title: Inequality in Black and White High School Students' Perceptions of School Support: An Examination of Race in Context.
abstract: Supportive relationships with adults at school are critical to student engagement in adolescence. Additional research is needed to understand how students' racial backgrounds interact with the school context to shape their perceptions of school support. This study employed multilevel, latent variable methods with a sample of Black and White students (N = 19,726, 35.8 % Black, 49.9 % male, mean age = 15.9) in 58 high schools to explore variation in perceived caring, equity, and high expectations by student race, school diversity, and socioeconomic context. The results indicated that Black students perceived less caring and equity relative to White students overall, and that equity and high expectations were lower in diverse schools for both Black and White students. Nonetheless, racial disparities were attenuated in more diverse schools. The findings point to the need for intervention to improve perceptions of school support for Black youth and for all students in lower income and more diverse schools.
authors.affiliation: Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Ruffner Hall, 212, 407 Emmet Street South, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA. jessika.bottiani@virginia.edu.
authors.forename: Jessika H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bottiani
authors.affiliation: Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Ruffner Hall, 212, 407 Emmet Street South, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Bradshaw
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 642 N. Broadway, Hampton House 853, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mendelson
mesh_terms: D000073978:Academic Performance / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland; D063505:Racism / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D012574:Schools; D057566:Self Report; D012938:Social Perception; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Engagement; Racial disparities; School climate; School diversity; Social support