Quaylan Allen | Chapman University (original) (raw)

Papers by Quaylan Allen

Research paper thumbnail of " That's Why I Say Stay in School " : Black Mothers' Parental Involvement, Cultural Wealth, and Exclusion in Their Son's Schooling

This study examines parental involvement practices, the cultural wealth, and school experiences o... more This study examines parental involvement practices, the cultural wealth, and school experiences of poor and working-class mothers of Black boys. Drawing upon data from an ethnographic study, we examine qualitative interviews with four Black mothers. Using critical race theory and cultural wealth frameworks, we explore the mothers' approaches to supporting their sons' education. We also describe how the mothers and their sons experienced exclusion from the school, and how this exclusion limited the mothers' involvement. We highlight their agency in making use of particular forms of cultural wealth in responding to the school's failure of their sons.

Research paper thumbnail of Turning points and resilience of academically successful foster youth

In this study, 19 young adults who were removed from their biological parents as children were in... more In this study, 19 young adults who were removed from their biological parents as children were interviewed about turning points in their lives that led to them to complete a post-secondary educational program or achieve at least junior standing in a four-year institution. The results suggest that a sense of autonomy, social and instrumental support, and access to " safe havens " interacted to facilitate turning-point events in their lives.

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnic and Racial Studies 'Tell your own story': manhood, masculinity and racial socialization among black fathers and their sons

This study examines how black fathers and sons in the USA conceptualize manhood and masculinity a... more This study examines how black fathers and sons in the USA conceptualize manhood and masculinity and the racial socializing practices of black men. Drawing upon data from an ethnography on black male schooling, this paper uses the interviews with fathers and sons to explore how race and gender intersect in how black males make meaning of their gendered performances. Common notions of manhood are articulated, including independence, responsibility and providership. However, race and gender intersect in particular ways for black men. The fathers engaged in particular racial socializing practices preparing their sons for encounters with racism. Both fathers and sons adopted black existentialist perspectives, emphasizing selfdetermination and resilience as racially and politically motivated acts of resistance. Finally, the paper describes how the fathers modelled to their sons how to navigate racialized spaces as black men.

Research paper thumbnail of " They Write Me Off and Don't Give Me a Chance to Learn Anything " : Positioning, Discipline, and Black Masculinities in School

This study examines the schooling of black male students in a U.S. high school. Drawing upon posi... more This study examines the schooling of black male students in a U.S. high school. Drawing upon positioning theory and student resistance literature, I describe how the students make meaning of the pathologizing positioning practices of the school, including how they resist and internalize dominant discourses about black masculinity and how their performances of particular masculinities within the school are met with surveillance, regulation, and discipline. I argue that schools are locations where dominant ideologies of black masculinities are imposed, contested, and sometimes reproduced.

Research paper thumbnail of “Just as Bad as Prisons”: The Challenge of Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline Through Teacher and Community Education

Drawing upon the authors’ experiences working in schools as teachers, teacher educators, research... more Drawing upon the authors’ experiences working in schools as teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and community members, this study utilizes a Critical Race Theory of education in examining the school-to-prison pipeline for black male students. In doing so, the authors highlight the particular role educators play in the school-to-prison pipeline, focusing particularly on how dispositions toward black males influence educator practices. Recommendations and future directions are provided on how education preparation programs can play a critical role in the transformation of black male schooling.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘‘I’m Trying to Get My A’’: Black Male Achievers Talk About Race, School and Achievement

This study seeks to challenge deficit views on Black male education by highlighting the perspecti... more This study seeks to challenge deficit views on Black male education by highlighting the perspectives of academically successful Black males in a secondary school setting. Employing interpretive qualitative methods, I present the narratives of academically successful Black males, emphasizing their reflections on race, school and academic achievement. In particular, this study highlights the educa- tional dispositions and expectations of Black males, including the influences of their support systems on their academic trajectories. One support system comprised of parents, including the academic expectations held of their sons as well as their racial socializing practices. Another support system included their teachers, particularly those who demonstrated pedagogical, expectation and relational characteristics seen as enabling Black male success.

Research paper thumbnail of Race, culture and agency: Examining the ideologies and practices of U.S. teachers of Black male students

This study examines teachers of Black male students in a United States secondary school setting. ... more This study examines teachers of Black male students in a United States secondary school setting. Qualitative methods were used to document teachers' ideologies of and practices with their Black male students. In general, teachers drew upon competing structural and cultural explanations of Black male social and academic outcomes, while also engaging in practices that contested school barriers for Black males. Teacher beliefs about and practices with their Black male students were inconsistent in many ways, yet their agency on behalf of Black males might be understood as essential to Black male educa- tional progress.

Research paper thumbnail of Like Father, Like Son? Reflections on Black Cultural Capital and Generational Conceptions of Work

Former Morehouse College president Benjamin E. Mays (1940Mays ( -1967 noted in his autobiography,... more Former Morehouse College president Benjamin E. Mays (1940Mays ( -1967 noted in his autobiography, Born to Rebel, that his pursuit of education beyond the elementary level was delayed not only by the repressive racial social order of early 20th century South Carolina, but also by his father's insistence that he stay and work the farm. His father, a former slave, consistently stated, "Weren't there only two honest occupations for Negro men-preaching and farming?" (Mays, 1971, p. 36). Mays' experience is similar to the authors' experiences with our own fathers. As first-generation middle-class, our fathers were faced with the dilemma of determining the best way to transmit their class standing to their offspring. For Mays' father as well as the authors' fathers, certain occupational categories were seen as the surest path to reproduction of middle-class status.

Research paper thumbnail of Photographs and stories: ethics, benefits and dilemmas of using participant photography with Black middle-class male youth

Drawing upon research conducted with Black American middle-class youth in a secondary school, thi... more Drawing upon research conducted with Black American middle-class youth in a secondary school, this article highlights the use of participant photography with Black male youth. Participant photography is a visual method that places the power of photo documentation in the hands of research subjects, empowering them to document and reflect on social issues and cultural phenomena important to them. This article highlights the significance of the method when exploring the understudied lives of Black middle-class males, ethical considerations of using visual methods with youth populations, as well as the benefits and dilemmas of engaging Black male youth in participant photography. Visual and narrative data produced from the participant photography project are used to highlight the benefits and ethical dilemmas of the method when working with Black male middle-class youth.

Research paper thumbnail of Balancing school and cool: tactics of resistance and accommodation among black middle-class males

The school lives of black middle-class males are often overlooked and understudied. An exploratio... more The school lives of black middle-class males are often overlooked and understudied. An exploration at the intersection of race, class and gender for black middle-class males provides opportunity for a more nuanced understanding of the black male schooling experience. Drawing upon student resistance theories as analytical tools and employing qualitative interpretive methods, this study documented the raced, classed, and gendered approaches to schooling of black middle-class males. In particular, this article highlights the ways in which black middle-class male youth balanced the academic expectations of their parents with the cultural expectations of their peers through tactical acts of resistance and accommodation. Their tempered approach to academic effort, disruption of school processes, and peer validated performances of black masculine cool were just some of the ways they navigated schooling as a site of conflicting cultural expectations. The intent of their resistance and accommodation in school as raced, classed, and gendered bodies present both opportunities and dilemmas for improving black male achievement and middle-class reproduction.

Research paper thumbnail of “They Think Minority Means Lesser Than”: Black Middle-Class Sons and Fathers Resisting Microaggressions in the School

The current literature on Black middle-class men is sparse, leaving little to be known about the ... more The current literature on Black middle-class men is sparse, leaving little to be known about the raced, classed, and gendered experiences for many Black middle-class male students and their families. Employing qualitative methodology, this study uses critical race theory (CRT) to examine the educational experiences of Black middle-class high school male students through the counterstories of Black students and their fathers. This study highlights various microaggression events experienced by the male students as well as the forms of cultural wealth drawn upon by the fathers to divert the potential negative outcomes of school racism.

Research paper thumbnail of Take Back Higher Education: Race, Youth, And The Crisis Of Democracy In The Post-Civil Rights Era. By Henry A. Giroux and Susan Searls-Giroux ( …

Radical Teacher, Jan 1, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Racial Microaggressions: The Schooling Experiences of Black Middle-Class Males in Arizona's Secondary Schools

Journal of African American Males in …

Whites. This study begins to document the aforementioned by illuminating the racial microaggressi... more Whites. This study begins to document the aforementioned by illuminating the racial microaggressions experienced by Black middle-class males while in school and how their families' usage of social and cultural capital deflect the potential negative outcomes of school racism.

Research paper thumbnail of Education, Sport, and Hip-Hop through the" Mic" of Stuart Scott

Learning culture through sports: exploring the …, Jan 1, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Black middle-class males, their parents, and their teachers: A process of social reproduction through education

The data revealed a compilation of practices employed by the Black middle-class families, pursing... more The data revealed a compilation of practices employed by the Black middle-class families, pursing education as a means to socially reproduce themselves. This included activating various forms of social and cultural capital, creating home and school congruence and engaging in ...

Research paper thumbnail of " That's Why I Say Stay in School " : Black Mothers' Parental Involvement, Cultural Wealth, and Exclusion in Their Son's Schooling

This study examines parental involvement practices, the cultural wealth, and school experiences o... more This study examines parental involvement practices, the cultural wealth, and school experiences of poor and working-class mothers of Black boys. Drawing upon data from an ethnographic study, we examine qualitative interviews with four Black mothers. Using critical race theory and cultural wealth frameworks, we explore the mothers' approaches to supporting their sons' education. We also describe how the mothers and their sons experienced exclusion from the school, and how this exclusion limited the mothers' involvement. We highlight their agency in making use of particular forms of cultural wealth in responding to the school's failure of their sons.

Research paper thumbnail of Turning points and resilience of academically successful foster youth

In this study, 19 young adults who were removed from their biological parents as children were in... more In this study, 19 young adults who were removed from their biological parents as children were interviewed about turning points in their lives that led to them to complete a post-secondary educational program or achieve at least junior standing in a four-year institution. The results suggest that a sense of autonomy, social and instrumental support, and access to " safe havens " interacted to facilitate turning-point events in their lives.

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnic and Racial Studies 'Tell your own story': manhood, masculinity and racial socialization among black fathers and their sons

This study examines how black fathers and sons in the USA conceptualize manhood and masculinity a... more This study examines how black fathers and sons in the USA conceptualize manhood and masculinity and the racial socializing practices of black men. Drawing upon data from an ethnography on black male schooling, this paper uses the interviews with fathers and sons to explore how race and gender intersect in how black males make meaning of their gendered performances. Common notions of manhood are articulated, including independence, responsibility and providership. However, race and gender intersect in particular ways for black men. The fathers engaged in particular racial socializing practices preparing their sons for encounters with racism. Both fathers and sons adopted black existentialist perspectives, emphasizing selfdetermination and resilience as racially and politically motivated acts of resistance. Finally, the paper describes how the fathers modelled to their sons how to navigate racialized spaces as black men.

Research paper thumbnail of " They Write Me Off and Don't Give Me a Chance to Learn Anything " : Positioning, Discipline, and Black Masculinities in School

This study examines the schooling of black male students in a U.S. high school. Drawing upon posi... more This study examines the schooling of black male students in a U.S. high school. Drawing upon positioning theory and student resistance literature, I describe how the students make meaning of the pathologizing positioning practices of the school, including how they resist and internalize dominant discourses about black masculinity and how their performances of particular masculinities within the school are met with surveillance, regulation, and discipline. I argue that schools are locations where dominant ideologies of black masculinities are imposed, contested, and sometimes reproduced.

Research paper thumbnail of “Just as Bad as Prisons”: The Challenge of Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline Through Teacher and Community Education

Drawing upon the authors’ experiences working in schools as teachers, teacher educators, research... more Drawing upon the authors’ experiences working in schools as teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and community members, this study utilizes a Critical Race Theory of education in examining the school-to-prison pipeline for black male students. In doing so, the authors highlight the particular role educators play in the school-to-prison pipeline, focusing particularly on how dispositions toward black males influence educator practices. Recommendations and future directions are provided on how education preparation programs can play a critical role in the transformation of black male schooling.

Research paper thumbnail of ‘‘I’m Trying to Get My A’’: Black Male Achievers Talk About Race, School and Achievement

This study seeks to challenge deficit views on Black male education by highlighting the perspecti... more This study seeks to challenge deficit views on Black male education by highlighting the perspectives of academically successful Black males in a secondary school setting. Employing interpretive qualitative methods, I present the narratives of academically successful Black males, emphasizing their reflections on race, school and academic achievement. In particular, this study highlights the educa- tional dispositions and expectations of Black males, including the influences of their support systems on their academic trajectories. One support system comprised of parents, including the academic expectations held of their sons as well as their racial socializing practices. Another support system included their teachers, particularly those who demonstrated pedagogical, expectation and relational characteristics seen as enabling Black male success.

Research paper thumbnail of Race, culture and agency: Examining the ideologies and practices of U.S. teachers of Black male students

This study examines teachers of Black male students in a United States secondary school setting. ... more This study examines teachers of Black male students in a United States secondary school setting. Qualitative methods were used to document teachers' ideologies of and practices with their Black male students. In general, teachers drew upon competing structural and cultural explanations of Black male social and academic outcomes, while also engaging in practices that contested school barriers for Black males. Teacher beliefs about and practices with their Black male students were inconsistent in many ways, yet their agency on behalf of Black males might be understood as essential to Black male educa- tional progress.

Research paper thumbnail of Like Father, Like Son? Reflections on Black Cultural Capital and Generational Conceptions of Work

Former Morehouse College president Benjamin E. Mays (1940Mays ( -1967 noted in his autobiography,... more Former Morehouse College president Benjamin E. Mays (1940Mays ( -1967 noted in his autobiography, Born to Rebel, that his pursuit of education beyond the elementary level was delayed not only by the repressive racial social order of early 20th century South Carolina, but also by his father's insistence that he stay and work the farm. His father, a former slave, consistently stated, "Weren't there only two honest occupations for Negro men-preaching and farming?" (Mays, 1971, p. 36). Mays' experience is similar to the authors' experiences with our own fathers. As first-generation middle-class, our fathers were faced with the dilemma of determining the best way to transmit their class standing to their offspring. For Mays' father as well as the authors' fathers, certain occupational categories were seen as the surest path to reproduction of middle-class status.

Research paper thumbnail of Photographs and stories: ethics, benefits and dilemmas of using participant photography with Black middle-class male youth

Drawing upon research conducted with Black American middle-class youth in a secondary school, thi... more Drawing upon research conducted with Black American middle-class youth in a secondary school, this article highlights the use of participant photography with Black male youth. Participant photography is a visual method that places the power of photo documentation in the hands of research subjects, empowering them to document and reflect on social issues and cultural phenomena important to them. This article highlights the significance of the method when exploring the understudied lives of Black middle-class males, ethical considerations of using visual methods with youth populations, as well as the benefits and dilemmas of engaging Black male youth in participant photography. Visual and narrative data produced from the participant photography project are used to highlight the benefits and ethical dilemmas of the method when working with Black male middle-class youth.

Research paper thumbnail of Balancing school and cool: tactics of resistance and accommodation among black middle-class males

The school lives of black middle-class males are often overlooked and understudied. An exploratio... more The school lives of black middle-class males are often overlooked and understudied. An exploration at the intersection of race, class and gender for black middle-class males provides opportunity for a more nuanced understanding of the black male schooling experience. Drawing upon student resistance theories as analytical tools and employing qualitative interpretive methods, this study documented the raced, classed, and gendered approaches to schooling of black middle-class males. In particular, this article highlights the ways in which black middle-class male youth balanced the academic expectations of their parents with the cultural expectations of their peers through tactical acts of resistance and accommodation. Their tempered approach to academic effort, disruption of school processes, and peer validated performances of black masculine cool were just some of the ways they navigated schooling as a site of conflicting cultural expectations. The intent of their resistance and accommodation in school as raced, classed, and gendered bodies present both opportunities and dilemmas for improving black male achievement and middle-class reproduction.

Research paper thumbnail of “They Think Minority Means Lesser Than”: Black Middle-Class Sons and Fathers Resisting Microaggressions in the School

The current literature on Black middle-class men is sparse, leaving little to be known about the ... more The current literature on Black middle-class men is sparse, leaving little to be known about the raced, classed, and gendered experiences for many Black middle-class male students and their families. Employing qualitative methodology, this study uses critical race theory (CRT) to examine the educational experiences of Black middle-class high school male students through the counterstories of Black students and their fathers. This study highlights various microaggression events experienced by the male students as well as the forms of cultural wealth drawn upon by the fathers to divert the potential negative outcomes of school racism.

Research paper thumbnail of Take Back Higher Education: Race, Youth, And The Crisis Of Democracy In The Post-Civil Rights Era. By Henry A. Giroux and Susan Searls-Giroux ( …

Radical Teacher, Jan 1, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Racial Microaggressions: The Schooling Experiences of Black Middle-Class Males in Arizona's Secondary Schools

Journal of African American Males in …

Whites. This study begins to document the aforementioned by illuminating the racial microaggressi... more Whites. This study begins to document the aforementioned by illuminating the racial microaggressions experienced by Black middle-class males while in school and how their families' usage of social and cultural capital deflect the potential negative outcomes of school racism.

Research paper thumbnail of Education, Sport, and Hip-Hop through the" Mic" of Stuart Scott

Learning culture through sports: exploring the …, Jan 1, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Black middle-class males, their parents, and their teachers: A process of social reproduction through education

The data revealed a compilation of practices employed by the Black middle-class families, pursing... more The data revealed a compilation of practices employed by the Black middle-class families, pursing education as a means to socially reproduce themselves. This included activating various forms of social and cultural capital, creating home and school congruence and engaging in ...