Representing Black Excellence: an Examination of the Association Between Judicial Oversight and Black Representation on Public Education in Alabama

Abstract

This study explored the influence judicial oversight and Black representation on school boards had on the racial opportunity gap in Alabama during the years 2006 and 2015. The goal was to conduct an empirical study of judicial supervision of public school districts and Black representation on the educational opportunity available to students in Alabama. This study operationalizes educational opportunity using four variables: Advanced Placement enrollment, Gifted Education enrollment, Advanced Math enrollment, and the number of Guidance Counselors. The data used for this research came from multiple sources: the Department of Education, ProPublica, and collected through primary means. This study used multiple regression analysis to determine the correlation of judicial supervision and Black representation on the opportunity gap. Regressing the influences of these two variables on the opportunity gap in Alabama allowed the testing of critical race and descriptive representation theories utilized to build the theoretical framework. This study also evaluated the effectiveness of judicial supervision and Black representation on students’ educational experiences. Judicial oversight did not have a statistically significant effect on the racial opportunity gap in Alabama. However, Black representation was proven to impact the opportunity gap within the state significantly. Furthermore, the interaction between judicial supervision and Black representation also had a statistically significant effect on the opportunity gap. This study offers policy recommendations based on the key findings surrounding advocacy, educational access and equity, and equal educational opportunity.