(2011). Mentoring and Professional Identity Development for African American Female Doctoral Students: An Exploratory Study. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Michigan State University. This dissertation examines the impact mentoring relationships, between African American women doctoral students and faculty members, has on the students' professional identity development. Of particular interest is an examination of whether matched mentoring relationships between African American women doctoral students and African American female faculty members impact the professional identity of African American graduate students. The theoretical frameworks guiding this study are critical race theory and black feminist thought. Critical race theory and black feminist thought establish the foundation for this study. This examination of African American women doctoral students' mentoring experiences and perceptions of their professional identity development allows these women to tell their story in their own words. Sixteen African American female doctoral students across various academic disciplines in the social sciences, humanities and education participated in this qualitative… [Direct]
(2013). White Undergraduate Social Justice Advocates: Experiences That Influence Continued Participation in Racially and Ethnically Diverse Campus Settings. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Michigan State University. This study explored how the experiences of four white, undergraduate, self-identified social justice advocates influenced their on campus participation in racially and ethnically diverse settings. Acknowledging the existence and persistence of white privilege, ontological expansiveness, and epistemological ignorance, the research was grounded in critical white studies and influenced by the tenets of critical race theory. Their experiences as sustained participants in racially and ethnically diverse settings such as the Black Student Alliance, the Multicultural Hall, and other campus based gathering locations of racial/ethnic minority students at a small liberal arts college were collected through in depth interviews. The data were analyzed using portraiture and constant comparative methods. Key findings included the impact of social tourism; the difference between advertised and experienced institutional climate, culture and liberalism; the role of multicultural residence halls; and… [Direct]
(2013). Underrepresented and In/visible: A Hispanic First-Generation Student's Narratives of College. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, v6 n3 p186-198 Sep. Despite improvements in the rates of college admission over the past few decades, college persistence, retention, and graduation rates continue to be problematic for underrepresented students–students of color and students from low-income and/or first-generation families. This article presents a case study of a female, first-generation, low-income Hispanic student during her 1st year at a highly selective, private, predominantly White university. Drawing on critical race theory and qualitative research methodologies, it explores and understands key incidents prior to matriculation and throughout 2 semesters, focusing on those connected to racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic identities, as well as social and academic interactions and relationships. It recenters discussion on the lived experiences and insider's perspectives of a historically marginalized student, stories often omitted from the research or hidden within the broader statistics on success and failure. Using the metaphor of… [Direct]
(2013). While on My Journey: A Life Story Analysis of African American Women in Pursuit of Their Doctoral Degrees in the Southwest. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Arizona State University. The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences of African American women in pursuit of doctoral degrees in the southwest, their challenges and motivations, and plans for the their next chapter. Drawing from critical race theory and a sociocultural framework, this qualitative study uses Dan McAdams' "Life Story Interview" (McAdams, 2005) to explore the journeys of these high achieving minority women and how achievement is conceptualized in their stories. Particular emphasis is placed on their critical events, challenges, and alternative futures. Seven separate themes (parental support and advocacy in early education, improved experiences among other African American students, perseverance through struggles/experiences led to purpose, poor department support, family support, impact of spirituality, and relocation and desire to give back) emerged that address three main research questions. Implications for findings and suggestions for future research are… [Direct]
(2013). Advancement via Individual Determination: A Model for Equity in Secondary Mathematics. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Capella University. This study examined the impact of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) methodologies on the mathematics achievement of African American, European American, and Hispanic students as measured by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End of Course (EOC) for Algebra I. This quantitative nonexperimental ex post facto study utilizes the Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory (CRT) frameworks in an endeavor to examine the academic achievement gap experienced by African American, Hispanic, and low-socioeconomic students. The mean scores of African American, European American, and Hispanic students enrolled in AVID were compared to those African American, European American, and Hispanic students not enrolled AVID. The differences in the mean scores were examined to determine which subgroups experience the greatest impact in mathematical achievement from AVID strategies and methodologies. Lastly, the study will examine the differences in the mean scores of… [Direct]
(2013). Counter-Narrative as Method: Race, Policy and Research for Teacher Education. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v16 n4 p536-561. The authors argue for a research and conceptual agenda that complicates and disrupts common narratives in teacher education that have serious implications for race. Building on the pivotal work of legal scholar Derrick Bell and through a critical race theory (CRT) lens, this article challenges researchers to broaden and complexify traditional ideologies related to: (1) characteristics of ideal teachers recruited into the field; (2) the amount of time teachers should be expected to remain in the field through alternative programs such as Teach for America; (3) weight placed on teacher entrance examinations; (4) racial diversity of P-12 teachers; (5) racial and ethnic makeup of teacher educators; and (6) over-reliance on subject matter knowledge in teacher preparation to the exclusion of other aspects of learning to teach. The authors argue given the present racial divide in schools between teachers and students it is imperative for teacher education programs to complicate and… [Direct]
(2013). Black at Higher Education. Universal Journal of Educational Research, v1 n2 p83-92. This is an exploratory paper, drawing on the author's experiences as well as those of three other black lecturers in Higher Education (HE). Three interviews were carried out, asking the same five questions around themes of concern to the author. These are about the learning and teaching approaches used by these lecturers; their experiences of racism in HE; the professional role that they feel they play in HE; their strategies for the empowerment of black students and finally the meaning of academic "success" from their perspective. The individual narratives that emerge are explored and commonalities between them and with the author's own experiences and hopes are identified.It is the desire of this work to add to the scholarship on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Critical Pedagogy and to emphasise the need for more counter-hegemonic narratives from the "black" experience in HE. This is explored through the voices of these academics as they recount their strategies… [PDF]
(2017). Empowering the Self, the Researcher, and the Leader: A "Testimonio" of a Latina in Higher Education. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. This dissertation, my "testimonio", is a critical self-reflection about my experiences as a Latina in higher education. I write my story with an awareness, a critical consciousness, of who I am as an individual in the shared spaces of my life–as a daughter, a sister, a mother, a student, a researcher, a teacher, a learner, a partner, a lover, a leader, and a work in progress–and an acute desire to be an agent of change. Through my educational journey, I have been able to honor my epistemological, "mestiza" consciousness, challenge how I view the world, my ontological framework, and understand how my ethics and values shape my work, my axiological influences. I utilize Wilson's (2008) Indigenous research paradigm that respects and values relationships and relational accountability. I share my personal, academic, and professional story through autoethnographic "testimonio" as a research method to challenge the master narrative about socioeconomically… [Direct]
(2014). A Study into the Perceptions of Students of Color and Their Ninth-Grade Academic Experience. Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research, v1 n1 p25-38 Mar. Barnes, Mullen, and Lieb (2013) suggested that the effective implementation of the freshman academy promoted positive achievement outcomes for students of color. From a sociocultural perspective through the theoretical framework of Critical Race Theory (CRT), understanding the existence of racism is crucial to a positive academic environment (Beachum, 2013; Chapman, Dixon, Gillborn, & Ladson-Billings, 2013; Ladson-Billings, 1999a). Using CRT, this study examined the perceptions of ninth-grade students of color who attended a ninth-grade academy in a racially diverse high school in North Carolina. The aim of the study was to provide educators with insight into how race and ethnicity play a factor in the educational experiences of ninth grade students of color and to determine if there are patterns or characteristics in their experiences. Additionally, this research study provided insight into programs and practices, which might lead to improved educational experiences for students… [PDF]
(2012). In Search of Permeable Boundaries: A Case Study of Teacher Background, Student Resistance, and Learning. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, v23 n3 p77-97. This article draws from an action research case study undertaken by an African-born faculty member who speaks English with a foreign accent. The study employed co-teaching as an intervention method to (a) test the hypothesis that co-teaching with an instructor born in the United States from the dominant racial and linguistic group might reduce levels of resistance to the content of the social justice in education course and (b) to examine student-instructor interactions on the basis of instructor background. Data were collected from the reflective journals and teaching evaluations of instructors as well as from students' journals and assignments. Critical race theory was utilized as the framework to analyze these documents. Results reveal that the students' judgment of the African-born instructor's teaching efficacy appeared to be closely linked to her background as an African-born faculty member who speaks English with a foreign accent…. [Direct]
(2012). Us & Them? Entering a Three-Dimensional Narrative Inquiry Space with White Pre-Service Teachers to Explore Race, Racism, and Anti-Racism. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v15 n3 p311-330. In this article, two white teacher educators illustrate entering into a three-dimensional narrative space with a white pre-service teacher. The authors explore how their histories have led them to practice teacher education pedagogies that are rooted in ideas of social justice and critical race theory. In order to support the goals and aims of social justice and critical race teaching, teacher educators must be willing to be "part of the parade" of teacher education with pre-service teachers, sharing their stories of racialized experiences alongside the stories of white pre-service teachers. As a result of entering a three-dimensional narrative space with white pre-service teachers, the authors encourage teacher educators to become more cognizant of their roles in shaping pre-service teachers' understandings of race and racism. To do so, teacher educators must assume a narrative inquiry stance in their teaching…. [Direct]
(2011). Counting the Uncounted: African American Students in Reading Recovery. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, v11 n1 p3-24 Mar. This article examines Reading Recovery as a microcosm for issues related to race and access. Tenets of critical race theory are presented to explore how racial biases are systemic in our ways of being, teaching, and conducting research. Specifically, I present data for African American children involved in Reading Recovery in one Midwestern American city and explore contextual factors and policies related to both Reading Recovery and the sociopolitical context in which children live that affect their ability to benefit from the program. The article ends with a set of conclusions related to how well African American children are served by Reading Recovery. (Contains 12 tables.)… [Direct] [Direct]
(2010). Education, Racism, and the Military: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of the GI Bill and Its Implications for African Americans in Higher Education. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Washington State University. This study examined the impact of the Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944 (the GI Bill) on African Americans' quest for higher education. The central question guiding this study follows: Why has higher education been so elusive for African Americans? With reference to this question, the following sub-questions were addressed: (1) How can the \counter narrative\ approach uncover \truths\ about the GI Bill's lack of effectiveness for the African American community? (2) How did the racial climate of the 1940s and 1950s impact African American veterans and their pursuit of post-secondary education? (3) How did African American veterans counter instances when race and racism intersected during their pursuit of higher education? (4) How does the lingering influence of the GI Bill impact higher education for African Americans today? This qualitative study followed a Critical Race Theory (CRT) design. This methodology uses five tenets to interrogate the intersections of race and racism… [Direct]
(2014). The Invisible Student Retaining Minority Males in the Community College Setting. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Arizona State University. Disparities exist among minorities in educational attainment. The gap widens when examining access to higher education and persistence rates among minority males as compared to their white counterparts and minority females. The purpose of this action research study was to explore the impact of a reciprocal mentoring model between faculty and minority male students in an effort to examine the effects on student persistence and the students' academic experience. The researcher attempted to examine mentoring relationships, the process of reciprocal mentoring, and the effects on persistence and the students' academic experience for the purpose of learning about one another's perspectives. This study investigated minority male persistence within Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC). Persistence was defined as a student who enrolled during the fall 2013 academic semester and continued at the same institution or transferred to another two-year or four-year institution working on degree… [Direct]
(2011). The Role of Race, Racism and Power in the Experiences and Perspectives of African American Males in the Context of Their Ascendence to the Superintendency. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Using the lens of Critical Race Theory, I present the experiences and perspectives of African American male superintendents in the context of their ascension to the superintendency. Participants in the study are chief executive officers of a school district. The primary question of this study is what are the contributing factors, particularly the intersectionality of race, racism and power that have lead to the significant under-representation of African American males in the superintendency? The relevant question guiding the research is: What were some of the barriers, supports and strategies employed by African American males in their rise to the superintendency? This research study contributes to the academic literature concerning the representation of minority voices. It mitigates the paucity of scholarly literature on African American male superintendents. It also attempts to add to the body of literature in education using Critical Race Theory (CRT). CRT will also be used to… [Direct]