"I'll Do Some Soul Searching": Navigating a Black Student-Teacher Relationship Within the Sociopolitical Terrain of Urban Science Education

Using a multitiered framework, embedded in anti-Blackness, this qualitative case study centers a Black woman teacher and Black girl who were subjugated to multiple layers of oppression in a middle school science classroom. Findings revealed that systemic pressures, like standardized testing and school choice, hindered genuine learning. The teacher-participant felt compelled to prioritize test preparation over holistic education and noted how the science fair exacerbated racial inequities while midyear teacher reassignments fractured student-teacher relationships. This study underscores the need to name sociopolitical and historical factors to address structural and systemic inequities in urban science education.