Are Deficit Perspectives of Black and Brown Students Grounded in Empirical Data? Investigating the Myths of “Urban Education” Through Parent Satisfaction

Abstract

Deficit ideologies permeate urban spaces particularly when mostly Black and Brown students attend neighborhood schools. Wealth concentrated in suburban areas further perpetuates stereotypes of urban as deficient, but empirical data has yet to interrogate these ideas. Using the National Household Education Survey and regression analysis of variance, this research determines the relationship between parents’ satisfaction with their child’s school and school location (rural, suburban, urban). Then, using race as a moderator, this study aims to ascertain if there is a relationship between parental satisfaction by race and urbanicity of the school their child attends. Implications address the systemic and structural components that contribute to deficit ideologies.