RAISING MIXED KIDS IN THE ’BURBS: MIXED-RACE FAMILIES NAVIGATING RACE, IDENTITY, AND DISCRIMINATION IN SUBURBAN SCHOOLS

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the intersection of familial and school-based racial–ethnic socialization of mixed-race children in suburban schools. Suburban schools provide educational services to most youth in the United States and a growing number of mixed-race families. This dissertation focused on how parents prepare children to navigate racialized school experiences and the impact of their decisions on the racial knowledge development of multiracial youth, the fastest-growing racial demographic under 18.Critical multiracial theory was the theoretical lens used to present findings through storytelling, allegories, and narrated dialogue. The findings showed that parents strategically chose where to live and which schools to send their children. The findings suggest varying parental efforts in cultivating awareness of race based on children’s racial background and appearance. Parents may struggle to address issues of racism, racial stratification, and discrimination due to their perceptions of residing in a good community with good schools. Although young people might downplay the significance of racism in their lives, many acknowledge the subtle impact of systemic racism on their school experiences. The study found structural barriers, such as academic tracking and school zoning, to access to peers from minoritized heritage groups. However, minoritized peers are critical for fostering positive racial–ethnic identities at school. Findings also suggest that young people’s inability to identify the structural elements of everyday racism could relate to the lack of multiracial representation and the neglect of structural and systemic racism in formal curricula. The study could have implications for parents, school leaders, young people, and scholars of racial–ethnic socialization and suburban education.