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Racial disparities in school discipline may have collateral consequences on the larger non‐suspended student population. The present study leveraged two longitudinal datasets with 1201 non‐suspended adolescents (48% Black, 52% White; 55% females, 45% males;M_age: 12–13) enrolled in 84 classrooms in an urban mid‐Atlantic city of the United States during the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 academic years. Classmates' minor infraction suspensions predicted greater next year's defiant infractions among non‐suspended Black adolescents, and this longitudinal relation was worse for Black youth enrolled in predominantly Black classrooms. For White youth, classmates' minor infraction suspensions predicted greater defiant infractions specifically when they were enrolled in predominantly non‐White classrooms. Racial inequities in school discipline may have repercussions that disadvantage all adolescents regardless of race.

 

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.

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.

 

With racial inequalities plaguing the U.S. school system, educators have recognized the importance of establishing inclusive, equitable, and diverse school environments where students from different ethnic-racial backgrounds can feel respected and supported. This study examined the longitudinal links between adolescents’ experiences of school racial socialization, school climate perceptions, and academic performance and tested whether these links varied by race (n = 941; 54% boys; 63% Black, 37% White). Results revealed that adolescents’ experience of school racial socialization practices (i.e., cultural socialization and promotion of cultural competence) predicted positive changes in their perceptions of school climate and, in turn, promoted better academic performance. School racial socialization was linked to positive school experiences and achievement for both Black and White adolescents.

 

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.

 

We have investigated the surface of lithium metal using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and optical spectroscopic ellipsometry. Even if we prepare the surface of lithium metal rigorously by chemical cleaning and mechanical polishing inside a glovebox, both spectroscopic investigations show the existence of a few tens of nanometer-thick surface layers, consisting of lithium oxides and lithium carbonates. When lithium metal is exposed to room air (∼50% moisture), in situ real-time monitoring of optical spectra indicates that the surface layer grows at a rate of approximately 24 nm/min, presumably driven by an interface-controlled process. Our results hint that surface-layer-free lithium metals are formidable to achieve by a simple cleaning/polishing method, suggesting that the initial interface between lithium metal electrodes and solid-state electrolytes in fabricated lithium metal batteries can differ from an ideal lithium/electrolyte contact.