(2019). Interrogating Racialized Scripts: Parents and Students Organized for Leading Educational Justice. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Denver. This qualitative critical case study portraiture examines several racialized scripts found in family engagement, educational leadership, and social justice literature regarding under-resourced parents and students of color as leaders for educational justice. These scripts, or dominant narratives, discuss racially-minoritized parents and students as deficient in character and culture. They also deem that educational leadership for social justice is too complex an issue for these parents and students to have any positive effect. Therefore they are viewed in the literature as being only passively active in their own education. Analyzing a successful and authentic parent and student activist organization that focused on educational justice through a dynamic methodological process called critical case study portraiture, this study asks how these parents and students interrogate such scripts. This study finds that through a process of reflection and action, under-resourced parents and… [Direct]
(2019). Constructing Black Mothers as Educational Leaders: A Source of Knowledge and Theory. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, The University of Memphis. This dissertation follows a three article format. The articles represent a building upon research with the first article exploring the history of Black women leadership in the U.S. and the need to incorporate the leadership traits of Black mothers in educational leadership. The second article, through critical phenomenological inquiry, allows current college students from urban k-12 institutions to construct their mothers as educational leaders and identify traits that formal educational leaders should adopt. The third article expounds upon the lived experiences of Black students and the critical care leadership necessary to ensure their academic success. Care in education and education leadership literature is ambiguous. Black women have long been pillars of care for the Black community. Despite a history of successful leadership, Black women continue to be underrepresented in educational literature, theory and research. The limited Black leadership narratives and lack of context… [Direct]
(2019). How Directors of Residential Life at Jesuit Institutions Address Campus Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Fordham University. While America aspires to be color-blind, society is failing to live up to the goal of treating all people equally. According to Sue (2013), "Research reveals that it is nearly impossible not to notice race" (p. 78). On the topic of a color-blind society, Harper and Patton (2007) stated, "Instead of tackling the realities of race, it is much easier to ignore them by embracing colorblind ideologies…it creates a lens through which the existence of race can be denied and the privileges of Whiteness can be maintained without any personal accountability" (p. 3). Diversity and inclusion are an essential part of education. Learning to live and work with people unlike yourself strengthens educational institutions, individuals, and society. Unfortunately, many campuses fail to adequately address hate crimes, bias incidents, and micro-aggressions or to safeguard their most vulnerable students (Bauman, 2018). Moreover, the problem will only get worse as the country becomes… [Direct]
(2010). Howard Thurman, Black Spirituality, and Critical Race Theory in Higher Education. Journal of Negro Education, v79 n3 p354-365 Sum. This study examines aspects of Dr. Howard W Thurman's (1900-1982) career in higher education through the lenses of Black spirituality and critical race theory. The experiences of Howard Thurman offers distinct perspectives through which to interrogate the Black experience in American higher education and the intersections of race, religion and spirituality, Black leadership, and American racial politics related to education. Specifically. This study highlights the collectivist ethos of Black leaders, Black colleges, and racial uplift inspired spirituality shaped by and rooted in the African American experience. This study draws on historical methods and both primary and secondary sources to explore Thurman's influence on the American social and cultural landscape and in higher education…. [Direct]
(2012). Talkin' in the Company of My Sistas: The Counterlanguages and Deliberate Silences of Black Female Students in Teacher Education. Linguistics and Education: An International Research Journal, v23 n2 p169-181 Jun. In this article, the author draws on critical race theory to examine Black female preservice teachers' perspectives on their racial identity in relation to how they are positioned inside and outside the context of a traditional teacher education program in the United States. The author shares findings generated from a year-long ethnographic and sociolinguistic study of the discursive practices of Black female preservice teachers, all nonstandard language and dialect speakers, across three settings, including the university classroom, the K-12 practicum teaching classroom, and a social setting. Critical race theories and conversational analysis proved useful for revealing the deliberate decisions that these preservice teachers made about social and personal engagement and how these choices positioned themselves and each other as insiders within and beyond the dominant context of teacher education…. [Direct]
(2021). Differential Item Functioning in a Teacher-Created Benchmark Mathematics Assessment. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Piedmont College. The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of gender and ELL Differential Item Functioning (DIF) in a teacher-created mathematics benchmark test in one public charter school district in Northeast Georgia. DIF occurs when an item behaves differently in different subgroups, rather than measuring a test taker's true ability. The geometry assessment used in this study consisted of 34 dichotomously scored items, and the examinees (N = 183) were a mix of ninth-, tenth-, and eleventh-grade students. The study obtained and analyzed data in a convergent sequential design in two phases using the Delphi and Mantel-Haenszel methods. The first stage sought to find consensus amongst Delphi panel members on the items and their attributes (dis)favoring (a) male and female students and (b) ELL and non-ELL students. The second stage sought to find the amount of statistical DIF using the thin and thick matching variables of the Mantel-Haenszel method. A Delphi panel of 10 experts consented… [Direct]
(2021). Mirror Mirror on the Wall: In Search of Ethnic Homogeneity in Mentoring–A Critical Mixed Methods Study. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Regent University. Mentoring in higher education and especially at the level of doctoral work is critical for mentees to feel supported during this arduous journey. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study investigated the mentoring experiences of Black female doctoral students in distributed doctoral programs and its effects on degree completion, efficacy, and program satisfaction. Theoretical frameworks included quantitative critical race theory and Black feminist thought for the purpose of critically examining data with an eye towards decolonizing research and situating the experiences and knowledge of Black women. Overarching mixed method questions focused on the mentoring experiences while comparing those participants with same-race mentors and those without same-race mentors. Black female doctoral students currently attending or attending a distributed doctoral program between 2015-2020 were asked to complete a quantitative survey consisting of qualifying questions, demographics, and Noe's… [Direct]
(2023). "To Be Young, Gifted and Black". Teachers College Record, v125 n1 p56-83 Jan. Background and Context: Inspired by a photograph of the groundbreaking playwright Lorraine Hansberry that appeared in the New York Times following her unanticipated death in 1965, Nina Simone, pianist, singer-songwriter, and civil rights activist, carefully crafted "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," a song that later became the anthem of the 1970s Black Power Movement. Like Hansberry, Simone sought to encourage cultural and ethnic pride among young African Americans who found themselves at the crossroads of an identity crisis and a national dismissal of their existence, both funded by racism. Today, African Americans attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) continue to grapple with these challenges. Purpose/Objective/Research Question or Focus of Study: For this study, we aim to amplify the lived experiences and ontologies of Black music education doctoral students at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and to identify and confront racialized structures,… [Direct]
(2018). Cultural Brokering: Insights to College Career Counselors from Colleagues in Diversity Offices. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Concordia University (Oregon). This qualitative case study sought to capture insights from professional staff trained to serve diverse student populations in colleges to inform additional staff in better serving underrepresented students. Higher education student populations have changed drastically over the past several decades, representing greater diversity in American colleges and universities, necessitating enhanced practice in counseling and advising diverse students. The case study research sought to better understand needs of traditionally underrepresented students in 4-year predominantly White institutions (PWIs) through the lens of professional staff in diversity-focused positions within the colleges and universities. Critical race theory (CRT), sociocultural theory, and positive psychology were used to frame and develop the study. This qualitative study examined how diverse college students are being served from the perspective of diversity professionals in one northern Midwest bi-state region, to… [Direct]
(2015). Funds of Knowledge and Community Cultural Wealth: Exploring How Pre-Service Teachers Can Work Effectively with Mexican and Mexican American Students. Critical Questions in Education, v6 n1 p30-40 Win. This article examines how pre-service teachers can work effectively with Mexican and Mexican American students. Using the foundation of funds of knowledge (Gonz√°lez, Moll, & Amanti, 2005) and the critical race theory concept of community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005), the article weaves together these ideas to discuss how they can be implemented in teacher education programs. Added to the conversation is the importance of historical context in better understanding current educational situations affecting specific communities. Given the specific Southwest location, this article focuses on mostly white female pre-service teachers working in schools with a primarily Mexican and Mexican American student population. The purpose is to educate pre-service teachers and provide a close analysis of funds of knowledge and community cultural wealth as ways to give preservice teachers tools to investigate their own practice…. [PDF]
(2015). Deconstructing Dispositions: Toward a Critical Ability Theory in Teacher Education. Action in Teacher Education, v37 n2 p138-155. When attending to dispositions, or educators' assumptions and beliefs about teaching, learning, and students, teacher educators must develop a discourse that examines disability in terms of power and privilege. This article synthesizes literature related to critical race theory (CRT) and disability theory to elucidate the need for a critical ability theory in teacher education. Combining the tenets of CRT and disability theories provides a lens for viewing how power and privilege affect public and private conceptions of what it means to have a special need. Because recognition of privilege and identity serve as the cornerstones of dispositional development, prospective teachers should be asked to examine their dispositions through this lens. This article offers a novel way to explore the dispositions construct, as previous literature has not examined the ways that privilege and identity intersect with disability and teacher dispositions…. [Direct]
(2015). On Being Named a Black Supremacist and a Race Traitor: The Problem of White Racial Domination and Domestic Terrorism in U.S. Teacher Education. Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v47 n2 p317-340 Jun. This article is concerned with the preparation of future teachers and the continued Whiteness of teacher education. Using the critical race theory methodology of counter-storytelling, this article presents a composite story to highlight and analyze how race and racism influence the preparation of future teachers in ways that typically sustain rather than challenge the Whiteness of education despite widespread self-reports of successful multicultural teacher education. While a great deal has been written about the need to better prepare future teachers for the multicultural realities of contemporary public schools, less examined is the modus operandi of race-based dominance in teacher education. This article seeks to use an examination of the intersections of White racial domination and the daily business of teacher preparation as a learning tool for pushing forward endeavors to prepare all teachers to successfully teach all students…. [Direct]
(2015). But Good Intentions Are Not Enough: Preparing Teachers to Center Race and Poverty. Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v47 n2 p341-363 Jun. Drawing from principles of critical race theory, the authors consider the curriculum of teacher education as a potential policy and practice site for centering the interconnections of race and poverty in the preparation of teachers. Several macro-level recommendations are advanced that might influence practices in teacher education and ultimately in P-12 classrooms. These policies suggestions include (1) Reform the curriculum of teacher education to emphasize a deeper study of race; (2) Reform the curriculum of teacher education to emphasize a deeper study of poverty; and (3) Reform the curriculum of teacher education to emphasize a deep study of the nexus between race and poverty. The authors conclude with the observation that although teachers and teacher educators tend to have good intentions, those intentions too often fail to meet the needs of Black and Brown students or students living in poverty…. [Direct]
(2015). Racial Microaggressions as a Tool for Critical Race Research. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v18 n3 p297-320. This conceptual article utilizes critical race theory (CRT) to explain how everyday forms of racism–racial microaggressions–emerge in the everyday experiences of People of Color. We provide a framework for understanding and analyzing racial microaggressions that demonstrates how everyday racist events are systemically mediated by institutionalized racism (i.e. structures and processes), and guided by ideologies of white supremacy that justify the superiority of a dominant group (whites) over non-dominant groups (People of Color). To demonstrate the conceptual utility of the framework, we utilize historical and contemporary examples of racial micoraggressions, and offer varied ways to use the framework in critical race research. We argue racial microaggressions can be a powerful "tool" for identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the racism that marginalizes, subordinates and excludes People of Color in and outside of education…. [Direct]
(2018). Counter-Stories in Higher Education: Narratives of Minority Students at Predominantly White Universities. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Robert Morris University. When underrepresented minority (URM) students from high-poverty, high-minority K-12 schools enter college, they often encounter academic, financial, and cultural obstacles in addition to experiencing discriminatory events (DeCuir & Dixson, 2004; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995; Hurtado & Alvarado, 2015; Yosso, Parker, Solorzano & Lynn, 2004). Using a critical race theory (CRT) framework, this qualitative study examined the obstacles and discriminatory events present in the lives of eight URM students who attended a predominantly white institution (PWI) of higher education, and the resources and relationships utilized to overcome these obstacles and cope with discriminatory events. Findings showed that supportive teachers, dual enrollment courses, and a scholarship program enabled URM students to overcome obstacles upon entering college. Once in college, overcoming cultural differences and discriminatory occurrences was most aided by strong student communities (in the… [Direct]