(2018). The New One-Drop Rule: Challenging the Persistence of White Supremacy with In-Service Teachers. Teaching Education, v29 n4 p330-342. The one-drop rule refers to the process of being racialized Black when someone contains any amount of Black ancestry, i.e. one drop of Black blood. In this article, I use what I call 'the new one-drop rule' to explain how even the smallest presence of white discourse can disrupt racial equity work in schools. Based on a critical race study in a racially desegregated elementary school, I illustrate how one drop of white discourse from even one less racially literate white teacher can cause usually more racially literate white teachers to support white supremacy. I also share how collaborative research utilizing critical race theory (CRT) can help schools build greater racial literacy and resist white discourse. I argue that critical research on race with in-service teachers should not forefront the consciousness-raising of resistant white teachers but rather center the wants, needs, and racial knowledge of racially literate teachers and especially teachers of color…. [Direct]
(2018). Developing a Critical Consciousness of Race in Place-Based Environmental Education: Franco's Story. Environmental Education Research, v24 n6 p845-858. Environmental education (EE) has a history of support for critical place-based pedagogy as a means of learning through engagement in space, both cultural and biophysical. In this paper I tell the story of how Franco–a non-white, non-American undergraduate–engaged with local discourses in a watershed-focused EE program in the rural Midwestern US. I examine how the five tenets of critical race theory (CRT) can be used to interpret Franco's experience, where he encountered multiple instances of racism and xenophobia. I argue that without a critical analysis of race in place-based EE programs, instructors may (a) privilege their own ways of knowing in local settings, (b) rely on 'grit' narratives as mechanisms for mediation of racism, and (c) send non-white students home having learned that they cannot effect meaningful change for sustainability. I conclude with recommendations for faculty in predominantly white institutions on how CRT might foster the development of critical… [Direct]
(2018). Challenging the Empire in Empir(e)ical Research: The Question of Speaking in Music Education. Music Education Research, v20 n5 p573-590. As an enterprise, academic research is in the business of knowledge production–a practice through which researchers continually engage in speaking for or about others. This paper explores the colonial potential of research and ethnography in particular. I draw on Alcoff's framework (Alcoff, L. M. 1991. "The Problem of Speaking for Others." "Cultural Critique" 20 (Winter, 1991-1992): 5-32) to consider issues inherent in speaking for Others and mobilise Critical Race Theory (CRT) and anti-colonialism as tools and lenses to examine research activities with the goal of moving toward more ethical and productive outcomes. The next portion of this paper puts forward ways to guard against coloniality in research. I rethink Alcoff's caveats through these critical lenses alongside considering possible anti-colonial methodologies. I then consider the way these dynamics operate in my own research and conclude with a number of implications for music education researchers to… [Direct]
(2024). Vocabulary Acquisition in High School Classrooms Utilizing Emerging Trends in Literacy Development: Perceptions of Teachers and Students. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, St. John's University (New York). The current global trends demand that we remain conscious of how distinct norms in groups we affiliate with affect decisions. Among developmental aspects, childhood language acquisition depends heavily on epigenetic interactions between the innate and the immediate environment (Sinha, 2017). This explanatory sequential mixed methods study explored how high school students acquire and incrementally build their vocabulary while utilizing emergent learning trends divergent from traditional curricula. The study leans on schema theory, critical race theory, whole-language theory, and reciprocal model. The independent variable is literacy curriculum, while the dependent variable is vocabulary acquisition. The researcher utilized classroom lesson observations, one-on-one interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys to collect data and gain insights into vocabulary trends. A total of 70 students aged between 16 and 19 years participated in the study; 38 males (54.3%) and 32 females… [Direct]
(2022). Creating Counter-Hegemonic Spaces in a Spanish Language Arts Classroom. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of New Mexico. This qualitative case study used practitioner research methods to address the question: How does a Mexican American teacher create counter-hegemonic spaces in a Spanish Language Arts classroom utilizing critical race and borderlands theories? The research focused on how I as a teacher-built trust and respect through "place"–here, the classroom, classroom activities, and discussions–thereby creating a place for students to express their thoughts and feelings and to build relationships with the teacher and their classmates for learning to occur. This study also analyzed how using critical race and borderlands theories influences and shapes Mexican American students' educational experiences beyond a Spanish Language Arts classroom and employed a pedagogical lens that privileges students' cultural and linguistic funds of knowledge while centering their "testimonios," thus creating a space of "nepantla" in which "la pedagogia del cari√±o" is at the… [Direct]
(2021). Organizational Factors as Barriers to Racially and Ethnically Diverse Nursing Students. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Clarkson College. Increasing the nursing profession's diverse make up is thought to improve health disparities. To improve this diversity, it is essential for nursing students from diverse backgrounds to be successful in nursing school. The purpose of this phenomenological study using critical race theory for the framework was to discover racially and ethnically diverse students' perceptions related to organizational factors impacting their success in an undergraduate nursing program. Organizational factors included the policies and practices at the course, department, and institutional levels. The aim of this study was to determine how nurse educators and schools of nursing can increase the diversity among practicing nurses. Participants who were nursing students identifying as racially or ethnically diverse were interviewed to understand their experiences in a nursing program. The findings suggested students require financial and faculty support. Themes related to stress, faculty support, and the… [Direct]
(2019). Attending to the "Visual" Aspects of Visual Storytelling: Using Art and Design Concepts to Interpret and Compose Narratives with Images. Journal of Visual Literacy, v38 n1-2 p66-82. Visual storytelling comes in many forms (e.g. films, comics, photographs, commercials) and is used for a range of purposes (e.g. to entertain, inform, persuade). Technological advances are enabling non-specialists to be consumers and producers of these works. Although many people are growing up surrounded by visual works, this does not mean that they carefully attend to images. Education must prepare students to navigate the changing visual landscape. This study, which investigates an undergraduate Visual Narratives course taught in spring 2017 in the United States, focuses on students' uses of art and design elements. A content analysis of 124 course documents shows a wide range of art and design elements at work in students' visual narrative analyses (27 elements) and original compositions (26 elements), with many elements overlapping (21 shared). These results suggest that teaching a wide range of art and design elements can help students acquire a flexible toolkit for reading and… [Direct]
(2014). "A Hidden Part of Me": Latino/a Students, Silencing, and the Epidermalization of Inferiority. Equity & Excellence in Education, v47 n4 p430-444. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino/a Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) as analytical tools, this article examines the experiences of a seven Latino/a high school students at various points of engagement with the school-to-prison pipeline. Building on and extending Franz Fanon's (1952) concept of the epidermalization of inferiority, the authors demonstrate the nuanced ways that institutional racism and other interrelated forms of oppression function to contribute to a sense of internalized oppression among Latino/a youth. We critically examine the ways in which dialogue and collaborative research undertaken in a supportive classroom atmosphere can help students move from feeling shame and guilt to having an enhanced critical understanding of their experiences with incarceration, including an analysis of their own involvement with the school-to-prison pipeline…. [Direct]
(2024). The REASN Framework: A Holistic Approach to More Accurate and Equitable Research. Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness Background: Quantitative methods used in social science research draw from frameworks that (a) abstract constructs and separate them from relevant knowledges that are not easily quantifiable, and (b) reify deficit orientations in support of racial oppression (Strunk & Hoover, 2019; Zuberi, 2001; Zuberi & Bonilla-Silva, 2008). This paper presents a simple, methodological tool to support researchers in the critical interpretation of quantitative findings associated with racialized identities1. In this proposal, I adapt and extend Gillborn et al.'s (2018) five QuantCrit tenets while also drawing on Critical Race Mixed Methodology (DeCuir-Gunby, 2020) as well as Critical Race Quantitative Intersectionality (Covarrubias & Velez, 2013) to develop the REASN Framework. Purpose: This paper proposes a complementary method to interpret the findings and interrogate the processes and contexts of quantitative work the REASN Framework. The REASN Framework requires researchers to engage… [Direct]
(2016). African American Male College Athletes' Narratives on Education and Racism. Urban Education, v51 n9 p1065-1095 Nov. This study presents narrative case study vignettes of three elite African American male football athletes at a major historically White institution of higher education with a big-time athletics department. More specifically, I draw from critical race theory to garner insight into their secondary schooling background, what education means to them, and how racism impacts their holistic development. The focus group and individual interviews revealed each came from urban high schools in close proximity to the university, viewed education as more than classroom learning and obtaining a degree, and perceived racism as alive and well in college sport…. [Direct]
(2016). Exploring Normative Whiteness: Ensuring Inclusive Pedagogic Practice in Undergraduate Fieldwork Teaching and Learning. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, v40 n3 p460-477. Higher education commentators have become concerned about how learning and teaching praxis across the sector may unwittingly advantage White British (WB) compared to Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students. Adopting critical race theory, this article explores these issues in relation to field teaching in geography and related subjects. It reports on primary data collected from students about to attend their first residential field trip. The research shows that WB and BME students approach their first field trip with diverse geographical experiences. The findings indicate a need to reflect critically on our fieldwork routines in order to promote inclusivity in field learning…. [Direct]
(2016). Down by the Riverside: A CRT Perspective on Education Reform in Two River Cities. Urban Education, v51 n4 p363-389 Apr. In this article, the authors utilize core ideas from Critical Race Theory (CRT) to examine the nature of education reform in two river cities. Similar to other cases of education reform in urban districts, the reforms in the two focal cities reflect at least four characteristics in common: (1) a form of portfolio management; (2) the growth of human-capital organizations; (2) the active involvement of philanthropic organizations; and (4) the role of politics. The authors consider these conditions in light of concepts from CRT and argue that this analysis provides insight into the burden of reform in urban schools…. [Direct]
(2013). The Impact of One Florida Initiative on Florida's Public Law Schools: A Critical Race Theory Analysis. Educational Foundations, v27 n3-4 p103-116 Sum-Fall. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the One Florida Initiative (OFI) on racial diversity in Florida's public law schools and legal profession using the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT). This study seeks to determine what, if any, impact this event has had on recruitment, admissions, and enrollment of Florida's public schools of law as well as racial diversity within the state's legal profession. This research sheds much-needed light on the issue of achieving greater diversity and on the continuing debate over programs and policies that alter "traditional" concepts of affirmative action…. [PDF] [Direct]
(2023). Teacher Education Program Recruitment and Admissions: A Multiple Case Study of Three Minority-Serving Institutions in California. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The Claremont Graduate University. In response to a national agenda to increase diversity in the teaching workforce, this qualitative multiple case study critically examined the recruitment and admission of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) to teacher education programs (TEP) in three Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) in California. Specifically, this research explored the racialized discourses and factors that shape recruitment and admissions within TEPs and supports and barriers for BIPOC teachers. This study is grounded in Critical Race Theory, Critical Whiteness Studies with a Critical Discourse Analysis of recruitment and admissions policies on TEP websites and documents, four observations of TEP virtual information sessions, and twenty semi-structured interviews with TEP staff, faculty, and administrators. Participants included those who have served in an active role in TEP recruitment and admissions within the last five years. In interviews they described recruitment and admissions and highlighted… [Direct]
(2024). Empowering Black Women Professors Teaching within Predominantly White Institutions: Exploring Success Strategies and Best Practices amidst Challenges. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Pepperdine University. Throughout the historical journey of Black women in America, spanning from enslavement (Best, 2015) to activism as abolitionists, advocates for women's suffrage (Sesko & Biernat, 2010), and leadership in civil rights (Rushing, 2021), Black women's resilience shines through amid challenges. This study investigates the phenomenological experiences of Black women professors teaching in predominantly white institutions (PWIs) who are often marginalized because of racial and gender intersectional bias (K.W. Crenshaw, 2017). It explores the challenges these professors endure and examines the success methods they employ to overcome their challenges while discovering their needs for personal and professional success. The study's framework and theories include constructivism (Kincheloe, 2005; Naidoo & Mabaso, 2023), critical race theory (Caldwell & K.W. Crenshaw, 1996; Delgado & Stephanic, 2000), self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1991), hierarchy of needs (Maslow,… [Direct]