(2023). Political Battles in Suburbia. Phi Delta Kappan, v104 n5 p6-10 Feb. Media reports have shown suburban school officials being threatened and school board meetings erupting into chaos. Rachel S. White, Michael P. Evans, and Joel R. Malin examine whether these politically contentious experiences are occurring everywhere, or if there is something distinct about the contentiousness suburban superintendents face. Drawing on a national survey of superintendents, they asked: How do political experiences of rural, suburban, and urban superintendents differ? The results paint a bleak picture about the stresses of the superintendency, and the direct toll they have on some superintendents' well-being. However, they also identify ways to support suburban superintendents as they face political challenges…. [Direct]
(2023). An Undocumented Student's Quest for Acceptance: A "Testimonio" Analysis Traversing the Chicanx Educational Pipeline. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, v17 n2 p98-123. This article examines the educational trajectory of a multiply marginalized undocumented Latinx student. Utilizing a Critical Race Quantitative Intersectional + "Testimonio," this article brings to light the experiential knowledge often not visible in quantitative data approaches, helping to contextualize educational pipeline numbers. This study draws on a "testimonio" methodology revealing challenges and illuminating educational pathways from high school to the doctorate. The findings show important considerations for policy and practice that account for social instability, consider the importance of mentorship, and offer implications for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leaders to create greater belonging across campuses throughout the educational pipeline…. [Direct]
(2020). Remaining Vigilant: Reflexive Considerations for White Researchers Studying Whiteness. Whiteness and Education, v5 n2 p131-146. Drawing on Applebaum's theory of White Complicity, this paper considers how white researchers remain complicit in the reproduction of whiteness despite our intentions of disrupting its hegemonic nature. I reflect on a recent qualitative investigation on white college students' understandings of race and whiteness and offer three reflexive considerations for white researchers: creating contexts for racial comfort, unintentionally validating racist beliefs, and missed opportunities for educational interventions. In doing so I move beyond simplistic, reflective accounts of researcher identity and work towards a more vigilant, reflexive understanding of the white researcher in relation to our white participants. The paper should assist white scholars who seek to remain vigilant in reflecting on their own complicity in white supremacy, despite our scholarly intentions…. [Direct]
(2025). Blackademics as Prophetic Witnesses and the Continuing Struggle for Racial Justice in Higher Education. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v28 n1 p1-18. This multidisciplinary paper illuminates white supremacist ideologies that serve to disenfranchise critical Black scholars in the U.S. academy. We situate the work of what we describe as the 'Blackademic' within the theological tradition of the prophetic witness. The conceptualization of critical Black scholars as a prophetic witness illuminates how they traverse the increasingly neo-liberal academy while they also navigate anti-Black white supremacist racism in higher education. This paper seeks to identify practical crossroads between the study of the experiences of Black scholars in academia and Blackademics (e.g. critical Black scholars). This paper also extends our previous emergent theoretical understanding of the actions of Blackademics…. [Direct]
(2025). Language Learning Materials Counteracting Rural Racializations: A Practical Attempt in ELT. PROFILE: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development, v27 n1 p207-225. Colombia is one of the most socioeconomically unequal countries worldwide, with rural regions facing severe poverty, under-resourced schools, precarious economic opportunities, and an unresolved armed conflict. These inequalities are often overlooked in ELT policies and social practices, as rural institutions and educational actors are expected to adhere to English teaching goals that are more aligned with an urban ideal. This misrecognition of the rural socioeconomic and cultural conditions, along with historical racial intersections from colonization, contribute to emerging forms of racialization. Drawing on our research to explore the linkages between L2 education and race, this article examines the racialization of rurality from an ELT angle and introduces a didactic proposal to foster critical consciousness and enact deracialization…. [PDF]
(2024). Understanding Latinas/os/xs Undergraduate Experiences in a Business School through the Working Identity Lens. Journal of Latinos and Education, v23 n1 p59-67. Our study presents some of the voces of Latinas/os/xs undergraduates in a western U.S. business school to explore the concept of "working identity" in employment discrimination law under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. While overt racial discrimination is outlawed, racial salience through factors such as phenotype, accent, demeanor, associations and assimilation all impact the way employers see potential applicants and fit with future corporate job roles. We used this conceptual framework to gain insights into ways that some Latinas/os/xs students initially experienced the pressure of "working identity" through their education in schools of business. We selected students majoring in business because it is a popular major and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have taken hold in business school contexts. The five participants in our study were majoring in accounting, business administration and management, and preparing for their future as employees in… [Direct]
(2024). Coded Racialized Discourse among Educators: Implications for Social-Emotional Outcomes and Cultures of Antiblackness at an Urban School. Urban Education, v59 n9 p2859-2888. Despite good intentions, educators often inadvertently uphold systems of antiblackness that undermine the well-being of Black students. This article combines qualitative content analysis and interactional analysis to interrogate how daily interactions between educators in an urban high school in the Midwest may contribute to a school culture of antiblackness. Findings indicate that educators at this school rely on coded and non-coded racialized language to talk about Black students. Further, the article uses Interaction Ritual Theory to argue that the racialized discourse acts as a socio-emotional resource for educators in urban contexts. Implications for schools, policy makers, and researchers are discussed…. [Direct]
(2024). Nurturing "A Specific Kind of Unicorn-y Teacher": How Teacher Activist Networks Influence the Professional Identity and Practices of Teachers of Color. Equity & Excellence in Education, v57 n1 p31-46. This article highlights the ways justice-oriented activist teachers of Color nurture themselves professionally through their involvement in critical professional development through activist teacher networks. This study conducted narrative inquiries of 26 activist teachers of Color across the United States. The counter-stories told by the teachers in this study reflect critical intellectual engagement and highlight specific ways in which these organizations further teacher sustainability, nurturance, and social change. This unified portrait shows a unique interplay between support of moral purpose, intellectual inquiry, and democratic change…. [Direct]
(2023). Special Education Teachers of Color Retention Decisions: Findings from a National Study. Exceptional Children, v89 n3 p256-274 Apr. Special education teachers of color are underrepresented in research about attrition and retention, despite evidence of their role in the academic, social, and emotional success of students of color. We used critical quantitative methods and structural equation modeling to investigate the attrition and retention variability between special education teachers (SETs) of color and White SETs. We sampled 778 SETs and found SETs of color reported higher rates of intent to remain in the profession than White SETs. SETs of color in urban schools also rated supports higher than White SETs, based on school geographical location, suggesting higher retention of SETs of color in urban schools. We offer implications for ensuring SETs of color are reflected in research, and policy and practice recommendations to move the discussion of race and teacher shortage forward in the field…. [Direct]
(2023). The Susceptibility of Teaching to White Interests: A Theoretical Explanation of the Influence of Racial Consciousness on the Behaviors of White Faculty in the Classroom. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, v16 n1 p97-108 Feb. This article presents the White racial consciousness and faculty behavior (WRC/FB) model, which emerged from a constructivist grounded theory study I conducted. The WRC/FB model represents the inextricable link between racial consciousness and White faculty behaviors that either challenge or serve White interests and, consequently, White supremacy. This research broadens the higher education literature on teaching and learning by using Kimberl√© Crenshaw's restrictive and expansive views of equality framework and Derrick Bell's interest convergence principle to establish a connection between advancing racial justice and excellence in college teaching…. [Direct]
(2023). Toward a "Black PlayCrit" in Educational Leadership: What School Leaders Need to Know about Black Boyhood Play. Journal of School Leadership, v33 n3 p269-290 May. Childhood play is one of the hallmarks of early childhood education, yet most early childhood educators have stereotypical views of Black boyhood play. At the same time, few scholars have addressed teachers' and school administrators' stereotypes and biases of Black boys' play styles and behaviors. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to highlight the ways in which school administrators reinforce the anti-Black misandric violence Black boys experience during play through disciplinary decision-making. We also explore how such reinforcement leads to Black boys' entry into the preschool-to-prison pipeline. Ultimately, we aim to introduce Black PlayCrit to the field of educational leadership/adminstration in order to bring attention to anti-Black misandric violence against Black boys, and to celebrate the rich history and strength of Black boyhood play…. [Direct]
(2023). Pl√°ticas with Latinx Preservice Teachers: Insights about Navigating Teacher Education in the New Latinx South. Journal for Multicultural Education, v17 n2 p212-222. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of Latinx preservice teachers (PSTs) while enrolled in a teacher preparation program in the New Latinx South, a cluster of states that have seen a precipitous growth in the Latinx population over the last decades. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used pl√°ticas, or informal conversations with a group of six female Latinx PSTs. Findings: Two main themes were identified: experiences with racism and discrimination and feelings of isolation. These themes, along with the narratives of the participants, reflect the barriers this population experiences in the education field and how professionals in this field can improve to best assist Latinx PSTs. Originality/value: Latinx PSTs' experiences are yet to be fully investigated to improve not only their schooling but also the number of Latinx teachers serving a growing number of Latinx children in US schools. Additionally, the use of pl√°ticas elevates this paper as this is… [Direct]
(2023). Counter-Storytelling: Toward a Critical Race Praxis for Participatory Action Research. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v36 n6 p1175-1190. As university-based educational researchers who have engaged in participatory methods with marginalized populations, we have rising concerns about how interpersonal and institutional power dynamics affect co-researchers from racial and ethnic minority groups. In this manuscript, we use critical race and critical whiteness theory and counter-storytelling methodology to examine three experiences of the same event, which occurred in the context of an ongoing participatory action research project with youth of color, from the perspectives of three female, early career scholars: an Asian American doctoral candidate, a Black doctoral candidate, and a White junior faculty member. Our goals are to encourage increased reflexivity about racial dynamics in participatory research and to grapple with the ways in which educational institutions often subtly perpetuate colorblind ideologies and prop up White privilege. We conclude with considerations for enacting a critical race praxis in… [Direct]
(2023). Disrupting Dominant Narratives and Privilege: Teaching Black Women's Enterprise and Activism. Journal of Management Education, v47 n1 p40-55 Feb. This article deals with my experience of teaching a course on Black women's enterprise and activism as a means of disrupting the dominant narratives that privilege accounts of Whites and men in the management canon. I explore counterstorytelling as a pedagogical tool to bear witness to the struggles of people from marginalized communities and amplify their experience to critique systems of economic power based on race, class, and gender. Finally, I share a call for epistemologies of racialized people to combat privilege in business school classrooms…. [Direct]
(2023). Applying Intersectionality to Address Racial and Spatial Postsecondary Disparities–Rural Latino Youth. Teachers College Record, v125 n5 p59-75 May. Background/Context: There is a growing concern about the ways in which geography affects the educational opportunity for America's rural youth. Most research on this population has assumed that rural America is primarily White and that rural college access is stratified by an individual's ability to complete the application process. Such approaches ignore race and the interplay among geography, admissions practices, and individual behavior and decision-making. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: This study examines the postsecondary experiences and opportunity structures for Latino youth living in rural Latino communities in South Texas. The purpose of this study is to understand quantitively and qualitatively how the geographic context of a predominantly rural Latino area shaped the college-going process and pathway decisions for the Latino youth living within these rural communities. To critically understand beyond the individual and learn about how systemic… [Direct]