(2017). "Accentuate the Positive; Eliminate the Negative": Hegemonic Interest Convergence, Racialization of Latino Poverty, and the 1968 Bilingual Education Act. Peabody Journal of Education, v92 n3 p302-321. Derrick Bell's interest convergence thesis is a seminal framework to analyze social change within critical race theory. While interest convergence's influence has grown, two foundational questions have been raised: do interest groups act rationally; does interest convergence also offer a change prescription or only an explanation of prior events. By revisiting Bell's early influences, via the concept of hegemony, the article intervenes in these two formative debates by offering a reimagined analytic framing that I term "hegemonic interest convergence." The article then applies this concept to analyze how broader political economic shifts shaped the struggles within which the 1968 Bilingual Education Act arose. I demonstrate that support for bilingual education stemmed from a seeming interest convergence among policymakers and Latino activists based on economic, rather than cultural, concerns regarding poor urbanizing Latino communities. In doing so, policymakers promoted… [Direct]
(2017). Minorities in Higher Education: Their Status and Disparities in Student and Faculty Representation. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Missouri – Columbia. This manuscript is a qualitative design, which studied diversity disparity in high education that relates to faculty and the student body. The setting dwells within the University of Missouri system, more specifically, this study concentrates on two campuses; the University of Missouri-Columbia and University of Missouri-Kansas City. The research identified the attributes of an effective change agent leader, policy and the impact it has on culture and organizational settings, and understandings of the importance of organizational value in relation to diversity and gender identification. The conceptual frameworks that guided this study were cultural competency, critical race theory, and transformational leadership (Cross, 1989; Gooden & Norman-Major; Northouse, 2013). The reoccurring research themes were: policy, leadership, and core organizational values. The conclusions suggested from this inquiry are transformational leaders should embrace and encourage differences and show… [Direct]
(2017). Educating in a "Regressive Era": Exploring the Race-Full Ideological Standpoint of Black Women Teachers. Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v49 n2 p217-238 Jun. The purpose of this 2-year phenomenological study was to build on the legacy of Black women educators before and after "Brown v. Board of Education" and examine the ideological standpoint of early career Black women educators from the millennial generation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Black women educators teaching in New York City public schools serving predominantly Black and Latinx students in order to explore how they conceptualize their sociopolitical context and implications for their teaching. Critical Race Theory and ideological clarity are used as conceptual tools to reveal contradictions informing the educational context for Black and Brown teachers and youth. Two of these contradictions are that: (1) Many liberals and conservatives tout that we have moved towards a progressive post-racial era, when in fact, this time period is characterized by heightened surveillance and criminalization of Black and Brown youth, and (2) Generally,… [Direct]
(2017). Taking the Risk to Engage in Race Talk: Professional Development in Elementary Schools. International Journal of Inclusive Education, v21 n2 p172-186. Developing public education where every child has the right to learn requires that teachers pay attention to and engage in race talk–open discussion about race, social construction of race, and racism. While it is clear that children engage and reflect critically about these aspects of race even at a young age, teachers rarely engage in race talk with them. In this study, an African-American preservice teacher and a White teacher educator explore how African-American, Polynesian, and White in-service teachers, participating in "Courageous Conversations" professional development, address or avoid race talk in their elementary schools through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and what risks they take when they do. Findings, through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, demonstrate that (1) racism was observed and/or experienced by all teachers in elementary schools; (2) lived racial experiences impacted teachers' approach to conversations about race; (3) creating an… [Direct]
(2019). Impact of Proprietary Postsecondary Leadership's Mental Model on the Psychosocial Outcomes of Adult Student Populations: An Autoethnographic Study. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, California Institute of Integral Studies. This dissertation examines my experience as a Student Services Advisor and Coordinator at a proprietary postsecondary educational institution. I chose to examine the field of proprietary postsecondary education. The proprietary postsecondary education industry maintains a contradiction that is empowered by the respectability for delivering vocational education for the benefit of low-income and disadvantaged adults. The industry unduly profits from minimum government regulations of its over-priced programs and oppressive operational practices (APSCU, 2012; Durrance, Maggio, & Smith, 2010). By utilizing the autoethnographic methodology, I depict the behavior and decision-making process of educational leaders through my personal perspective. I discuss the immediate impact that the leadership's decision-making and actions had on the student body. I consider dimensions of race, gender, self-esteem, economics, and decision-making as they relate to leadership and students' behavior…. [Direct]
(2010). Educational Strategies for Children of Milwaukee: A Critical Race Theory Analysis. Multicultural Learning and Teaching, v5 n2 p4-27 Sep. The educational dilemmas faced in Milwaukee are mirrored in other large, urban cities across the country. Thus, Milwaukee presents an example that reflects a national crisis in addressing race and education. This article examines educational options for Milwaukee students through the lens of Critical Race Theory…. [Direct]
(2019). "I'm Not Your Mammy": Unearthing the Racially Gendered Experiences of Undergraduate Black Women Resident Assistants at Predominantly White Institutions. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Temple University. This critical qualitative research study describes and explores undergraduate Black women Resident Assistant (RA) experiences in the context of Predominantly White Institutions (PWI). While serving in the capacities of both student and student affairs professional, this study explored how women navigate the responsibilities of their role and the intersections of race and gender. Given the influx of campus hate crimes motivated by race across the United States, and to ensure the success and support of Black women students serving in these roles, it is imperative that we understand their racially gendered experiences within predominantly White contexts. Phenomenological research methods and a series of semi-structured interviews were used to examine the lived experiences of nineteen Black undergraduate women. Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Thought, and Intersectionality were used as frameworks to examine how participants navigate their social identities and associated experiences… [Direct]
(2019). From Reduction to Empowerment: A Second Look at Access to World Language Education for the African American Student. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. College readiness policies dictate the number of credits of world language study a student ought to obtain by the time he/she graduates from high school (Barnes, Slate, & Rojas-LeBouef, 2010). However, traditional schooling practices camouflaged by "neutral" education policies limit African American students' access to quality curricular and instructional discourses (Apple, 1999; Gillborn, 2014; Lopez, 2003). Limited access to enriching educational goods and resources, world language instruction in particular, causes them to question their self-worth and academic identities, decreases their classroom engagement and motivation to learn, and impacts their secondary and post-secondary learning outcomes (Fernandez, 2002; Pringle, Lyons, & Booker, 2010; Saffold & Longwell-Grice, 2008; Weinstein, Gregory, & Strambler, 2004). Therefore, this study used critical race theory to examine the high school world language experiences of 17 African American undergraduate… [Direct]
(2019). The Impact of Sate Equity Standards on Leaders' Espoused Beliefs about Social Justice. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Old Dominion University. School leaders are tasked with greater responsibilities than ever before. Today's school leaders are expected to act as social justice leaders, ensuring all students have an equitable environment to learn in. State departments of education hold leaders accountable by comparing standardized test scores of students in majority and minority groups. The problem is these assessments measure the outcome of learning, but fail to measure the environments learning occurs in. The purpose of this study was to understand, within the context of the accountability climate, school leaders' espoused beliefs about social justice, and the practices they employ to those ends. Using the dual lenses of epistemic injustice and critical race theory, in this qualitative research study, I sought to understand the complex bidirectional and reciprocal relationship between the accountability climate and school leaders' espoused beliefs and practices regarding social justice. After conducting my study with seven… [Direct]
(2019). Graduate Students of Color: The Impact of Mentoring at Predominantly White Institutions. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Colorado State University. Despite the increasing diversity of the US population, particularly of Latinx residents, the lack of resources and the underrepresentation of graduate students of color (GSC) are lingering issues in higher education. This dissertation discusses the impact of mentoring at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) for GSC. With Critical Race Theory (CRT) as my lens, I expand on mentoring, mentorship services, counter-storytelling, critical social factors and a historical context of higher education in order to both illustrate the problem and offer specific solutions to the systemic barriers that GSC face every day on college campuses. By leveraging the narrative side of CRT, this study provided the opportunity for additional GSC by creating a qualitative/quantitative survey designed to capture perceptions and experiences at other PWIs. These stories identify a trend or need for appropriate services in a system where GSC are attempting to navigate. The results offer specific… [Direct]
(2019). Mentorship Matters: The Role of Mentorship in Social Capital Building and Student Achievement Outcomes. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Michigan State University. A number of qualitative studies examining student achievement outcomes in higher education show that access to social capital is an important predictor of student success. Critical Race Theory (CRT), and other qualitative studies, examining student outcomes have operationalized social capital in terms of access to information. Most of these qualitative studies found that a student's social class and race mediated their access to quality mentors who could provide access to critical social capital. In this study, data from the longitudinal ADD Health Study was used in order to test the generalizability of findings in the CRT and qualitative literature. Logistic regressions using odds ratios were used to examine the relationship between individual characteristics found to be at risk of early attrition in higher education and types of mentors identified by the respondents. Logistic regressions using odds ratios were also used to determine if there were any relationship between individual… [Direct]
(2019). 'Look to the Bottom': Re-Writing the Body Curriculum through Storylines. Sport, Education and Society, v24 n6 p638-650. Several critical scholars recently have debunked the media's proclamation that with Obama's presidency, the United States has entered a post-racial era, with the media thus fabricating an image of a 'race neutral' American society (McCarthy, C. (2013). The problem with origins. Race and the contrapuntal nature of the education experience. In H. A. Giroux & P. Shannon (Eds.), "Education and cultural studies" (pp. 104-153). New York, NY; Zirkel, S., & Johnson, T. (2016). Mirror, mirror on the wall: A critical examination of the conceptualization of the study of Black racial identity in education. "Educational Researcher," 45(5), 301-311). In this paper, first, I suggest that today's pedagogical conditions within schools built upon 'deficit thinking' (Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. "Race Ethnicity and Education," 8(1), 69-91) need to be critically considered as a source… [Direct]
(2019). Race, Education and #BlackLivesMatter: How Social Media Activism Shapes the Educational Experiences of Black College-Age Women. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles. The #BlackLivesMatter movement, which rose to prominence following the state-sanctioned murders of several unarmed Black Americans, shed light on the power of social media to serve as a platform for transformative resistance, counter-storytelling, and civic engagement for marginalized youth. With some of the highest rates of social media use to date, it is not altogether surprising that Black college-age youth, particularly young Black women, were the primary curators of the politicized social media storm that captured the nation's attention and spurred a viral hashtag into a historical movement. While Black women's persistent use of social media to enact resistance in their schools, in their communities and in popular media is indicative of its importance in their socio-academic experiences, there remains a substantial dearth in educational scholarship examining the nexus of race, gender and resistance as it relates to the digital realm. By drawing upon critical race theory in… [Direct]
(2019). Student Voices: The Engagement Black Students Wish for with Black Faculty at a Predominantly White Institution. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Northeastern University. Black students at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) do not interact with Black faculty, which can impact their engagement with the university. The purpose of this research was to understand the experience that Black students have at a PWI due to the presence or lack of presence of Black faculty and how that impacts their engagement and retention at the university. This issue matters because Black students are not retained and do not graduate at the same rates as White students. If Black students are not engaged, they will continue to leave; however, resolution of this issue may result in improved student satisfaction and increased retention. The research question explored in this study centered on how Black students at a PWI perceive their experiences with Black faculty. Critical race theory (CRT) was used with an interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology. Six Black students were interviewed individually and then participated in a focus-group discussion. The… [Direct]
(2010). Educational Lynching: Critical Race Theory and the Suspension of Black Boys. Online Submission Looking at the disproportionate suspension of African American, Black male students through the lens of critical race theory, this presents arguments from a CRT how the disproportionate suspension of Black male students is rooted in white supremacy and racist policy in the United States. Local recommendations are offered for Oakland Unified School District to address this problem systemically…. [PDF]