(2022). Counter-Spacing in the Institution: Undocumented Student Organizing at a Community College from 2006 to 2021. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles. Undocumented youth have been powerful leaders in the undocumented immigrant rights movement to advance a more just society for immigrant communities (Nicholls, 2013; Perez, 2016). Community colleges are important spaces in the higher education sector because most undocumented college students attend community colleges (Teranishi et al., 2011). This dissertation study seeks to better understand the priorities and experiences of undocumented community college students who organize for institutional support for undocumented students. This study is guided by theories on counter-spaces in Critical Race Theory (Solorzano et al., 2000), spaces where Students of Color create a sense of safety and community with each other. The methods for this study are a case study of one community college in California, Western College (pseudonym), that has robust programs for undocumented students such as an Undocumented Student Resource Center and a designated staff position that works with undocumented… [Direct]
(2022). History Doesn't Decided for Us: A Case Study of Black Parents and Their Perception of Career and Technical Education with an In-Depth Look at the Philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, North Carolina State University. This research was a three-article dissertation with two integrative literature reviews and one case study that examines the perception of career and technical education (CTE) among Black American communities with an in-depth look at the philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois. There is a tremendous skills gap in the nation and an increasing economic mobility problem. If more students–for the purpose of this research, Black students–take advantage of CTE at the K-12 and postsecondary level, there is a greater opportunity to move the needle of economic mobility. If there is acknowledgment of the history of career and technical education among Black Americans, a better approach for recruiting Black students to participate in CTE may be realized. The theoretical frameworks shaping this study were critical race theory (CRT) and human capital theory (HCT). CRT submits that race, racism, and power influence how Black Americans value education. HCT suggests that obtaining… [Direct]
(2016). A Counterstory of One's Own: Using Counterstorytelling to Engage Students With the British Canon. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, v59 n6 p685-694 May-Jun. Nationwide, virtually all secondary students interact with British literature, a traditionally Anglo, white, male canon. Yet, this revered curriculum provides few mirrors for students from historically marginalized populations to see their own cultures reflected. In this reflective practitioner piece, the authors first illustrate how counterstorytelling–a practice emerging from critical race theory–can break open the canon. Because counterstorytelling invites, values, and projects marginalized voices, when incorporated into the secondary English classroom, the practice helps engage students with the material while developing and honing their literacy skills. Second, the authors detail a lesson demonstrating that the canon and counterstorytelling can work synergistically. Throughout the article, the authors attend to the challenges of using an equity pedagogy to teach a canon that functions as the majoritarian story of the secondary literacy classroom–and society at large. Finally,… [Direct]
(2016). Asian Americans in American History: An AsianCrit Perspective on Asian American Inclusion in State U.S. History Curriculum Standards. Theory and Research in Social Education, v44 n2 p244-276. Compared to other groups of color, Asian Americans and their perspectives have rarely been given attention in curriculum studies. This article seeks to address the gap in the literature. It uses AsianCrit, a branch of critical race theory, as a theoretical lens to analyze and explicate common patterns across various states' scripting of Asian American experience in their U.S. history standards. Informed by AsianCrit, the article describes and troubles invisibility and consequent messages about Asian Americans and their experience in the story of the United States told from state U.S. history standards. The study suggests the benefit of AsianCrit as a theoretical, methodological tool to read and disrupt racism embedded in curriculum scripting of U.S. history. The study also adds a new knowledge to the long-held scholarship on inclusion and representation of historically marginalized groups in official school knowledge…. [Direct]
(2016). Critical Race Parenting: Understanding Scholarship/Activism in Parenting Our Children. Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, v52 n3 p237-259. Parenting is often discussed in the field of education, but frequently in terms of family or community deficiency, rather than strengths (Bonilla Silva, 2006; Few, 2007), particularly when communities of color are being examined. In this conceptual article, we advocate for the use of critical race theory (CRT) in discussions of parenting and utilize counterstorytelling to validate the lived experiences of parents like ourselves, who are critical race scholars as well as mothers of children of color. Our counterstories will be embedded throughout the discussion as a way to highlight the relationships between academic research and lived experience. Through reviews of academic research and counterstorytelling, we explain the relevance of "critical race parenting" and the ways in which the inclusion of CRT can support more historically situated, contextual, and complex engagements with the interplay between race and parenting of children of color…. [Direct]
(2016). Toward a Critical Race Perspective of Transfer: An Exploration of a Transfer Receptive Culture. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, v40 n12 p1013-1024. In this study we highlight the five elements of a transfer receptive culture and its connection to the Summer Transfer Enrichment Program (STEP) administered by the Community College Outreach Center (CCOC) at Best Coast University (all pseudonyms). A quantitative and qualitative study was conducted focusing on five years of STEP, consisting of 87 participants (70% female, 30% male), with 90% identifying as students of color (the majority "Latinx"). Fifty-six students completed a survey and 22 participated in focus group interviews. Through Critical Race Theory we found that this program embodies four out of the five transfer receptive culture elements. Students felt reassured by the longevity and presence of CCOC and that STEP addressed fears and misconceptions about transferring. In addition, students felt financially and academically supported along with being validated through coursework and workshops that were similar to their life experiences…. [Direct]
(2016). Beyond Mirrors and Windows: A Critical Content Analysis of Latinx Children's Books. Journal of Language and Literacy Education, v12 n2 p56-83 Fall. This critical content analysis examines the representation of Latinx characters in 15 picture books published in 2013 and identified by Children's Cooperative Book Center (CCBC) as having significant Latinx content. The theoretical framework undergirding this study is Critical Race Theory (Ladson-Billings, 1998; Sol√≥rzano & Yosso, 2002; Taylor, 2009; Yosso, Villalpando, Delgado Bernal, & Sol√≥rzano, 2001). This theory is used to uncover the assumptions and ideologies that are often represented in children's literature. The results of this study indicate that (1) English is privileged in the texts, (2) superficial references to cultural artifacts are present, (3) traditional female centered roles are prevalent, and (4) authors situated books within a utopian society. The authors use these findings to argue for the importance of making curricular decisions with critical attention to text selections and the engagement of young children in critical literacy in early childhood and… [PDF]
(2016). Constructing Identity through Negotiation for Cambodian Adult English Language Learners in East Oakland. CATESOL Journal, v28 n1 p119-138. This study engages with a participatory oral history project that explores 3 themes. First, Cambodian participants included in the study will narrate from their perspectives how the evolution of social engagement and identity among African American and Cambodian refugee communities residing in historically Black neighborhoods of Oakland, California, informed their English language development. Second, it is the author's intent through data collected for the study to explore participants' acquisition of English language as a mode of resistance and empowerment for Cambodian refugees in the US. Finally, in detailing the power of oral history to bridge generational, linguistic, and global divides, the participants in this study express the importance of learning "English as an additional language" for the promotion and preservation of Cambodian history and tradition. The themes of this study will be framed by the theories of microagression and critical race theory in relation… [PDF]
(2019). Black Girls Matter: Black Feminisms and Rita Williams-Garcia's One Crazy Summer Trilogy. Children's Literature in Education, v50 n4 p431-448 Dec. Media platforms frequently report on "Black Lives Matter" in order to raise awareness about institutional racism. However, these platforms often focus on African American male teenagers (Trayvon Martin in a hoodie and "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" for Michael Brown). Noticeably absent are images of Black girls. As a response to these male-focused images, the hashtag movement #BlackGirlsMatter draws attention to the injustices Black girls face. Unfortunately, the reach of this hashtag movement is limited; only select outlets mention the significance of #BlackGirlsMatter. This limited reach is problematic given that many public schools–where many Black girls experience oppression–are still unaware of the institutional racism within their own policies and procedures. In order for educators and children to become cognizant of the systematic oppression at the intersection of race and gender, they must read texts that clearly align with cultural theories, such as Critical… [Direct]
(2010). Critical Race Theory: A Transformational Model for Teaching Diversity. Journal of Social Work Education, v46 n2 p175-193 Spr-Sum. Rapidly changing demographics in the United States, the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, and recent developments in the literature that question the effectiveness of multiculturalism and cultural competence suggest social work education, research, and practice are in need of a new approach to diversity. In conceptualizing diversity, social workers need to address a broad social context that includes institutional/structural arrangements, recognize the intersection of multiple identities, and integrate an explicit social justice orientation. This article presents critical race theory as a paradigmatic framework that focuses on both institutions and the pain they create for marginalized people. The critique is multidimensional, addressing root causes and personal distress while pursuing transformational change. (Contains 2 figures.)… [Direct]
(2018). Debemos escuchar a los maestros: Perspectives of Bilingual Teacher Candidates in Teacher Education Partnerships. Bilingual Research Journal, v41 n2 p187-205. We investigated the experiences of 12 bilingual teacher candidates as they participated in a non-traditional teacher education program implemented in the context of a partnership between a university, a non-profit organization, and an urban school district. Using the lens of Cultural Historical Activity Theory and Latinx Critical Race Theory, we analyzed participating teachers' interviews, reflection logs, and partnership artifacts. Findings showed that teacher candidates identified positive and negative affordances from participating in the teacher education partnership. Bilingual teacher candidates reported that urban schools were challenging settings to develop their practice and that they had less access to instructional resources and mentors than general education (English-only) teachers. Additional negative affordances included inconsistent expectations between the partnership members with respect to high-quality bilingual education and a mismatch between candidates'… [Direct]
(2018). Response to Intervention in a Dual Language School: A Case Study. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Colorado at Boulder. The issue of identifying, placing and educating struggling students who are developing two languages has been a topic of conversation among educators and researchers for decades. However, there continue to be inconsistencies about how Emergent Bilingual (EB) students who struggle academically are instructed and assessed for special education needs. In this qualitative case study, I combined Critical Race Theory, a Holistic Bilingual Perspective and Disabilities Studies in Education in order to investigate the special education process at one Dual Language (Spanish/English) school. I focused on a 5th Grade Literacy instruction and documented how the teachers implemented Response to Intervention (RTI), a three-tiered approach for providing different levels of instruction and monitoring student progress. I provide detailed examples of the strong instruction teachers provided in the first tier, which was the general education classroom, and the second tier, an interventionist setting…. [Direct]
(2018). The Effect of the Maryland DREAM Act on Student Outcomes: An Examination of Undocumented Students at a Maryland Community College. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Morgan State University. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effect of in-state resident tuition (ISRT) by the Maryland DREAM Act on student outcomes (awarded associate degrees, earned certificates, and retention) of undocumented immigrant students at a Maryland community college. Specifically, the study examined whether there were differences in educational outcomes between two cohorts of Maryland undocumented students at a Maryland community college before and after the Maryland Dream Act was passed in 2012. Retention theories, Critical Race Theory (CRT), and Human Capital Theory (HCT) provided the theoretical framework for examining these variables. Inferential statistics were used to address the research questions and test the hypotheses. Descriptive statistics were used to classify and summarize demographic characteristics of undocumented immigrant post-secondary students. The results of this study, analyzed using Phi Coefficient (gyp) and Logistic Regression, revealed relatively… [Direct]
(2018). Urban Principal Narratives on Including Black Boys with Emotional Disabilities. Journal of School Leadership, v28 n3 p401-430 May. Black boys in racially segregated urban schools are vulnerable to the trappings of the school-to-prison-pipeline. In this article, I use narrative inquiry and critical race theory (CRT) to examine the stories of two elementary school principals struggling to create more inclusive schools for Black boys with emotional disabilities (ED) in a racially segregated and low-performing district. Each principal narrative describes efforts to transition a student with ED from a district-created self-contained program to a full-time or near-full-time placement in an inclusive general education classroom. Despite the principals' overall success in creating more inclusive schools for most students with disabilities in a challenging district context, each principal narrative ends with a student being unsuccessful in an inclusive setting and returned to a segregated program. The findings highlight how principals who recognize the vulnerability of Black boys in special education are compelled to… [Direct]
(2018). A Meta-Ethnographic Review of the Experiences of African American Girls and Young Women in K-12 Education. Review of Educational Research, v88 n4 p508-546 Aug. There has been a paucity of research on the educational experiences of young Black women in U.S. K-12 education. Although both Black male and female students experience constrained opportunities to learn, the popular and academic conversation has almost unilaterally focused on the plight of Black boys and men. Drawing on critical race theory, this meta-ethnographic literature review synthesizes what is currently known about the advantages and obstacles young Black women encounter within public schooling contexts given their marginalized racial and gender identities. The data were drawn from a careful systematic search of electronic databases, key journals, books, and the reference lists of key articles, which yielded 37 sources for review. The analysis revealed that school officials positioned young Black women to be undisciplined in their academic habits and unequivocally misaligned with school norms. As such, they were viewed as unapproachable, unteachable, and ultimately fully… [Direct]