(2015). Race and Populist Radical Right Discourses: Implications for Roma Education Policy in Hungary. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, v61 n4 p484-502 Win. Non-government organizations and policy makers agree that the best route to eradicating the widespread discrimination and poverty among the Roma is to improve the quality of and access to education. A cursory glance at the Hungarian Government website suggests that policy makers are on top of the problem with good laws and initiatives in place. Yet, indicators from non-government groups and academics suggest the situation remains bleak for the Roma, and practices such as the segregation of Roma school children persist. Progressive change in Hungary first requires a serious confrontation of the widespread and deeply ingrained racism against the Roma. This paper makes no attempt at such an ambition; however, the paper aims to begin acknowledging the role race plays in populist radical right discourses about education policies in Hungary using a discourse analysis method informed by Critical Race Theory. The paper advances two arguments. First, there is a mismatch between official… [Direct]
(2015). Who Benefits?: A Critical Race Analysis of the (D)Evolving Language of Inclusion in Higher Education. Thought & Action, p21-38 Win. The primary purpose of this paper is to expand the ways in which educators and scholars employ the concepts of diversity, social justice, and inclusive excellence in relation to racial inclusivity. The goals are to help educators identify and acknowledge the intentional and unintentional consequences of maintaining white supremacy within higher education, despite espoused efforts to dismantle racism. For the sake of clarity and consistency, the authors refer to all three of these concepts–diversity, social justice, and inclusive excellence–in terms of race-based inclusion initiatives. The focus on race is rooted in the ever-present role of race and racism in the academy, and in the sustained attempts to either avoid or dilute them. Given the emphasis on race and racism, the authors employ critical race theory (CRT) to demonstrate how diversity, social justice, and inclusive excellence, as well as the efforts that stem from them, are often co-opted to promote agendas that maintain… [Direct]
(2015). Generations: Academic and Athletic Integration of a Southern PWI Basketball Program. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, v86 n3 p281-291. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to: (a) analyze the insights and experiences of the 1st African American student-athlete (in basketball) at a prominent predominantly White institution in the Deep South as well as the later insights and experiences of his sons at the same university; and (b) to present a counterstory to the dominant historical rendering of the Civil Rights Movement, the integration of athletics, and the experiences and outcomes of contemporary African American athletes. Method: Using qualitative critical race methodology, investigators conducted and analyzed interviews with the 1st African American to play basketball at a prominent university located in the Deep South and his 2 sons who attended the same university a generation later. Results: Using the lens of critical race theory, the themes conceived from the analysis were the counterstory of agency, counterstorytelling stereotypes, and the salience of everyday racism. Conclusion: Racism is still existent… [Direct]
(2017). Exploring Teacher Learning Processes within a Community of Practice to Serve Latina/o Biliterate Students. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, San Francisco State University. Teachers need support with on-going professional learning to effectively address Spanish-speaking biliterate students' strengths and language needs. They also need to build capacity in learning new standards and in implementing policy. This study utilized Communities of Practice and Latina/o Critical Race Theory to explore the learning process of four elementary school teachers. Data included field notes teachers' written reflections, audio recordings of multiple elements of this professional development, and pre/post teacher interviews. Data were analyzed using memos and cycles of coding. Findings demonstrate that teachers' understanding of new standards and language policy grew and their philosophies and practices shifted. These changes took place as they developed a close community, discussed language instruction as it intersects with issues of social justice and equity, and practiced new strategies based on their students' strengths and needs. Findings showed that learning and… [Direct]
(2017). Seeking Stability in Chicago: School Actions, (C)overt Forms of Racial Injustice, and the Slow Violence of Neoliberal Rationality. Education Policy Analysis Archives, v24 n58 spec iss Jun. During the 2012-13 school year, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) reported 18,669 students were enrolled in the Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS) program. In this paper, we seek to discuss school closings in relationship to their impact on poor, unstably housed, black students in Chicago. Critical race theory (CRT) constructs of (1) whiteness as property (Harris, 1995), (2) racial realism (Bell, 1992; Buras, 2013), and (3) white supremacy as education policy (Donnor, 2013; Gillborn, 2005) will be the frames in which we situate and analyze the school actions that have resulted in the recent closure/consolidation of 49 Chicago Public Schools (CPS). We contend that these constructs related to race, when mixed with neoliberal rationality (Brown, 2015) conspire to foster disastrous school policy that unduly impacts vulnerable populations and dedemocratizes Chicago in profound ways. For this project, the CPS STLS program manager overseeing STLS transitions during the… [PDF]
(2017). Experiences of Women of Color University Chief Diversity Officers. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, v10 n4 p301-317 Dec. Contemporary models of operationalizing diversity on college campuses focus on the integration of diversity goals with the overall educational mission in ways that maximize the benefits of diversity for all. A growing number of institutions have created chief diversity officer (CDO) positions to procedurally and symbolically centralize diversity capabilities. The study of CDO positions is a relatively new focus in diversity and higher education literature, with research to date addressing commonalities and distinctions in organizational structures, portfolios, and strategies. This qualitative study of 5 women of color drew on critical race theory (CRT) and critical race feminism (CRF) to build on existing research. It examined, through semistructured interviews and document analysis, the ways that women of color CDOs experienced their roles and the impact of race and gender on their experiences. Four themes emerged: the ways that the CDOs came into and approached their work connected… [Direct]
(2017). Latina Women in STEM: A Critical Analysis of Ph.D. Students' Experiences. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, California State University, Fresno. The intent of this qualitative study was to better understand factors, which impacted Latin women's development of resilience and how they continued their education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The participants were enrolled in Ph.D. programs at 5 of the 10 University of California campuses currently designated as Hispanic Service Institutions (HSIs). The study utilized the narrative storytelling format of testimonios, which capture the lived experiences of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. These testimonios demonstrated the systemic issues that have led to the lower number of women of color in advanced degree programs in STEM that are currently dominated by White men. Utilizing LatCrit, a branch of critical race theory, this dissertation presented educational issues such as racism, sexism, gender bias, and cultural norms that universities can address to create more inclusive environments and better support women of color that are… [Direct]
(2017). The Experiences of At-Risk African American Males in an Online Credit Recovery Program. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Concordia University (Oregon). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to capture the essence of experience as at-risk African American males engaged in online credit recovery coursework. In specific, the research questions reviewed what supports were needed and what strategies were employed by research participants in order to be successful in the alternative learning environment. The ultimate goal was course completion. The reader is afforded the opportunity to view these experiences through the lens of the microsystem and macrosystem. These systems were a part of Bronfenbrenner's (1989) ecological systems theory. Critical race theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012) and the self-regulated theory (Zimmerman, 1989) were interconnected in the dominant ecological systems theory for the reader to understand how these systems influenced the behavior of at-risk African American males. In depth one-on-one interviews were conducted as the primary method of data collection. The interpretative phenomenological… [Direct]
(2017). How Do Faculty Experience the University Mission? A Descriptive Case Study of One University's Approach to Its Core Values. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Northeastern University. This research study captured the stories of 11 university faculty about their lived experiences with the university's social justice mission. Key findings revealed: (a) faculty of color described experiencing racism on campus, (b) faculty of color felt marginalized on campus, (c) faculty developed their understanding of the mission over time, (d) the mission was experienced differently by faculty of color than by White faculty, (e) peer group support was vital for retaining faculty of color, and (f) there was little evidence of collective overt challenges to the dominant ideology of the university. The study used a case study methodology to understand how tenured and tenure-track faculty made meaning of and understood a university's mission at a private university in the western United States. Campus documents were analyzed and 11 faculty members were interviewed. Data were analyzed using the in vivo coding method and were interpreted through a critical race theory framework. Results… [Direct]
(2019). (Re)Mixin' & Flowin': Examining the Literacy Practices of African American Language Speakers in an Elementary Two-Way Immersion Bilingual Program. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This dissertation examined the ways in which African American Language (AAL) speakers utilized AAL in various discursive contexts in an elementary two-way immersion (TWI) Spanish/English dual-language program. In this study, I problematize the notion of TWI programs as an additive program for AAL speakers by investigating the phenomenon from three critical frameworks that ungirded the study: Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), Raciolinguistics (Alim, Rickford, & Ball, 2016; Flores & Rosa, 2015; Rosa, 2016), and Ethnography of Communication (Hymes, 1972). More specifically, these frameworks were utilized to understand the ways in which AAL speakers utilized AAL, how teachers included and excluded AAL, and how the structure of the dual-language program can operate to dismiss or repress AAL with monoglossic language policies and insufficient teacher preparation. This ethnographic case study was situated in three, TWI kindergarten and first grade… [Direct]
(2010). How Leadership and Discipline Policies Color School-Community Relationships: A Critical Race Theory Analysis. Journal of School Public Relations, v31 n4 p319-341 Fall. This conceptual article analyzes zero-tolerance discipline policies and their impact on the exclusion of Black and Brown kids from educational opportunity. We use critical race theory to deconstruct this trend. In this article, we discuss the brief history of zero tolerance and its impact on school discipline practices. We consider how racial priming creates conditions that influence how zero tolerance is disproportionately affecting male students of color and the responsibility of school leaders to combat racial attitudes through engaging in reflexive and equitable practice. We conclude by offering potential directions for research and practice that may help to begin to undo the harmful effects of this institutionalized practice. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)… [Direct]
(2020). Black College Students' Quest to Claim a Space of Their Own on PWI Campuses: Strangers in a Strange Land. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. Black students who attend PWIs often experience social exclusion on campus. To gain a greater understanding of this issue I conducted a qualitative research study that allowed me to gain insight of the difficulties that Black undergraduate students experience at PWIs. The institutions in this study excluded Black students by not providing the space that would allow them to congregate safely and comfortably. Duquesne and Pitt did not provide the necessary resources for Black students, which created disparities and inequities. When college employees are not welcoming and supportive of Black students, it makes them feel excluded. When non- Black students are not welcoming, and in some instances are hostile towards Black students by being non-verbally aggressive, this also impedes Black students' feelings that they are a part of the campus community. There are other barriers that come between Black students because of how the institution values them as athletes and embraces them… [Direct]
(2020). The Experiences of African American Men at Predominantly White Institutions of Higher Education, after Successfully Transferring from a Community College. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Western Michigan University. African American men complete post-secondary education among the lowest rates of any other subgroup in higher education (Brooms & Davis, 2017; Farmer & Hope, 2015; Palmer, Wood, Dancy, & Strayhorn, 2014; Warde, 2008). This study focuses on addressing this problem by attempting to understand the experiences of African American men who successfully navigate a higher education pipeline from community college to a four-year, predominantly White institution (PWI). Half of all African American men enter higher education at the community college level (Villavicencio, Bhattacharya, & Guidry, 2013); therefore, community college plays a key role in shaping their experiences in higher education moving forward. Also, educational data has shown that an African American man, who is also a transfer student, has a small chance of transferring to a four-year PWI and completing a degree. To address this issue, this study is designed to understand how African American men in PWIs of… [Direct]
(2009). Critical Race Theory as Ordinary Theology of African American Principals. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v22 n6 p655-670 Nov. William Tate proposed that critical race scholars in education look to moral and spiritual texts to unpack and interrogate the workings of race and other forms of marginalization in schools. While Tate did not offer the ways in which this vision is manifest, the participants in this study situated themselves within a religio-spiritual worldview through which they sought social justice in schools. The authors in this paper highlight a theoretical framework by an inclusive reading of Critical Race Theory as "ordinary theology" to explore how Black female principals interrogate gendered and raced practices and promote social justice in schools…. [Direct]
(2022). Reimagining Reading Motivation as a Collective, Critical Endeavor: Centering the Perspectives of Black Girl Readers. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Vanderbilt University. The first manuscript, "Measuring Reading Motivation: A Cautionary Tale" (Jones, 2020) is a mixed-methods study of Black girls' reading motivation while engaging in a summer reading program grounded in the Black Girls' Literacies Framework (BGLF; Muhammad & Haddix, 2016). This manuscript serves as the catalyst for this line of research by describing a misalignment between how reading motivation was captured on a commonly used survey instrument and how this group of Black girls enacted reading motivation in the classroom. The second manuscript, "Turning Away from Anti-Blackness: A Critical Review of Adolescent Reading Motivation Research" (Jones, 2022), is a systematic review of the adolescent reading motivation literature that employs Critical Race Theory (CRT; DeCuir & Dixson, 2004; Dixson & Rousseau Anderson, 2018; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) to analyze researchers' inclusion of race in conceptualizing and operationalizing adolescent reading… [Direct]