(2023). Educators' Attitudes, Perceptions, and Beliefs and Their Understanding and Application of Equitable Practices in the Classroom. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Concordia University Chicago. Discipline disproportionality in education has been a topic of conversation for years. African American male students are suspended at much higher rates than their White peers. Although Black students represent less than half of the school population in the United States, they account for a majority of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions. This qualitative study focused on collecting data to examine the attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of five middle school educators in one middle school building in Ohio; further, this study analyzed how these factors aligned with the educators' views on educational equity and the discipline decisions they made. This study sought to understand these inequitable practices in education through employing the theoretical framework of critical race theory. In this case, critical race theory explains the historical context of the structures and systems that have hindered Black students, creating gaps in student achievement and higher suspension… [Direct]
(2022). Applying for Justice? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Community College Grant Applications for Justice-Impacted Student Program Funding. Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity, v8 n1 p74-85. This study uses Critical Discourse Analysis through a Critical Race Theory lens to analyze grant applications of community colleges that applied for funding to build or support programs for justice-impacted students. I analyze how colleges problem-frame the need for their program, finding that 'colleges' use of race-evasive and ahistorical discourse is potentially detrimental to the larger goals their programs seek to address…. [PDF]
(2023). An Analysis of the Reconceptualizing the Achieving Success Everyday Group Counseling Model. Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation, v5 n1 Article 5 p29-32. This article provides an evaluation of Steen et al.'s (2023) systematic review of group counseling interventions with Black male students. The article highlights strengths of the review including the effort to center the specific and unique needs of Black male students, the avoidance of comparative frameworks, and the use of critical race theory as an organizing principle so researchers do not problematize Black boys, the social and cultural heterogeneity of Black boys. Recommendations for future research include the consideration of students' intersectional identities and studies that exhibit more methodological rigor…. [PDF]
(2021). Science Identity among Latinx Students in the Biomedical Sciences: The Role of a Critical Race Theory-Informed Undergraduate Research Experience. CBE – Life Sciences Education, v20 n2 Article 23 Jun. Underrepresented racial minority (URM) students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors encounter educational, social, and structural challenges on the path toward their degrees and careers. An undergraduate research program grounded in critical race theory was developed and implemented to address this disparity. NIH BUILD PODER focuses on developing science identities in URM students through a culturally relevant and responsive research training environment, ultimately increasing their pursuit of biomedical-related research careers. The current study examines differences in science identities and the intention to pursue a science career among a sample of undergraduate Latinx seniors (N = 102) in biomedical science majors. Three groups were examined: 1) BUILD PODER students, 2) non-BUILD PODER students who reported having a faculty mentor, and 3) non-BUILD PODER students who reported no faculty mentorship. Results revealed that BUILD PODER students reported the… [Direct]
(2023). "Ap√≥yame o haste a un lado": Composite Storytelling as Resistance during an Anti-CRT Climate in Teacher Education. Thresholds in Education, v46 n1 p61-78. Recently we have seen a heightened public assault on critical race theory (CRT), anti-racist ideologies and practices, and on scholars, faculty, and activists who employ CRT in their work. In this article we draw upon CRT, Latina/Chicana feminism, and critical raced-gendered epistemology, to situate the experiences of Latina faculty in post-secondary education and provide an onto-theoretical framework to make sense of a composite narrative we collaboratively created: Dra. Rivera. We conclude by offering several suggestions for Colleges of Education and teacher education writ large…. [PDF]
(2023). "That Sounds Scary, Let's Ban It": Analyzing Manufactured Ignorance & the Attack on Critical Race Theory in K-12 Schools. Thresholds in Education, v46 n1 p48-60. As of February 2023, 44 states have either introduced or passed legislation that aims to control the teaching of race in K-12 public schools. Using political discourse analysis, we investigate the discourse from six "anti-CRT" documents. We frame the discourse from an agnotological perspective; agnotology is the study of how ignorance is manufactured. Given that political discourse is one-directional, politicians have the unique position of actively constructing ignorance if they are providing information for the purpose of being consumed rather than argued or deliberated. We illustrate how the misuse of words/concepts as well as the distribution of disinformation contributes to manufactured ignorance. Finally, we argue that the deliberate and willful silence about systemic oppression will maintain white supremacy. Our intention is to challenge manufactured ignorance especially as it relates to how race and racism are discussed and taught in K-12 education…. [PDF]
(2023). The Distribution of Collegiate Cultural Wealth to Black and Hispanic Students. Journal for Leadership and Instruction, v22 n1 p21-25 Spr. The current phenomenological study explored the emotion-based perceptions of eight Black and Hispanic students' experiences in developmental education classes at two urban community colleges. The researcher utilized a theoretical framework comprised of Critical Race Theory (CRT) with a focus on emotions and Yosso's (2005) model of cultural wealth. The prevalent themes in the study demonstrated the positive impacts of faculty members: (1) individualizing interactions with students; (2) motivating students through encouragement and praise; and (3) using emotional awareness. The study also highlighted the negative effects of deficit of thinking…. [PDF]
(2023). In Spite of… Urban Latina/o Leaders' Perspectives on Undergraduate Perseverance and Successful Degree Completion. Journal of Latinos and Education, v22 n2 p527-546. College completion rates among Latina/o undergraduate students represents a crisis in our national educational system. Latina/o students are seeking higher education, but experiencing multiple barriers which inhibit degree completion. This qualitative case study offers an opportunity to explore components of degree completion of Latina/o graduates from Midwestern urban communities. Latino Critical Race Theory was utilized to explore the responses of local graduates and their perceptions of institutional components that support their degree completion. Implications illuminated the importance of families as allies, institutional transformation, and belongingness matters…. [Direct]
(2021). K-12 School Counselors Utilizing Critical Race Theory to Support the Racial Identity Development and Academic Achievement of African American Males. Professional School Counseling, v25 n1 part 4. This article examines the role of racial identity development in the academic achievement of African American adolescent males. Through the lens of critical race theory (CRT), we highlight how K-12 school counselors may support and enhance the schooling experiences of African American males by understanding and acknowledging how racial identity development may impact academic achievement. A focus on CRT in education emphasizes the continual persistence of racism ingrained in K-12 education located within the educational opportunities, curriculum, representation, and teacher perception of African American males. We offer insight into how school counselors may work to decrease barriers to achievement by analyzing the effect race and gender have on the identification, retention, and underachievement of their African American male students…. [Direct]
(2024). The Underrepresentation of African American Males in High School Accelerated Mathematics Classes. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Northeastern University. This study presents the lived experiences of eight African American male recent high school graduates in their mathematics classes. These young men are currently attending various colleges across the United States in pursuit of obtaining a college degree. A few of the young African American men who were interviewed faced challenges during their high school mathematics classes but managed to overcome them and achieve success. Others exhibited confidence and achieved the expected outcome of success. This qualitative study investigated the reasons for the triumph of those who struggled as well as highlighted the achievement of those who expected excellence. The qualitative research methodology employed was qualitative and involved conducting interviews with young African American men who were recruited from fraternities. This study used Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the framework for understanding the need for additional research. Critical Race Theory was used to establish interest in… [Direct]
(2024). Race Matters: A Family-Educator Antiracist Curriculum Collaboration. Peabody Journal of Education, v99 n1 p89-108. Systemic institutional racism in schools engenders different and difficult educational experiences for students of Color. Relatedly, there is an enduring divide between home and school that often influences school curricula, teachers' pedagogies, and students' educational progress. Considering this preclusion to learning, this case study gleans insight from a K-5 urban elementary school that partnered families and educators in an antiracist curriculum collaboration. Utilizing tenets of critical race theory and community cultural wealth, three salient themes emerged: (1) centering family voices and experiences, (2) calling for more antiracist practices and curricula, and (3) moving beyond the racist/not racist binary. We conclude with recommendations for schools engaging in antiracist work with family members…. [Direct]
(2018). A Space for Survivance: Locating Kanaka Maoli through the Resonance and Dissonance of Critical Race Theory. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v21 n6 p739-756. In this article, I map a new theoretical space for Kanaka Maoli, the autochthonous people of Hawai?i, within the landscape of critical race theory (CRT). To engage the ways that Kanaka Maoli have been identified as people of color, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Indigenous people, I review literature on CRT, Asian critical race theory, and Tribal critical race theory, revealing that these areas of CRT are at once resonant and dissonant with Kanaka Maoli sensibilities and experiences. Working through this resonance and dissonance, I weave together relevant concepts from extant strands of CRT with Kanaka Maoli knowledge and interests in the offering of new tenets toward a Kanaka Maoli critical decolonizing framework (KanakaCrit)…. [Direct]
(2024). QuantQueer: Renovating Quantitative Methods through Queer and Critical Theoretical Traditions. Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, v60 n1 p5-18. Quantitative methods have a long historical entanglement with oppressive ideologies, including eugenics, white supremacism, and anti-LGBTQ+ ideology. Increasingly, scholars have made attempts at rectifying quantitative methods by bringing them into conversation with critical theoretical frameworks. One such example is QuantCrit, which attempts to engage quantitative methods through Critical Race Theory. The present paper attempts to extend that vital work by engaging queer theory in quantitative methods. Several key ideas are proposed for quantitative methodologists and educational researchers to think with queer theory in quantitative research. Each idea is explored with an eye toward queer theoretical frameworks while continuously engaging QuantCrit. Finally, implications for producers and users of research are offered…. [Direct]
(2024). Reality and Rationalization: Insights on Rural Teachers' Efforts to Build Racial Literacy. Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, v60 n2 p216-233. Racism remains endemic and pervasive throughout the United States, its institutions, structures, and systems. And yet, efforts to build racial literacy have been widely absent in K-12 educational institutions. Research exploring the racial pedagogical decision making of teachers is essential for disrupting systemic educational inequalities brought on by white supremacy. Drawing on scholarship focused on racial literacy, critical race theory, and rural education, this study explored the racial literacy and racialized teaching of ten rural social studies teachers. Findings illustrate that teachers embodied racial literacy in two ways: rooted in reality and as rationalization. This research also reveals the tensions, affordances, challenges, and opportunities of teaching for racial literacy teaching in rural classrooms…. [Direct]
(2024). FilmCrit: Using Cinematic Critical Race Counterstorytelling as Critical Race Feminista Methodology. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v37 n5 p1349-1363. This paper provides an overview of a Critical Race Feminista praxis-oriented methodological framework in development called FilmCrit, and a critical race method expanded into filmic form called Cinematic Critical Race Counterstorytelling. Critical Race Feminisita Praxis informs this work by drawing on a Critical Race Theory in Education framework and Chicana Feminist theories and epistemologies. In discussing two FilmCrit studies, a qualitative documentary study, No Somos Famosos (We Are Not Famous), and my dissertation study, From the Classroom to the Screen: Experiences of Women of Color MFA Film Students, I detail the theoretical, methodological, and analytical development, as well as the scholarly significance, of FilmCrit and (auto)biographical and composite Cinematic Critical Race Counterstorytelling…. [Direct]