“Why Are You Here?”: Black Students’ Perceptions of the Achievement and Discipline Gap in a Predominantly White Urban-Suburban High School

Though significant gains have been made in academic achievement in the last 45 years, these gains have not been realized for all students in the United States. Consistently, research has shown significant differences in reading and math scores along with disparate disciplinary sanctions between Black and White students. Using grounded theory methodology, this study aimed to understand factors that, through students’ voices, they believed contributed to their lower academic achievement and disproportionately higher disciplinary sanctions while attending a predominantly White school. Data analysis revealed that a sense of belonging affected Black students academically and contributed to disciplinary sanctions resulting from disgruntled reactions toward teachers, administrators, and staff who they believed did not want them in the Crest Academy High School (i.e., Grades 9–12). A lack of belonging had four primary components: an unwelcoming environment, lack of mattering, racial insensitivity, and not seeing themselves reflected. This study illuminated the importance of belonging among Black students. Culturally responsive educational practices have the potential to create a welcoming environment, generate feelings of mattering, saturate school culture with racial sensitivity, allow each student to see themselves reflected, and ultimately provide children with opportunities to feel a sense of belongingness in their schools and communities.