(2009). Contextualizing Asian American Education through Critical Race Theory: An Example of U.S. Pilipino College Student Experiences. New Directions for Institutional Research, n142 p69-81 Sum. In this article, the authors offer a CRT (critical race theory) perspective of the prevailing representation of Asian Americans in higher education research and acknowledge the importance of recent studies that have begun to challenge notions of a monolithic Asian American educational experience through an examination of differences among Asian American subpopulations. The authors use Pilipino Americans as an example because of their unique history of American colonization in the Philippines. Drawing from the research of coauthor Buenavista, the authors illustrate how CRT can be used to provide a holistic account of Asian American students' experiences–in this case, Pilipino college students' experiences. They conclude by advocating for the application of a CRT paradigm to qualitative or quantitative research in higher education to emphasize sociohistorical and contemporary contexts of race in the United States…. [Direct]
(2010). "There Has Never Been a Glory Day in Education for Non-Whites": Critical Race Theory and Discipline Reform in Denver. International Journal on School Disaffection, v7 n2 p21-28. Suspension increases the likelihood of a student being expelled, dropping out, and being incarcerated, a phenomenon dubbed the "school to prison pipeline". One less punitive model of discipline that is gaining popularity worldwide is "restorative justice". Though restorative justice is now being used in the US to address racial disproportionality in suspensions, to date there has been little theorizing about race in the school-based literature on restorative justice. In this study, the author examines race-based and non race-based explanations among discipline reform committee members in Denver for why so many students are suspended, and the possible implications of these discrepancies for the implementation of restorative justice. Based on community members' descriptions of school disciplinary practices, the author offers a new framing of restorative justice as a Critical Racial response to inequitable suspension rates. She begins by introducing restorative… [Direct]
(2010). Using Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and Racist Nativism to Explore Intersectionality in the Educational Experiences of Undocumented Chicana College Students. Educational Foundations, v24 n1-2 p77-96 Win-Spr. One of the most powerful elements of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Education is that it provides critical researchers with a lens not offered by many other theoretical frameworks–that is, the ability to examine how multiple forms of oppression can intersect within the lives of People of Color and how those intersections manifest in researchers' daily experiences to mediate their education. A theoretical branch extending from CRT is Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), which examines experiences unique to the Latina/o community such as immigration status, language, ethnicity, and culture. A LatCrit analysis has allowed researchers to develop the conceptual framework of racist nativism, a lens that highlights the intersection of racism and nativism. This article examines how a racist nativism framework can help understand the experiences of undocumented Chicana college students attending a public research university in California. First, this article provides a brief description… [PDF] [Direct]
(2014). "I 'See' Trayvon Martin": What Teachers Can Learn from the Tragic Death of a Young Black Male. Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v46 n2 p292-306 Jun. The goal of this article is to examine the racially hostile environment of U.S. public schooling towards Black males. Drawing on the work of Foucault ("Discipline and punish. The birth of the prison," Penguin Books, London, 1977; "Michel Foucault: beyond structuralism and hermeneutics," The Harvester Press, Brighton, 1982) regarding the construction of society's power relations and Bourdieu's ("Power and ideology in education," Oxford University Press, New York, 1977; "Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education." Greenwood Press, New York, 1986; "The logic of practice." Polity Press, Cambridge, 1990) work concerning how beliefs are established, this article demonstrates how power operates within schools alongside racism, racial profiling, and gender stereotypes to criminalize Black males. Additionally, the utilization of the theoretical lenses of populational reasoning (Popkewitz in "Struggling for… [Direct]
(2016). The Shaping of Policy: Exploring the Context, Contradictions, and Contours of Privilege in "Milliken v. Bradley," over 40 Years Later. Teachers College Record, v118 n3. Background/Context: "Milliken v. Bradley" (1974) ("Milliken I") is a pivotal Supreme Court case that halted a metropolitan school desegregation remedy between Detroit and 53 surrounding suburban school districts. In a 5-4 Supreme Court decision, the "Milliken" ruling was a significant retraction from the landmark "Brown v. Board" (1954) ("Brown I") ruling that 20 years earlier deemed state imposed racially segregated schools unequal and unconstitutional. The effects of the "Milliken" decision neutralized school desegregation efforts in the United States, especially in the North. We, therefore, revisit the significance of "Milliken" over 40 years later. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the context and contradictions in "Milliken." In doing so, we review select federal school desegregation cases that informed the judicial and plaintiff's thinking in "Milliken," and provide an… [Direct]
(2016). The Identification, Retention, and Learning Opportunities for Underrepresented Groups in Gifted and Talented Educational Programs in an Urban School District. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Aurora University. In a school district with over 60% of the school population African American and Hispanic, it would seem judicious to believe the gifted, talented, and high ability programming would similarly represent these populations. Yet, based on the findings of this study, the representation of African American and Hispanic students in these programs is less than 4%. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine educational, as well as cultural, approaches for this school district to consider in providing an equitable gifted and talented educational program which embraces and engages minority students. The identified programs that were focused on in this study were the high school International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, the Advanced Placement courses at one high school, and the Specialized Gifted Middle School in a large urban school district. This intrinsic case study included the review of district documents as they pertained to gifted education; direct observations of… [Direct]
(2016). "No Cosby Show": Single Black Mother Homes and How Black Men Build Romantic Relationships. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. This qualitative study explored the lives of 11 Black men to better understand how Black men who were raised in single Black mother homes build romantic relationships with Black women. One focus group and a series of individual in-person interviews were conducted with the participants who ranged between 23 and 43 years of age. Participants were asked questions that inquired about their family of origin, messages they received about relationships, how they define masculinity, their perceptions of Black women, and their previous and current experiences building romantic relationships. Guided by a narrative approach, several different coding methods were used to help reveal six core themes related to the study. Some of the more significant themes include: 1) conflicted feelings towards their parents and Black women; 2) male mentorship; and 3) masculinity. Because the study was conducted using a non-deficit approach, the findings were analyzed using Helms' "Black racial identity… [Direct]
(2012). School Leadership: Lessons from the Lived Experiences of Urban Teachers. Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, v7 n2 p52-63 Win. The detrimental effects of high-stakes testing and accountability mandates are experienced disproportionately in high-poverty urban schools, which African American and Hispanic students are more likely to attend. However, the literature does not fully address how teachers experience the inequitable working and learning conditions in these contexts. A critical race theory lens was used in interviewing 12 African American teachers from urban districts in Georgia, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania to privilege descriptions of their lived experiences in such schools. Teachers' views of their profession were explored using narrative analysis. Results indicated that accountability mandates and leadership support influenced teachers' perceptions regarding (a) the qualities of a good teacher, (b) colleague descriptions of their jobs, and (c) plans for the future. These findings and implications for practice, policy and future study are discussed. (Contains 1 table.)… [Direct]
(2012). Race and Assessment Practice in South Africa: Understanding Black Academic Experience. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v15 n4 p545-559. Despite efforts to transform the racialised system of higher education in South Africa inherited from apartheid, there has been little research published that interrogates the relationship between race and the experience of academic staff within the South African higher education environment. Drawing on critical discourse analysis and critical race theory, this article traces the experience of two black male academics in relation to the assessment practices of their colleagues at a historically white university in South Africa. The interviewees, both graduates from the departments in which they teach, reflected on their experience of their departmental assessment practices both as black students and black academics. The analysis concludes that despite their differing perceptions and experiences they both regard the assessment practices of some of their white colleagues as undermining of their black students' efforts to succeed. (Contains 1 note.)… [Direct]
(2012). Avoiding the \P\ Word: Political Contexts and Multicultural Music Education. Theory Into Practice, v51 n3 p188-195. Socio-historical contexts are integral to both general and music educational practices. However, when music teacher education candidates ask such questions as, \How can we engage in musics outside of the accepted canon and talk about these issues in my class without being accused by parents or administrators of being \political?\\ they restrict possibilities for engaging with context meaningfully. Yet students, in their complex and often sophisticated musical lives outside of the formal institute of schooling, carry out these kinds of discussions and understandings with ease and nonchalance. Using the companion lenses of critical race theory and antiracism education, this article explores the reluctance of some music educators to engage those socio-historical contexts deemed political within multicultural and world music, asking: Without such contextualization, how is cross-cultural or intercultural understanding possible? (Contains 2 notes.)… [Direct]
(2024). Exploring Liberatory Possibilities of Anti-Racist and Anti-Colonial Elementary Science Education across a School District. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Washington. Background: This dissertation examines the pervasive influence of the white and colonial imaginary in shaping educational narratives that promote neoliberal success and capitalism, impacting the minds of successive generations. Contemporary youth perceive these narratives as detrimental, contributing to racial violence, climate-induced displacement, and ecological degradation. The growing disillusionment among young people calls for a shift towards cultivating authentic, responsible, and reciprocal narratives prioritizing critical eco-relational significance and fostering sustainable futures (Fowler, 2023; Vamvalis, 2022; Han, 2022; Whyte, 2018). The design research shared in this dissertation not only illuminates the intricate eco-relational brilliance and radical care exhibited by some of our youngest geologists, engineers, scientists, and critically conscious citizens, but it also unveils liberatory trajectories for teacher (un)learning and pedagogical commitments associated with… [Direct]
(2020). Chapter 1: Silencing Invisibility–Towards a Framework for "Black Immigrant Literacies". Teachers College Record, v122 n13. Purpose: In this conceptual essay used to introduce the special issue titled, Clarifying the Role of Race in the Literacies of Black Immigrant Youth," I argue for centralizing race in research that examines Englishes and literacies of the largely invisible population of Black immigrant youth in the United States. My rationale for this argument is based largely on the increasingly divisive rhetoric surrounding Black immigrants and Black Americans, exacerbated by current racial tensions and further amplified amidst a politicized landscape and COVID-19. This rhetoric has erupted from often implicit and negative connotations associated with Black immigrants as a "new model minority" when compared with their "underperforming" Black American counterparts and evolved into the use of dichotomous intraracial ideologies that continue to pit one subgroup against the other. Beyond this, race continues to be present as a key part of conversations in the Englishes and… [Direct]
(2017). We Shall Overcome: A Phenomenological Study of the Role Academic, Social and Family Factors Have on English Learners' Decision to Pursue Higher Education. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Pepperdine University. The attainment of a college degree has long been a part of the American dream. For the English learner, however, reaching this goal is a task fraught with difficulty. Yet, as the participants in this study demonstrate, it is possible. In this qualitative, phenomenological study of seven current community college students who graduated from a Southern California high school, not yet proficient in the English language, the researcher sought to identify the factors that both encouraged and discouraged their decision to pursue higher education. This study collected original data on factors within the school setting, peers, family and personal characteristics that supported or discouraged the participant continuing their education past high school. To identify facets most significant in each of the three areas, the data is viewed through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory. The English-only policy is viewed through the lens of the Critical Race Theory and student… [Direct]
(2017). Black Teachers of English in South Korea. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. This study used narrative inquiry as a methodological tool and Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a lens to examine how the term native English speaker (NES) is socially constructed when subscribed by Black teachers of English (BTE) in South Korea. In addition to examining how Black teachers of English interpret the term native English speaker, this study also analyzed how being a native English speaker influences pedagogical approaches in the classroom and teachers' identity as an English Language Teaching (ELT) professional. As a critical qualitative inquiry, this study aimed to examine the teaching experiences of five BTE in South Korea and how such experiences have shaped their pedagogy. Data collection consisted of the use of audio-recording, questionnaire surveys, and Skype interviews. Teaching strategies implemented by Black teachers of English may be witnessed by other teachers of English as an inspirational guidance for teaching the English language in the South Korean context… [Direct]
(2009). Commonsense Understandings of Equality and Social Change: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of Liberalism at Spruce Middle School. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v22 n6 p755-768 Nov. Drawing on data from an ethnographic study in an urban district in the state of Utah, this article highlights how liberalism shapes educational policy and practice in particular ways that ultimately reproduce and legitimate the status quo of whiteness. I employ critical race theory to analyze two aspects of liberalism that are especially pervasive among US educators: first, formal equality, and second, the notion that change is either unneeded or, at best, should be incremental. Both of these liberal tenets result in racialized patterns within schools that become common sense despite their destructive nature…. [Direct]