Measuring Social Support and School Belonging in Black/African American and White Children

Objective: To determine the suitability of the Elementary School Success Profile for Children (ESSP-C) for assessment and comparison of social support and school belonging between Black/African American and White students. Methods: Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis and invariance testing were conducted to determine the ESSP-C’s validity for use with Black/African American and White students. Latent mean comparisons were performed to determine statistically significant differences in school belonging and social support between racial/ethnic groups. Results: The ESSP-C demonstrated partial measurement invariance at a level (93% invariant) that supports the validity of the measure for Black/African American and White students. Black/African American students reported a significantly higher mean level of school belonging compared to White students. Conclusion: The ESSP-C can be used to make valid assessments and comparisons of social support and school belonging between Black/African American and White students, which may be useful in guiding school social work practice and intervention.