ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the impact of the geography of educational opportunity on the wellbeing of low-income African American fourth graders (9-10-year-olds) who attended a newly developed private school in an affluent part of Central City (pseudonym), where wellbeing was defined as safety, academic engagement and also positive racial identity. The World Citizens School (WCS) was established in 2006 as a private school as a response to disgruntled African American and Latino parents of Westside, one of Central City's poorest neighbourhoods. The WCS utilised Direct Instruction (DI) as the primary mode of instruction. Research has shown the relationship between positive racial identity and wellbeing, and it is indeed important that schools affirm the identities of their students, especially African American students, particularly because race continues to structure inequality in the US. Although wellbeing in the US is typically associated with independence and autonomy, the WCS appeared to promote a type of wellbeing based on interdependence and the school as community.
