ERIC Number: EJ1131945
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-1498
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Available Date: N/A
Knowing Obama: How High School Students of Color Learn about the 44th President
Smith, William
High School Journal, v100 n1 p26-44 Fall 2016
Drawing from a theory of racial literacy and literature on the post-racial phenomenon after the 2008 election, this case study examines how high school students of color have learned about Barack Obama as a racial and political figure. Findings suggest that schools can be unfriendly spaces for learning about these topics, with history and social studies courses failing to address Barack Obama or the election in a meaningful way. However, students pick up rich, though scattered, information through out-of-school sources such as family, community, and media. These findings suggest a need for greater consideration of Obama-related content in formal curriculum. The findings also imply that teachers must provide opportunities for students to contextualize, extend, and make sense of their out-of-school learning about race and Obama in the academic safety of the school environment.
Descriptors: Minority Group Students, High School Students, Presidents, Case Studies, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Racial Attitudes, Political Attitudes, Race, Politics, Racial Relations, Attitude Change, Social Studies, Elections
University of North Carolina Press. 116 South Boundary Street, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288. Tel: 800-848-6224; Tel: 919-966-7449; Fax: 919-962-2704; e-mail: uncpress@unc.edu; Web site: http://uncpress.unc.edu/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A