Racial/ethnic composition of classrooms and schools shapes Black and Latine students' sense of belonging in mathematics¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? When the racial/ethnic diversity of math classrooms does not match the school's makeup, students report lower belonging; perceiving more same-race peers in class than in school is associated with greater belonging among Black and Latine students in advanced math courses. → Harris-Thomas 2026 q2 i? Greater diversity in the school overall served as a buffer against the negative effects of lower in-group representation in classrooms, per the review's report of Graham et al. (2022). → Harris-Thomas 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Harris-Thomas 2026¶

Harris-Thomas, B., Nicolai, K. D., Chen, X.-Y., & Areizaga Barbieri, C. (2026). Examining Black and Latine Students' Sense of Belonging within the Mathematics Classroom: A Narrative Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10181-0

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review reporting Morales-Chicas and Graham (2021) on perceptions of incongruence between classroom and school racial/ethnic makeup. The review states students "are likely to report a lower sense of belonging" under mismatch, and greater belonging with more same-race peers in class than in school. No effect sizes printed.

"When the racial/ethnic diversity of math classrooms does not match the school's racial/ethnic makeup, students are likely to report a lower sense of belonging. Likewise, perceiving more same-race peers in class than in school is associated with a greater sense of belonging"

Harris-Thomas 2026 (2)¶

Harris-Thomas, B., Nicolai, K. D., Chen, X.-Y., & Areizaga Barbieri, C. (2026). Examining Black and Latine Students' Sense of Belonging within the Mathematics Classroom: A Narrative Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10181-0

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review reporting Graham et al.'s (2022) synthesis of four longitudinal studies following students from elementary school to ninth grade. The review states greater overall school diversity "served as a buffer against the negative effects of lower in-group representation in classrooms." No effect sizes printed.

"It is important to note that although balanced diversity across school settings would be ideal, greater diversity in the school overall served as a buffer against the negative effects of lower in-group representation in classrooms (Graham et al., 2022)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• School racial/ethnic diversity and same-racial/ethnic peer proportion jointly predict higher reading achievement in kindergarten, with matching benefits concentrated in more diverse schools — related
• School diversity and same-racial/ethnic peer proportion jointly predict higher math achievement in kindergarten, with matching benefits concentrated in more diverse schools — related
• School ethnic diversity moderates the representation-change association: declining same-ethnic representation predicts lower belonging and GPA only in less diverse middle schools — related
• Among Latino sixth graders, increases in same-ethnic representation from elementary to middle school are associated with higher school belonging and GPA, qualified by school ethnic diversity — related
• School racial/ethnic composition effects on kindergarten outcomes are about half the size of parent education effects but non-negligible — related
• Teachers' provision of opportunities to belong predicts Black and Latine students' class engagement and overall school engagement — related
• Positive effects of school-level ethnic diversity on outgroup attitudes and perceived fair treatment no longer hold when students' classes are less diverse than their schools — related
• Ingroup representation and racial/ethnic diversity are distinct constructs that are often conflated in school diversity research — related