack of control over a situation or one’s inability to apply personal power to change a situation. A disproportionate number of African American and Latino students receive suspension for arbitrary offenses (e.g., excessive noise). In some cases, these students commit the same offense as their white peers but receive a more excessive and harsh punishment. More often, without an advocate, they must accept the suspension.
2. Meaninglessness is an evaluation of whether content learned in school provides value or meaning to one’s lived experience and future. The U.S. History curriculum rarely acknowledges the contributions of African American and Latino groups beyond slavery and the civil rights movement. World History usually centers on Europe without the acknowledgment of Indigenous people and people of African descent contributions to science, literature, etc. This curriculum “erases” or constructs an “invisible” identity of the ancestors of African American and Latino students.
3. Normlessness describes one’s opposition or resistance to the cultural norms and expectations found in school. Public schools will perpetuate Whiteness as the normative culture, where this normative serves as a standard for behavior, language, and curriculum. Schools reflect social norms that are culturally alienating and do not value the cultural expression of racially diverse youth. Behaviors such as wearing a “Black Power” t-shirt or locks in one’s hair may be perceived as an oppositional act in school, but really rather serve as an expression of cultural resistance. Read the post on students suspended for their hair!
4. Social estrangement is an affective and physical process. Accordingly, young people may display an emotional and physical disconnection from the school environment and are less likely to participate in school activities or other school-related gatherings. Numerous African American and Latino students are placed into remedial, special education programs, or English Language Learner programs that perpetuate basic and sub-par education.

Alienation can have adverse effects on young people and lead to a sense of disconnectedness from school (Brown et al., 2003). Young people who do not see school as an inclusive space will start to withdraw and disengage from school activities. Moreover, students who feel alienated are also more likely to develop depressive symptoms (Seaton, 2009).

We must find ways to redesign our curriculum and school climate in ways that infuse the cultural experiences of young people. Teachers can work to promote an inclusive environment in schools by empowering racially diverse students inside the classroom and valuing their genius. We have to work with adults to recognize the genius in young people and validate it. Students who feel a sense of belonging and value the school environment are more likely to display a higher level of academic and social engagement (Thompson & Gregory, 2011). Decreasing alienation in school can serve as one avenue to decrease education inequity in the public education system. While this is one approach, serious changes need to occur in our policies and practices in the public education system. I am welcome to an open dialogue on those.

If you are interested in learning more about the history of race, refer to the book The Concept of Race (Montagu, 1964).

This post was in collaboration with Christen Edwards, a former Research Assistant in the Collective Health and Education Equity Research (CHEER) lab, and graduate student at the University of Virginia.