(2017). "Wait, What Do You Mean by College?" A Critical Race Analysis of Latina/o Students and Their Pathways to Community College. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, v41 n4-5 p239-252. As a group, Latina/o students are more likely to experience a substandard K-12 education complete with underresourced schools, high teacher turnover, and fewer college-preparatory courses. It is this same inferior education that denies many Latina/o high school students the opportunity to engage in college-choice–leading to their disproportionate enrollment in community colleges over 4-year colleges or universities. In California alone, approximately 75% of Latina/o students in higher education can be found in the community college sector–making this an important pathway for many Latina/o students. This qualitative study incorporated a Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Education framework to focus on the racialized K-12 experiences of four Latina/o graduate students who started their postsecondary career at a community college. This study was undertaken to better understand what led Latina/o students to enroll in community colleges after high school. Exploring the pathways of Latina/o… [Direct]
(2017). The Deaf Mentor Program: Benefits to Families and Professionals. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Lamar University – Beaumont. Little research about Deaf Mentors is available, but available studies suggest that they benefit families with a Deaf Child. These mentors can support professionals who work directly with the child and their family. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of having a Deaf Mentor involved in early intervention with Deaf children and their families. The mentor's impact on communication, language, cognitive, and social development was investigating using grounded theory. The theoretical framework relies on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and how that theory is embedded in DeafCrit, as well as the corresponding idea of community cultural capital (CCC) to determine if culture capital is transferred from the Deaf Mentor to a hearing family with a Deaf child. This qualitative study investigated two points of view; first, it focused on the perceptions of families who had a Deaf Mentor and the perceptions of Deaf Mentors toward the families they served. Data was collected through… [Direct]
(2017). Black Students' Perceptions of Challenges in Pursuing a Law Degree: An Interpretation through Marronage. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Southern California. This study applies the conceptual framework of Positive Deviance, the theoretical framework of critical race theory, and the lens of marronage to understand the problem of low Black student enrollment at one American Bar Association accredited law school. The purpose of this study was to understand what current Black law students perceive to be the challenges to pursuing a legal education, as interpreted through a lens of marronage. The study also sought to understand the resources, skills and strategies Black law students utilize to overcome these challenges through the lens of marronage. This qualitative case study was informed by critical race methodology to allow 10 self-identifying Black students at a top-tier school to tell their stories through interviews. Findings indicate that Black students' perceptions of challenges to pursuing a legal education are congruent with those identified in the literature and relate to the Law School Admission Test, the educational pipeline, law… [Direct]
(2014). Urban Latina/o Undergraduate Students' Negotiations of Identities and Participation in an Emerging Scholars Calculus I Workshop. Journal of Urban Mathematics Education, v7 n1 p19-54 Jul. In this article, the author presents a qualitative multiple case study that explored how two urban Latina/o undergraduate students' emerging mathematical and racial identity constructions influenced their participation in a culturally diverse, Emerging Scholars Program, Calculus I workshop at a predominately White urban university. Drawing on critical race theory and Latina/o critical theory, cross-case analysis illustrates that participants' emerging mathematical and racial identities–co-constructed with their other salient identities–contributed to positively shifting their participation by: (a) changing their perceptions of their and peers' mathematics abilities, (b) allowing them to challenge racialized mathematical experiences, and (c) strengthening their comfort levels in the workshop environment. The Latina/o participants' counter-stories support that the sociopolitical nature of identity development and participation in mathematical learning contexts should be embraced… [PDF]
(2014). Can We Talk? Using Community-Based Participatory Action Research to Build Family and School Partnerships with Families of Color. School Community Journal, v24 n2 p9-32. Research has demonstrated persistent, disproportionally negative educational outcomes for students of color, causing national concern in this area. School personnel increasingly understand the need to engage with parents as educational partners, but parents of color may feel marginalized in these efforts. This paper presents findings from a series of focus groups with middle-class parents of color in a small city in the Northeast United States. Using critical race theory, this research examines the parents' experiences in the community and with the schools. Findings regarding community include lack of cultural enrichment for families of color, isolation in the community, and experiences of colorblind racism and cultural ignorance. School-focused findings include lack of cultural competency in the schools, stereotyping, and racial disproportionality in school discipline. The discussion centers on the school district's strategic plan and the community-university partnership used as a… [PDF]
(2014). "Fight the Power": An Exploration of the Black Student Activist Scholar. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Michigan State University. This dissertation explored the lived experiences of eight Black Student Activist Scholars on the campus of a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). Through the use of Critical Race Theory, and Sociopolitical Development, it was discovered that Black students understand their activist and civic engagement to be that of a "duty of knowledge" wherein students expressed the importance of raising social awareness amongst their peers, colleagues, and the larger campus community. Furthermore, their lived experiences as scholar activists expanded their worldview of committing to social justice from a humanistic approach. Additionally, this dissertation is descriptive as well as prescriptive, as it highlights implications for Black Studies. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page:… [Direct]
(2014). Racism? Administrative and Community Perspectives in Data-Driven Decision Making: Systemic Perspectives versus Technical-Rational Perspectives. Urban Education, v49 n2 p147-181 Mar. This case study describes tensions that became apparent between community members and school administrators after a proposal to close a historically African American public high school in a large urban Southwestern city. When members of the city's longstanding African American community responded with outrage, the school district's senior administration backed away from their proposal to close the school, despite making what it felt was a "neutral" and technical-rational decision. However, the local community interpreted this move as the historical continuation of racist behaviors and policies that had been experienced by the community over a period of several decades. Critical race theory (CRT) allows for an analysis regarding the nature of these beliefs about race and indicates the need for school administrators to engage the realities of the community members they serve, rather than merely enacting technical-rational administrative behaviors that serve to continue… [Direct]
(2010). Issues Affecting U.S. Filipino Student Access to Postsecondary Education: A Critical Race Theory Perspective. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, v15 n1-2 p114-126. There are 3.2 million Filipinos in the United States, arguably the largest Asian American ethnic group. Although 36.7% of Filipino adults have college degrees, which is much higher than their ethnic and racial counterparts, U.S. Filipino youth have fewer postsecondary opportunities. Filipino immigrant and second-generation youth exhibit high secondary "push out" rates, suffer from depression and other mental health issues, demonstrate lower levels of participation and retention in higher education, and attend less selective colleges if they pursue postsecondary education. They are additionally marginalized by institutional policies that do not consider the complexity of their lives. In the context of color-blind educational discourse, their issues have been rendered largely invisible; they are often not targeted or eligible for institution-sponsored postsecondary access and retention programs. In this paper, I use Critical Race Theory to guide a review of literature to show… [Direct]
(2018). Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions of Instructional Techniques and Strategies to Promote African American Female Students as Science Learners. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Northcentral University. African American female representation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, has not significantly increased during the years, despite a number of educational initiatives and reforms promoting participation in the STEM pipeline. As the underrepresentation of African American females' interest in science increases, major intervention strategies must be implemented to ensure STEM education access, retention, persistence, and completion. African American females can be equally competent in the sciences if they have all the tools required to be successful. To help reverse the trend, research supports early exposure to science beginning in elementary school. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore elementary teachers' perceptions of instructional techniques and strategies to promote African American female students as science learners. Delgado and Stefancic's Critical Race Theory and critical race feminism theoretical frameworks were used to… [Direct]
(2015). Teacher Educators as Cultural Workers: Problematizing Teacher Education Pedagogies. Studying Teacher Education, v11 n3 p272-293. From a Latina/o Critical Race Theory perspective, in this article we engage in a process of testimonio co-creation to trace Freire's notion of critical pedagogy in our lives as former schoolteachers and current teacher educators. Through the critical analysis of our lived experiences, we unveil the powerful affordances we have gained by employing Freirean culture circles in our teacher education contexts. Against the backdrop of standardization and over-regimentation, our collective counterstory (re)centers the importance of critical dialogue in teacher education, especially as our nation simultaneously experiences a seismic demographic shift and ever-increasing opportunity gaps within its pre/schools. Findings highlight the importance of teacher educators engaging in a process that encompasses: (a) rereading their experiences with oppression and injustice, (b) purposefully considering adult pedagogies that have the potential to transform teacher education, and (c) developing… [Direct]
(2015). Meritocracy or Complexity: Problematizing Racial Disparities in Mathematics Assessment within the Context of Curricular Structures, Practices, and Discourse. Journal of Education Policy, v30 n5 p631-649. Through the examination of a collection of macro factors and explanations for racial disparities in mathematics assessment found in the literature, this article takes up these accounts and problematizes the factors by unpacking the assumptions and exposing complexities. We do this using Critical Race Theory (CRT) to reinterpret and call out important blind spots. Essential questions that guided our analysis included: what macro factors has the field identified as influencing or explaining racial disparities in mathematics assessments? What assumptions undergird the field's conversations about racial disparities in mathematics assessments? In what ways can those assumptions be challenged through CRT to highlight the story of race in the US? Our analysis reveals that the factors fall victim to a meritocratic premise that assumes all students are exposed to equivalent forms and amounts of mathematical knowledge. This assumption effectively locates the problem of assessment within… [Direct]
(2018). Social Reproduction in the Community College Classroom. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, San Francisco State University. The purpose of this qualitative study was to research how social reproduction perpetuates and replicates the status quo in the community college classroom, especially as perceived by first-generation students. The study investigated two questions: How is social reproduction enacted in the community college classroom? How do first-generation students perceive social reproduction in the community college classroom? These questions are important because the existent research and literature on Social Reproduction Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Critical Whiteness Studies while foundational to this study do not adequately address the impact of social reproduction on first-generation community college students. Using a qualitative, constant-comparative approach (Creswell, 2014; Plano Clark & Creswell, 2008), three student focus groups with eight individual student participants, interviews with three faculty, nine class observations, and a review of syllabi resulted in the… [Direct]
(2018). Race and Culture in the Secondary School Health and Physical Education Curriculum in Ontario, Canada: A Critical Reading. Health Education, v118 n2 p144-158. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore issues of race and culture in health education in the secondary school health and physical education (HPE) curriculum in Ontario, Canada. Design/methodology/approach: Using Ontario's secondary school curriculum as a point of analysis, this paper draws from critical race theory and a whiteness lens to identify how cultural and race identities are positioned in contemporary health education documents. The curriculum document and its newest strategies for teaching are the focus of analysis in this conceptual paper. Findings: Within the curriculum new teaching strategies offer entry points for engaging students in learning more about culture and race. In particular, First Nation, M√©tis and Inuit identities are noted in the curriculum. Specifically, three areas of the curriculum point to topics of race and culture in health: eating; substance use, abuse and additions; and, movement activities. Within these three educational areas, the… [Direct]
(2018). Principal's Perceptions of the Multicultural Leadership in Urban Schools. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Cabrini University. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to ascertain the perceptions of a principal regarding leadership insights into the ability to lead effectively in urban and multicultural education settings. The researcher determined that the potential existed for this participant, who was actively working to address issues brought on by diversity, to serve as a role model for culturally-responsive teaching through a case study. The increasing diversity among prekindergarten to Grade 12 students requires a more adequately trained, culturally aware faculty and staff. This case study used the theoretical lenses of the critical race theory, the model of Black identity development, and White identity development to examine the experiences of diverse cultures upon academic social structures. Four main research questions guided this study to determine the principal's ability to lead in a multicultural urban setting effectively: (a) what are the principal's perceptions about cultural awareness… [Direct]
(2018). Cost of Attendance: The Development of Financial Literacy for First-Generation, Low-Income, Community College Students of Color. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Minnesota. First-generation, low-income, community college students of color represent one of the fastest growing segments of the undergraduate student population in the United States. With college costs continuing to rise, student debt levels at record highs, and socioeconomic disparities that include growing income and wealth gaps, it is particularly important to understand the development of financial literacy for these students. This qualitative research is a critical phenomenology and is rooted in critical race theory. Employing a semi-structured long-interview protocol, textural-structural themes and invariant constituents gleaned from the coded responses in 22 interviews were used to create 22 sub-thematic categories that organized the findings. A portion of these data are presented as ten counterstories, organized in four main themes that address the three questions presented in this research. The first theme that emerged from the data is that first-generation, low-income, community… [Direct]