The writing on the wall: enacting place pedagogies in order to reimagine schooling for Black male youth

Abstract

This ethnographic case study examines how Black educators at an urban middle school enacted critical place pedagogies in order to create a sense of community – that is, a sense of belonging to the place of school – and mutual nurturing between people and space in an attempt to transform how their Black males experienced school. Educators at Starks Middle School did this in order to subvert the failure narrative that describes negative schooling experiences and the ultimate failure of Black boys across this nation. Place pedagogies of Starks Middle School – the signs, symbols, text, pictures, and affirmations used to educate, encourage, and inspire students – were enacted in order to reimagine school space for their Black male students.

Keywords:

• school culture
• urban education
• African-American males
• middle school
• case study
• place pedagogies