Psychological and academic preparedness of African American scholars for college and career readiness in urban schools

This study explored the experiences of five Black graduates from a Midwestern urban high school and how racialized experiences of visibility and non-recognition shape students’ perceptions of college and career preparedness. Grounded in post-intentional phenomenology, BlackCrit, Ecological Systems Theory, self-awareness theory, and community cultural wealth, the study addressed the problem of narrowly defined notions of preparedness that fail to account for students’ lived, racialized experiences and the influence of instructional support within educational contexts. Findings revealed that students’ perceptions of preparedness are inseparable from racialized interactions across ecological systems—family, school, and community—which shaped their self-concept, agency, and racial identity. Experiences of being unseen, unheard, or misinterpreted contributed to internal questioning, even in the presence of academic success, illustrating preparedness as fluid and continuously negotiated. Consistent with BlackCrit, these experiences reflect the permanence of anti-Blackness in structuring students’ educational realities, while ecological systems theory highlights how these meanings are mediated across interconnected environments. Students ultimately articulated preparedness through self-determination and the alignment of personal goals with their evolving identities. Implications call for educational leaders to move beyond static, deficit-oriented definitions of readiness and to intentionally disrupt conditions of misrecognition through culturally sustaining, equity-centered leadership practices that recognize and leverage students’ existing cultural wealth.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education (UMKC)

Grantor

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Kelly, Ann Frances

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• McCarther, S. Marie

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10355/112342

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/112342