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Initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in predominantly White contexts, including STEM fields, have primarily relied on approaches to increase the representation of minoritized individuals. However, an increase in the representation of minoritized individuals is only one step of the process, as the present study suggests that explicit beliefs about particular racial groups' abilities also matter. The present article examined whether classroom racial stereotype endorsement about science and math disadvantaged Black American adolescents relative to their White American peers. Across two longitudinal studies with 533 and 1,189 adolescents (N‐adolescents = 1722; N‐classrooms = 86; 45% Black American, 55% White American; 51% females; M‐age = 13–14), classroom pro‐White/anti‐Black stereotype endorsement in the fall term predicted better science and math achievement scores for White American adolescents and lower science and math achievement scores for Black American adolescents at the end of the academic year. Student‐ and teacher‐reported student engagement in science and math classrooms mediated the longitudinal relations between classroom pro‐White/anti‐Black stereotype endorsement and students' achievement scores. Results suggest that classrooms may be important conduits for communicating racial stereotypes that create racially hostile STEM learning environments. Research Highlights: Using a longitudinal sample of 1722 adolescents enrolled in 86 classrooms, the present study examined the consequences of classroom racial stereotype endorsement during adolescence.White American adolescents demonstrated favorable achievement scores in science and math when their classmates endorsed traditional, or pro‐White/anti‐Black, stereotypes.Black American adolescents showed worse achievement scores in science and math when their classmates endorsed pro‐White/anti‐Black stereotypes.Classroom engagement mediated the longitudinal relations between classroom pro‐White/anti‐Black stereotype endorsement and achievement scores for both Black and White American adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Police stops often perpetuate racial disparities in academic outcomes, yet few studies have examined factors that mitigate these negative consequences. Using two longitudinal studies (Study 1: n = 483, M -age = 12.88, 53% males; Study 2: n = 131, M -age = 15.11, 34% males), this article tests whether parental and school cultural socialization reduced the negative associations between police stops and youth's school engagement. Results showed that youth with police encounters reported lower school engagement. Parental cultural socialization conferred protection in one study, while school cultural socialization was a protective factor in both studies. The implications of this work stand to benefit those working to reduce the negative links between policing and African American youth's school engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article used self‐regulated learning as a theoretical lens to examine the individual and interactive associations between a growth mindset and metacognition on math engagement for adolescent students from socioeconomically disadvantaged schools. Across three longitudinal studies with 207, 897, and 2,325 11‐ to 15‐year‐old adolescents, students' beliefs that intelligence is malleable and capable of growth over time only predicted higher math engagement among students possessing the metacognitive skills to reflect upon and be aware of their learning progress. The results suggest that metacognitive skills may be necessary for students to realize their growth mindset. Thus, growth mindsets and metacognitive skills should be promoted together to capitalize on the mutually reinforcing effects of each, especially among students in socioeconomically disadvantaged schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining learning engagement throughout adolescence is critical for long‐term academic success. This research sought to understand the role of metacognition and motivation in predicting adolescents' engagement in math learning over time. In two longitudinal studies with 2,325 and 207 adolescents (ages 11–15), metacognitive skills, interest, and self‐control each uniquely predicted math engagement. Additionally, metacognitive skills worked with interest and self‐control interactively to shape engagement. In Study 1, metacognitive skills and interest were found to compensate for one another. This compensatory pattern further interacted with time in Study 2, indicating that the decline in engagement was forestalled among adolescents who had either high metacognitive skills or high interest. Both studies also uncovered an interaction between metacognitive skills and self‐control, though with slightly different interaction patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culturally relevant practices are valuable assets for ethnically-racially diverse schools, but few studies examine whether such practices promote students' engagement in school longitudinally and whether ethnicity-race moderates the effects of such practices on students' engagement. To address this gap, the present study examined whether schools that acknowledge and promote positive messages about youth's ethnicity-race (i.e., school cultural socialization practices) promoted multiple dimensions of students' school engagement and whether these links differed between African American and European American students. Data were collected in four waves during a two-year period from 403 fifth graders (55.1% males; 63% African American, 37% European American). The results revealed that African American youth who perceived more school cultural socialization reported greater behavioral and affective engagement (but not cognitive engagement) six months later. European Americans' perceived school cultural socialization was unrelated to their levels of engagement in later months. Across groups, neither type of engagement predicted subsequent school cultural socialization, supporting the direction of effects in the results. Implications are discussed regarding how educators can leverage cultural socialization to promote school engagement among African American youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intended purpose of exclusionary discipline is to improve the learning environment by removing disruptive students; however, emerging evidence has suggested that these practices may have the opposite effect. Exclusionary discipline--especially policies that use suspensions as punishment for minor, developmentally normative behavioral infractions--is a known threat to suspended students' academic achievement, but few have examined whether and how these suspensions may vicariously affect nonsuspended classmates' academic achievement. This article uses a two-study approach to examine the mechanisms linking suspensions for minor infractions and educational outcomes in science (N-student = 558; N-classroom = 41; Mage = 12.83; age range = 10-16; 40% Black, 55% White, 5% other race; 51% girls; 62% eligible for free/reduced-priced lunch) and math (N-student = 1,302; N-classroom = 64; Mage = 13.00; age range = 10-16; 41% Black, 53% White, 6% other race; 50% girls; 64% eligible for free/reduced-priced lunch) classrooms among both suspended and nonsuspended students. Results showed that students who received a suspension for a minor infraction were more likely to have poorer academic achievement in both studies. In classrooms where suspensions for minor infractions were used more frequently, students had lower academic achievement, with student engagement partially mediating this relation. These results add to a growing body of school discipline literature that advocates for replacing exclusionary discipline with more developmentally responsive policies and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of whether schools should promote cultural pride and engage students in ethnic traditions is hotly contested. To contribute to this debate, this longitudinal study examined whether school cultural socialization predicted adolescents' engagement in school over time and whether this relation was mediated by school climate. Data were collected in four waves during a two-year period from 254 African American fifth-graders (53.9% males; M age = 10.95 at Wave 1) enrolled in three public middle schools. Results revealed that African American youth who reported more school cultural socialization also had greater school engagement over time. This longitudinal relation was fully mediated by youth's perceptions of school climate. Implications for how to promote African American youth's perceptions of schools as culturally sensitive and supportive environments are discussed. • School cultural socialization are school-based lessons about students' races. • Youth perceiving more cultural socialization reported greater engagement in school. • Positive school climate perceptions mediated the aforementioned link. • Implications include how to promote perceptions of schools as supportive contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]