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Black Male Education Research Collection

Black Male Education Research Collection

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November 17, 2020

From “Problems” to “Vulnerable Resources:” Reconceptualizing Black Boys With and Without Disability Labels in U.S. Urban Schools

Proffitt, W. A. (2020). From “Problems” to “Vulnerable Resources:” Reconceptualizing Black Boys With and Without Disability Labels in U.S. Urban Schools. Urban Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085920972164

 

In this article, I propose a critical, alternative framing of Black boys, asserting that Black boys are vulnerable resources rather than problems. Black boys are susceptible to racist and ableist practices and discourses, and they deserve special protection and services in school that do not position them as “in need of repair.” Despite the multiple oppressions they face, Black boys are assets to themselves and their communities. I contrast this alternative framing against an existing framing of schooling for Black boys: the dominant, functionalist approach that advances a deficiency narrative. I situate this discussion within the context of urban education.

 

Access to full article:

https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085920972164

 

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  • Home
  • About
  • BLACK MALE RESEARCH
    • Research Briefs
    • Black Male Education Research Collection
      • Achievement (AC)
      • Familial Influences (FI)
      • Higher Education (HE)
      • Masculinity Studies (MS)
      • Occupation/Education (OE)
      • Race and Education (RE)
      • Sports/Athletics (SA)
      • Teaching (T)
      • Urban Education (UE)
    • Prominent Authors