(2022). The White Elephant in the Classroom: A Case Study on Understanding Whiteness to Become an Antiracist Teacher in the Rural Classroom. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, The University of Memphis. While the public-school classroom has increasingly become more diverse, the teaching population has not. Research studies on race and its role in the classroom have been necessary considering the predominantly white teaching force and the opportunity gap that exists in the education outcomes of students of color and that of their white peers; furthermore, a gap in rural and urban studies on white teachers working with students of color provided the additional impetus for the study. This study seeks to add to the emerging field of second-wave white teacher identity studies. The purpose of this case study was to discover the ways in which white rural teachers were engaging in anti-racist teaching and challenging systemic racism by understanding their perceived biases and beliefs about race. By using a Critical Race Theory lens but situating the study as a second wave white teacher study, this study is significant by providing an asset-based examination of how white rural teachers have… [Direct]
(2010). Critical Race Theory and Adult Education. Adult Education Quarterly: A Journal of Research and Theory, v60 n3 p261-283. Critical race theory (CRT) was developed to examine the persistence of racism. This literature review attempts to understand CRT as it has been applied in related fields such as higher education and possible reasons for its limited application in adult education theorizing about race and racism. This analysis of CRT is framed against a backdrop of the evolution of an adult education discourse on race and racism over several decades and distinguishes CRT from other racial theories that have been used in the field. CRT tenets are discussed using examples that demonstrate how CRT reveals areas of racism left untouched by other forms of theorizing. The author provides a critique of CRT, caveats for those adult educators who might choose to use it, and examples of areas within the field of adult education that might benefit from a CRT lens…. [Direct]
(2024). The Journey to an Advanced Degree Completion: The Lived Experiences of Latinas. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Drexel University. This qualitative phenomenological research study dives into the varying experiences of Latinas who have earned an advanced degree in the United States, searching to understand the different elements that influence their degree attainment and challenges they faced during their academic journey. The researcher engaged in interviews with five Latinas who earned advanced degrees, including Master of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Education, and Juris Doctor. Utilizing the Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) as a framework, the analysis that surfaced, illuminated the complexities of participants' social identities, the imperative role of familial and social support networks, the institutional barriers they encountered, and the influence of their cultural heritage on their academic trajectories. Despite confronting obstacles such as financial constraints, imposter syndrome, and a lack of campus diversity, there were three thematic findings that emerged that helped guide the… [Direct]
(2024). From Administrator to Transformative School Leader Examining the Relationship between Central Office Leadership and Site Leaders in Promoting Transformative Practices for Black Student Success. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, California State University, East Bay. Black students attending US K12 school districts have predictable results (Darling-Hammond, 2007). These schools demonstrate disproportionate results in all indicators of school success. Leaders of these schools are expected to improve student outcomes that disrupt and dismantle systems that have historically perpetuated these results by leading and developing change initiatives that directly improve conditions for Black children. However, many leaders do not have the preparation, skills, or support to complete this task. This is a case study of John Hope Unified Schools, pseudonym, a medium-sized district in the Bay Area. The research was examined through the lens of SystemCrit, a developed conceptual framework that blends General Systems Theory and Critical Race Theory to investigate the relationship between central office and site leaders. The study used four data sources to identify four themes: commitment to student outcomes, the impact of racial dynamics, the importance of… [Direct]
(2020). We Stay Fly: Composite Counterstories of Academic Success and Graduation among First-Generation Low-Income College Students of Color. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Colorado at Denver. College students who are simultaneously the first generation of their families to attend college, from poor communities, and who belong to racially minoritized populations, known as first-generation low-income (FLI) college students of Color, are less likely to stay in and graduate from college compared to their more advantaged peers. As this student population continues to grow, it is imperative to understand more fully what supports positive educational outcomes and retention for this group. Using critical race theory (CRT) in education, intersectionality, and an anti-deficit achievement framework to situate the study using anti-oppressive methodologies, this dissertation utilized semi-structured interviews with successful FLI college students of Color and recent graduates to ascertain influences on their academic success and graduation. The FLI college students of Color who were interviewed identified classroom-based experiences, on-campus activities and relationships, and… [Direct]
(2014). The Anti-Black Order of No Child Left Behind: Using Lacanian Psychoanalysis and Critical Race Theory to Examine NCLB. Educational Philosophy and Theory, v46 n5 p462-474. During a period in which institutions have been refashioned to meet the demands of a complex social and political economy, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has helped to alter the public educational system. As scholars and researchers examine the material effects of NCLB, efforts to improve the educational system and its effects must also explore the relationship between policy and racial ideologies including discursive fantasies. This article examines the relationship between NCLB and racial fantasies of Black youth as problematic others in order to help education reform scholarship and advocacy examine the violence of NCLB…. [Direct]
(2021). Visibilizing Our Pain and Wounds as Resistance and Activist Pedagogy to Heal and Hope: Reflections of 2 Racialized Professors. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v15 n4 p241-251. This article reflects experiences of two racialized professors from a Critical Race Theory (CRT) paradigm teaching in Canadian teacher preparation and educational leadership programs across multiple universities. The analysis of their lived experiences as counter-stories through storytelling focuses on how their identities, bodies, course content, and activist pedagogies are read and received teaching predominantly white students and working with non-racialized colleagues. The authors situate the microaggressions they experienced from administrators, colleagues, students, and larger community members, while teaching about anti-black racism, white supremacy, and other equity topics in education that challenge normalized metanarratives which at times make others uncomfortable. The authors seek to disrupt and challenge these normalized policies and practices within teacher education programs and within publication processes that privilege whiteness, and disadvantage Black, Indigenous,… [Direct]
(2022). An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Black Administrators in Student Affairs at Predominately White Institutions: A Phenomenological Study. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Research that examines the lived experiences of Black senior level student affairs administrators at predominately white institutions remains limited (Wolf & Freeman, 2013). The underrepresentation of administration of color in higher education is one of the most important ethical dilemmas facing colleges and universities today (Wolf & Freeman, 2013). This study explored the lived experiences of Black senior level administrators at predominately white institutions, their race relations, and challenges faced. The findings from this study show variations in the experiences of Black senior level administrators who have excelled to their roles despite the lack of visual representation. Very few studies have explored or have sought to discover the experiences of Black senior level administrators in student affairs and what their experiences have been leading at predominately white institutions, racial relations, and their overall challenges they have faced to get to where they are… [Direct]
(2022). Exploring Latinx Parents' Experiences with Special Education: Developing a Community-Based Workshop to Empower Latinx Parents of Children in Special Education. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of San Francisco. Parent involvement has been found to be predictive of successful student learning. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), parents are required to be active participants in the development of their child's special education. Latinx parents of children in special education face various challenges when it comes to parent involvement. A sample size of seven Latinx mothers with children in special education participated in this study, whose aim was to examine Latinx parents' experiences in navigating the special education process and to identify and explore culturally responsive interventions that can increase parents' participation and advocacy for their children with disabilities. An eight-week study was conducted during a weekly workshop that focused on various topics: (a) understanding special education, (b) increasing knowledge about services available to support children's academic progress, (c) communicating and working collaboratively to increase… [Direct]
(2022). The Influence of Social and Academic Integration, Childhood Trauma, and Discrimination on the Institutional and Goal Commitments of African American Males. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Caldwell University. This dissertation addressed the problem of low graduation rates among African American (AA) males, a minority population characterized by the lowest graduation rates of any racial group in the United States. Specifically, the research questions asked how the independent variables of social and academic integration, childhood trauma, and discrimination vigilance influence the dependent variable of institutional and goal commitment among AA males' attending four-year predominantly White institutions in the United States. The study used a mixed-methods design and convenient sampling. A survey instrument using items from the Institutional Integration Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and Heightened Vigilance Scale was used to collect data related to these variables for quantitative analysis applying the Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. A questionnaire containing six open-ended questions was used to collect data for qualitative thematic analysis. Quantitative… [Direct]
(2022). Measuring What They Value: Exploring the Meaning of Student Success for Community College Students of Mexican Origin. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Loyola University Chicago. Current student success measures have been shown to be necessary, but insufficient, often masking the successes of specific student populations by virtue of their 4-year institutional centricity, aggregate calculation, and reflection of hegemonic definitions of student success. For far too long, academics and policymakers have valued what they measure rather than measuring what students value; that which is easily quantifiable and comparable takes precedent over that which is descriptive and personal. This study was designed to promote more holistic and inclusive interpretations of student success that are reflective of the unique life experiences of the diverse populations of students pursuing higher education in the United States today. Specifically, this qualitative, interpretative phenomenological study involved exploring the phenomenon of student success as it is lived and understood by community college students of Mexican origin–the largest and fastest-growing Latinx… [Direct]
(2022). A Theoretical Analysis of the Disproportionate Discipline Rates of Black Students in Virginia's Public Schools. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Regent University. America's public-school systems have a long history of disproportionately disciplining Black students. First identified in a groundbreaking study in 1975, the issue of over-disciplining our nation's Black students is negatively impacting their academic performance and economic opportunities. Students who receive exclusionary discipline, such as short-term suspension (STS), long-term suspension (LTS), or expulsion (EXP), are less likely to graduate high school and more likely to end up in the juvenile and adult justice systems. Black students are more likely to receive this type of discipline than their White counterparts. The study's goals were to (a) determine if there is disproportional representation of Black students in the three exclusionary discipline categories of STS, LTS, and EXP in Virginia's public-school districts and (b) address whether the factors of a school district's minority rate and socioeconomic status predicted the disproportionality of Black students in the same… [Direct]
(2021). Where Does Racism Reside: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Underrepresented African American Students Pursuing Medical Degrees at Post-Secondary Educational Institutions. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Cleveland State University. The lack of diversity among current licensed physicians is mirrored in the race/ethnicity of current medical students across the nation. In 2017-2018, there were a total of 89,904 medical students enrolled in U.S. medical schools, with 7% of those medical students who identified as African American (AAMC, 2019). This narrative qualitative study examined the lived experiences of three African American pre-medical and three African American medical students to understand their challenges and supports while pursuing a medical degree. Through semi-structured interviews, the study explored the academic, professional and social experiences that influenced their persistence from undergraduate through medical school completion. This study employed Critical Race Theory (CRT) to identify and address how racism, oppression, and power impact the lives of these African American students. Findings of the research indicated that African American underrepresented minorities in medicine experienced… [Direct]
(2021). Black Male Excellence: The Academic and Social Experiences and Perceptions of Professional Identity of Black Male McNair Scholars during Their Doctoral Studies at Predominantly White Institutions. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Saint Louis University. This qualitative research study explores the academic and social experiences and perceptions of professional identity of Black male McNair Scholars who attended predominantly White institutions (PWI's) for their doctoral studies. Unlike most research that incorporates a deficit framework, when highlighting Black male's educational statistics, educational desires, and educational abilities, this study used an anti-deficit framework to highlight the success stories of eight Black male McNair Scholars. More specifically, this study examines these scholars' relationships with their faculty mentors, peers, and their perceptions of their professional identities. As the result of conducting in-depth interviews with each participant and using Social Network Theory and Critical Race Theory as frameworks to analyze the data, eight themes emerged that highlight why many of the participants described their relationships with their faculty mentors and peers as meaningful and positive. Findings… [Direct]
(2021). Faculty Perspectives of Recruitment and Retention of African American Faculty in Predominantly White Institutions. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Walden University. Despite a growing population, the underrepresentation of African American faculty in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) is a growing concern in the United States. Recent studies indicate PWIs have been focused on increasing diverse student enrollment, particularly among African Americans, but not on recruiting and retaining African American faculty. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to obtain the perspectives of faculty members regarding recruitment and retention of African American faculty at PWIs. The goal was to identify faculty perspectives on recruitment and retention based upon their personal experiences. Conceptual frameworks for this study were Bell's critical race theory and Tajfel's social identity theory. Seven African American and three European American faculty who had worked at a PWI for a minimum of 2 years and who served on faculty search committees or provided advocacy for African American faculty through mentoring, coteaching or conducting… [Direct]