The suburbs are often celebrated for their manicured lawns, quiet streets, and high-quality schools, historically serving as enclaves for white Americans who use public education to secure college placements for their children. However, nonwhite parents are increasingly recognizing the benefits of these elite suburban schools and are moving in to enhance their children's educational opportunities. In this exploration, the author delves into an elite high school in the Northeast, where Asian American students, whose families have relocated to the area, begin to excel academically, often outperforming their white peers. This shift prompts a reaction from white parents, who express concerns about the heightened academic rigor, claiming it negatively impacts their children's mental health. They petition for reduced homework and seek to shift focus towards extracurricular activities, attempting to redefine success in ways that maintain their advantages. Even when faced with competition, these families work to alter the educational landscape to ensure their continued dominance in the meritocracy, illustrating the lengths to which they will go to preserve their status.
Natasha K. Warikoo Bücher
Natasha Kumar Warikoo ist Expertin für die komplexen Zusammenhänge zwischen Bildung, Vielfalt und kulturellen Prozessen an akademischen Institutionen. Ihre Forschung befasst sich damit, wie Studenten Rasse und Meritokratie wahrnehmen, und deckt die Spannungen und moralischen Dilemmata im Zusammenhang mit der positiven Diskriminierung und Vielfalt an Eliteuniversitäten auf. Durch umfangreiche ethnografische Forschung in den Vereinigten Staaten und Großbritannien beleuchtet sie die kulturellen Erfahrungen junger Menschen in multikulturellen Umgebungen. Ihre Arbeit untersucht auch sich entwickelnde Rassenzusammensetzungen in Vorstädten Amerikas und wendet Bildungs- und Gerechtigkeitsprinzipien in ihrer Lehre an.
