ABSTRACT

Many elite schools proclaim a commitment to racial and other aspects of student diversity and inclusion. Pursuing this commitment is highly complex and contentious given the traditions of exclusion elite schools are founded upon. This paper examines some of these contentions drawing on research conducted at Cherry Tree Academy, an elite pre-K-12 school situated in the USA. Interviews and observations with faculty and students revealed contentions related to race at the school. Diversity efforts were considered synonymous with addressing the needs of Black students and produced expressions of apathy and victimhood from majority White students. Such racial contentions are examined in relation to the concepts of meritocracy and social justice. Examining these contentions remains significant in light of the renewed commitment to diversity and inclusion in elite schools and the reality that elite students are likely to be tomorrows’ decision makers with the power to create more equitable societies.

摘要

许多精英学校宣布对学生多样性和包容性的种族和其他方面的承诺。鉴于排斥精英学校的传统，追求这一承诺是非常复杂和有争议的。本文根据 Cherry Tree Academy（位于美国的一所精英学前班 12 年级学校）进行的研究，对其中一些争论进行了分析。对教师和学生的采访和观察揭示了与学校种族有关的争论。多元化努力被认为是解决黑人学生需求的同义词，并让大多数白人学生表达了冷漠和受害者的态度。此类种族争论与精英管理和社会正义的概念有关。