(2023). Critical and Culturally Sustaining School Practices for Engaging Diverse Families. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Fordham University. In this qualitative study, the author used case study research methods to explore school practices for engaging racially, ethnically, linguistically, socioeconomically, and structurally diverse families in their children's education. In addition, this study explored how families perceive their roles in their children's education and provided space in scholarly discourse for them–as well as the school leaders, teachers, and staff who support them–to shed light on the factors that underlie their experiences in family engagement. The author developed a conceptual framework that builds upon Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's (1997) model of the parental involvement process by examining it through the lenses of critical race theory, culturally responsive and sustaining practices, the familial capital concept of funds of knowledge, and bridging cultures framework. The author found successfully engaging families from diverse cultural backgrounds begins by adopting a culturally responsive and… [Direct]
(2023). Mitigating Educational Debts in Organic Chemistry for Historically Marginalized Students via a Summer Preparatory Program. Journal of Chemical Education, v100 n9 p3386-3392. OrgoPrep, a summer preparatory program integrating multiple active-learning elements (i.e., interactive videos with problem-solving and feedback, synchronous peer-led instruction, and collaborative work), was previously shown to improve academic outcomes in organic chemistry for all students. The present study examined how OrgoPrep differentially impacted students belonging to historically marginalized groups, including those identifying as women, Black, Hispanic, or first-generation as well as those classified as low-income. As a result of multifaceted systemic barriers, these students receive lower grades and leave STEM at higher rates compared to their peers, highlighting the need for equity-focused educational interventions. Drawing upon Quantitative Critical Race Theory, educational debts in organic chemistry owed by society were calculated for each marginalized group. As a result of participating in OrgoPrep, educational debts in GPA points were reduced or mitigated for nearly… [Direct]
(2023). Parental Rights Legislation as Erosion of Epistemic Agency. Philosophical Studies in Education, v54 p26-35. Recent polling shows a marked increase in public distrust towards institutions and fellow citizens in the United States. In this context of rising distrust and democratic crisis, teachers have not been exempt from public scrutiny. Recent legislation in the United States targeting school curricula and classroom discourse reveal a mounting distrust within the context of public education. In fact, over the course of the past few years, an onslaught of parental rights bills have been introduced across the United States. In the current context, much of this legislation has emerged as resistance to the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools. Much of the philosophy of education literature regarding parental rights legislation has aimed to understand the nuanced relationship between the rights of parents and the rights of children. Throughout the course of this paper, the author aims to apply two lenses to the issue of parental rights bills and the challenge that they pose in epistemic… [PDF]
(2015). Reimagining Critical Race Theory in Education: Mental Health, Healing, and the Pathway to Liberatory Praxis. Educational Theory, v65 n5 p491-511 Oct. Long-standing theoretical education frameworks and methodologies have failed to provide space for the role mental health can play in mediating educational consequences. To illustrate the need for such space, Ebony McGee and David Stovall highlight the voices of black undergraduates they have served in the capacities of teacher, researcher, and mentor. Building from the theoretical contributions of intellectual giants like Frantz Fanon and W. E. B. Du Bois, the authors attempt to connect oppressive social systems to the psyche of the oppressed in a way that is relevant to black students. McGee and Stovall pose a challenge to the current research trend of attributing the survival of black students at traditionally white institutions primarily to grit, perseverance, and mental toughness, noting that research on the aforementioned qualities often fails to properly acknowledge multiple forms of suffering. Utilizing the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), the authors also challenge the… [Direct]
(2023). If Not Me, Then Who? A Study of Racial and Cultural Competence in a High School English Department. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of South Carolina. While the student population in U.S. public schools is diversifying, the teacher population and curriculum remain monochromatic. This action research study grew from the observation that racial and cultural content and discourse were absent from the English classrooms in my suburban high school due to a perceived lack of teacher cultural competence. Through this convergent mixed-method study, grounded in critical race theory, whiteness, and cultural competence, I sought to examine the factors that contribute to racial silence and improve teacher cultural competence in order to transform our classrooms into more racially and culturally just spaces. Surveys, independent reflections, focus group discussions, and field notes yielded data in three phases over the course of 8 weeks, suggesting (a) targeted intervention can impact teacher cultural competence; (b) teachers desire more inclusive classroom practices; (c) yet that desire does not equate to action; because (d) the prevalence of… [Direct]
(2019). "They Don't Even Know That We Exist": Exploring Sense of Belonging within Sorority and Fraternity Communities for Latina/o Members. Journal of College Student Development, v60 n3 p319-336 May-Jun. In this qualitative, multiple-case study, I explored the perceptions of members of Latinx/a/o–based sororities and fraternities and their feelings of belonging within the greater fraternity and sorority life (FSL) community. Findings reflect the salience of race and privilege in participant experiences as individuals recognized their organizations as different worlds from sororities and fraternities within the National Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council. Critical Race Theory and LatCrit were used to examine the roles of race and racism within the FSL community while also underscoring the unique experiences of Latina/o FSL members from 2 large, predominantly White universities in the Midwest. Findings suggest implications for addressing inequity within FSL communities and recommendations for future research…. [Direct]
(2019). Racing Law: Legal Scholarship and the Critical Race Revolution. Equity & Excellence in Education, v52 n1 p12-23. The advent of critical race theory (CRT) in legal scholarship changed the way in which legal scholars think about race and racism in at least three ways. First, CRT scholars argue that the problem of racial justice is fundamental to American law, whereas the previous generation of civil rights scholars saw racial justice as a problem of institutional dynamics resolvable through ordinary legal process. Second, CRT scholars have infused greater social, disciplinary, and scholastic "reflexivity" into legal scholarship on race. Third, CRT scholars have developed a rich and nuanced language for understanding race and racism, replacing an earlier and less sophisticated legal conception of people of color as "discrete and insular" minorities facing unreasoning prejudice…. [Direct]
(2019). Towards Compassionate Care: A Critical Race Analysis of Teaching in Township Schools. Education as Change, v23 Article 5995. This article presents findings from a critical race theory-informed qualitative study of three teachers in a township secondary school outside of Cape Town, South Africa. Based on a series of interviews conducted throughout the school day, this study demonstrates how teachers intentionally empower learners to navigate school infrastructures that reinforce racial disparities. Findings centre a commitment to empowering instructional strategies, including code-switching and an ethic of compassionate care for learners of colour navigating resource-poor schools. The article concludes by arguing for immediate attention to remedying historic racialised disparities, fostering code-switching as intentional instructional approaches, and considering an ethic of care that helps learners navigate the daily conditions of township life…. [Direct]
(2019). Stats, Social Justice, and the Limits of Interest Convergence: The Story of Tucson Unified's Mexican American Studies Litigation. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, v13 n3 p72-96. In 2011, the state of Arizona banned the highly successful Tucson Unified School District Mexican American Studies program through the law ARS ß 15-112. This article is a Critical Race Theory "counternarrative" regarding the role of statistics in the constitutional challenge to this state law. Through firsthand accounts of this process, we demonstrate how multivariate empirical analyses served as an important component for the overturning of the law ARS ß 15-112 in the highest-profile Ethnic Studies legal case in the country's history ("Arce v. Douglas," 2015). We also use this article to explore the limitations of "interest convergence" (Bell, 1980) using this litigation as a case study…. [Direct]
(2019). International Minority Ethnic Academics at Predominantly White Institutions. British Journal of Sociology of Education, v40 n1 p98-113. Using critical race theory, this article examines the racial positioning of British international minority ethnic (IME) academics in predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Empirical data, in the form of 28 in-depth interviews with IME academics, is used to analyze the complex raced and gendered positionalities of IME academics in institutions of higher education in the United States. We argue that the institutional contexts of predominantly White universities continue to re-affirm White privilege in ways that reflect the struggles in higher education to diversify faculty at PWIs. As scholars call for more diversity across higher education campuses, we suggest that it is important to understand the interconnections between policy and practice surrounding attempts to recruit and retain IME academics…. [Direct]
(2019). A Pedagogical Model for Teaching Racial Justice in Social Work Education. Journal of Social Work Education, v55 n2 p351-362. In the current U.S. sociopolitical climate marked by rising racial tension and civil unrest, social work students and educators are engaged in dialogues throughout the country regarding the role of the profession in combating injustice. The emergence of the Movement for Black Lives as well as numerous high-profile police shootings of unarmed Black men prompted the exploration of praxis-based pedagogical approaches in social work education. This article provides an overview of a cocurricular student orientation developed by a group of social work students and educators in an effort to promote racial justice. Through the emergent planning process, principles of critical race theory and liberation theory were infused throughout the orientation event and related curriculum content…. [Direct]
(2021). Black Students' Narratives of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives and the Campus Racial Climate: An Interest-Convergence Analysis. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, v14 n2 p189-202 Jun. This qualitative study examines how Black undergraduate students attending a predominately White institution (PWI) assess and interpret their university's diversity and inclusion initiatives given their everyday experiences with campus-based racism. Using critical race theory (CRT) this article illuminates how Black students at a PWI interpret their university's implementation of diversity and inclusion initiatives. The article illustrates how the students interpreted the rationale behind the university's implementation of the diversity and inclusion initiatives, questioned who benefits from the implementation of the initiatives, and called attention to how the ineffectiveness of the PWIs initiatives impacted their sense of belonging. By employing the concept of interest-convergence as an analytical tool, this article used the students' narratives to illustrate what happens when initiatives aimed at promoting a more equitable and inclusive campus racial climate converge with the… [Direct]
(2021). African American Male Student Affairs Administrators at Predominantly White Institutions: A Qualitative Narrative Case Study Amplifying Their Stories and Their Voices. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Northern Kentucky University. African American male student affairs administrators, who work at predominantly White institutions in United States colleges and universities, have unique experiences because of a variety of societal and institutional factors. This doctoral, action research dissertation examined these experiences through a qualitative narrative case lens. This study incorporated Critical Race Theory and Social Capital Theory to explore the stories of four African American male student affairs administrators. The participants of this study shared stories of success, institutional support systems, trauma of racial battle fatigue, and the utilization of coping strategies to navigate the complexities of being African American administrators. By amplifying the stories and the voices of these administrators, university leadership and institutions can better understand their challenges and provide stronger and intentional support efforts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the… [Direct]
(2021). Pedagogies of Sacrifices: The Use of Narratives as Socialization in Families and a Human Resource for Resilience. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v24 n2 p186-209. Postsecondary institutions do not typically recognize or utilize students' cultural wealth, yet cultural practices can significantly affect college persistence. In this longitudinal study, seven Mexican American low-income college students attending a large public research institution participated in in-depth interviews to examine the types of familial-cultural practices participants engage in with their families, and to explore how they apply symbolic value to such practices. I used a Latina/o critical race theory framework to analyze the raced and gendered layers of their experiences and highlight the forms of resilience and agency developed by them. Findings revealed cuentos and consejos as pedagogies of sacrifices that helped raise students' consciousness of oppressive experiences and enable the possibility for transformative behavior by encouraging educational motivation, aspirations, and attainment. The use of these stories and advice as socialization in families is an… [Direct]
(2021). Critical Race Pedagogy for More Effective and Inclusive World Language Teaching. Applied Linguistics, v42 n6 p1055-1069 Dec. To address racial inequity and the exclusion of African Americans in applied linguistics, second-language acquisition, and world language (WL) education, our field must reckon with social justice problems of racism and anti-Blackness. Theoretical frameworks of critical race theory (CRT) and critical race pedagogy (CRP) elucidate how such injustices are perpetuated, plus, propose solutions for them. This article discusses racism and anti-Blackness in WL curriculum, materials, and instructional practices. It presents a post-hoc CRT analysis of findings from two studies: (i) an ethnographic study examining Spanish curriculum and instructional practices at two minority serving postsecondary institutions and (ii) a participatory action research collaboration with Spanish instructors examining curriculum at a predominantly white institution–both studies linked by how they reveal endemic racism and anti-Blackness in WL programmes. Ultimately, this article addresses how African Americans… [Direct]