(2013). Representin' and Disrespectin': African-American Wind Band Students' Meanings of a Composition-Based Secondary Music Curriculum and Classroom Power Structures. Music Education Research, v15 n2 p135-150. Although cultural diversity is important to the social context of classrooms, few researchers have explored school music experiences from the perspective of students of colour. Possibly of greater concern is the absence of research examining African-American students' educational experiences in early secondary education, during which time the attrition rates of non-White music students increases. This qualitative case study utilised critical theory and critical race theory to explore the power structures between music teachers employing improvisation and composition in a wind band classroom and African-American music students at the middle level. Data collection included daily classroom observations, weekly narrative writing, student musical compositions and open-ended interviews over an eight-month period. Findings inform our understanding of the nested contexts of the wind band classroom and the larger school community as well as the intersections between race, music classroom… [Direct]
(2009). Critical Race Theory and Research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education. New Directions for Institutional Research, n142 p57-68 Sum. In this article, the authors offer critical race theory (CRT) as an alternative theoretical perspective that permits the examination and transcendence of conceptual blockages, while simultaneously offering alternative perspectives on higher education policy and practice and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) student population. The authors do so through a reflection of some findings from their project, their experiences as current and past members of the Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE) research team at New York University, and their broader interests as scholars who seek to challenge racial inequality in higher education. Here, the authors focus on issues related to college access and admissions, the AAPI college student experience, and AAPI administrators and higher education leadership. The authors examine each of these issues through the lens of CRT, which they assert is an effective tool for critically examining the… [Direct]
(2011). When Parties become Racialized: Deconstructing Racially Themed Parties. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, v48 n1 p5-21. Racially themed parties are all-too-common occurrences on college campuses. Using critical race theory as a lens, this article provides a contemporary overview of these events and deconstructs these incidents as examples of overt forms of racism often emanating from subtle, everyday occurrences of covert racism or racial microaggressions. Implications for future empirical research and professional practice are provided in hopes of better responding to and prevention of racially themed parties. (Contains 1 table.)… [Direct]
(2022). Ordinary Brilliance: Understanding Black Children's Conceptions of Smartness and How Teachers Communicate Smartness through Their Practice. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Michigan. This dissertation is an effort to better understand Black children's conceptions of smartness and the ways that teachers communicate smartness through their practice. Here, I reimagine smartness as a verb rather than a noun–that is, smartness is about what one does that is smart. I develop a conceptual framework that attends to race, mathematics, and teacher practice that disrupts a traditional, white supremacist, and antiBlack mathematics education. Key elements of my conceptual frame incorporate tenets of critical race theory (Ladson-Billings, 1999) to attend to race. I drew on the mathematical task framework (Stein, Grover, Henningson, 1996) to appraise and analyze the mathematics problems used in the class, and the concept of normative identity (Cobb, Gresalfi, & Hodge, 2009) was a key analytic tool in identifying the obligations and messages communicated by the teacher. I used my conceptual framework to conduct a multi-case study that explores the conceptions of smartness… [Direct]
(2018). A Phenomenological Study on Hispanic School Superintendents' Perceptions about the Impact of a Common Language and Lived Cultural Experience in Educating Hispanic English Language Learners. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University – Commerce. In this qualitative study, the researcher used a phenomenological design to better understand Hispanic superintendents' perceptions of how or if their personal childhood experiences influenced their current leadership stance in educating Hispanic English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in their respective school districts. She examined the relationship between the participants' language, culture, and socio-economic status and their predilection of programs used to educate the Hispanic ELLs in their respective school districts using Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) to answer the overarching study question: How do linguistic, cultural, and socio-economic factors of Hispanic superintendents' lived experience contribute to their predilection of formal programming and approaches (e.g., bilingual education, dual language, sheltered instruction, mainstream classes, etc.) for Hispanic ELLs? Secondary or sub-questions focused specifically on the linguistic and cultural aspects of the… [Direct]
(2012). Beyond the Culture of Exclusion: Using Critical Race Theory to Examine the Perceptions of British "Minority Ethnic" and Eastern European "Immigrant" Young People in English Schools. Intercultural Education, v23 n6 p501-511. In England there are minority ethnic students with past family connections to the former British Empire, as well as recent Eastern European students, economic migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. One may wish to ask, do newly emerging racial identities conceptualise race and race relations in similar ways to existing minority ethnic communities? This paper is based on ongoing research examining the perceptions and experiences of British "minority ethnic" and more recently migrated Eastern European "immigrant" youth. Findings from a qualitative study conducted in two Buckinghamshire secondary schools examine everyday experiences, perceptions, practices, and barriers that validate stereotypes of 30 young people (ages 12-16). The primary aims in this paper are: (1) to illustrate some articulations of both inclusion and exclusion within the English educational system, particularly in relation to the recent comparative and temporal dimensions of migration and (2) to… [Direct]
(2018). Redefining Black Students' Success and High Achievement in Mathematics Education: Toward a Liberatory Paradigm. Journal of Urban Mathematics Education, v11 n1-2 p69-77 Dec. Julius Davis is an associate professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development in the College of Education at Bowie State University. His research and scholarly interest focus is on Black male students and teachers, critical race theory, culturally relevant pedagogy, and social justice in mathematics education. Davis opens this article with a poem in which M.K. Asante speaks of two sets of notes. Davis writes that the poem eloquently captures the dichotomy of the racial reality Black students face inside and outside of mathematics spaces. Though mathematics is typically considered completely objective, race-neutral, and culture-free, Black students often learn in White institutional space. White teachers dominate the field of mathematics, another signifier of a White institutional space. In addition to being taught by White teachers, Black students learn that White men created mathematics, and the purpose for learning mathematics is to get a high-paying… [PDF]
(2023). Brain-Waste among Highly-Skilled MeXpatriates: The Underemployment Experiences of Tertiary-Educated Mexicans in the United States. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Arizona. This study acknowledges the potential contribution of Mexican highly-skilled immigrants settled in the United States. Then, to better understand how the brain waste phenomenon (unemployment/underemployment) functions among these immigrants in the United States, by using the lens of neo-racism, Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), and Bourdieu's Reconnaissance of Capitals, this qualitative study analyzed tertiary-educated Mexican immigrants (MeXpatriates) ¥ lived-experiences in securing and maintaining employment in the United States, as well as the meaning that these actors make of these experiences. Through Hermeneutic (Interpretive) Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study captures the lived-experiences of 21 MeXpatriates residing in the Arizona, U.S. — Sonora, Mexico border region, collected via in-depth, open-ended interviews and analyzed using Atlas-Ti software. The study finds that tertiary-educated MeXpatriates do not necessarily arrive in the United States with a… [Direct]
(2018). Critical Case Studies of District-Level Equity Leaders in Public Schools. ProQuest LLC, D.E. Dissertation, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A collection of three case studies on District-level Equity Leaders (DELs), this study aims to fill the current void in the research on DELs and equity work at the district level in public schools, using a Critical Race Theory (CRT) lens. The study's primary focus is to document the lived experiences of individuals in this work and how they understand and fulfill their roles – especially in the context of current educational, social, and political spheres. This includes 1) how they define their positions and implement their vision for their positions, 2) how they respond to barriers and/or setbacks they encounter, 3) how their experiences are similar or different across districts, and 4) how the CRT tenets most commonly found in education — permanence of racism, interest convergence, Whiteness as property, counternarratives versus majoritarian narratives, critique of liberalism, and intersectionality (Capper, 2015) — manifest in and/or impact district level equity leadership roles…. [Direct]
(2016). Successful African American Women School Leaders in Florida. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Capella University. The focus of this basic qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of Floridian African American women in secondary educational leadership positions. Using critical race theory and Black feminist standpoint theory as a theoretical framework, this narrative analysis serves to increase the understanding of leadership styles among a specific region of African American school administrators. Adding this literature strengthens the phenomenon when obtaining and retaining a leadership position in the field of education. The following research questions were used to guide this study: (a) How do African American women describe their journey during their paths to successful educational leadership positions? (b) How did the selected women school leaders develop and frame their current leadership style? and (c) How do the selected women school leaders describe the challenges experienced during the career path of their current positions? Through a semistructured interview process,… [Direct]
(2016). Capital Gatekeeping or Community Advocacy: A Qualitative Study of Diversity College Admission Professionals' Perspectives of College Access in a Local Urban Context. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. Race/ethnicity plays an important role in college access for urban students of color. This study explores how race/ethnicity influences college admission policies and practices, which, in turn, impacts college access. The main research question is how institutions of higher education, specifically diversity college admission professionals (DCAPs), play a crucial role in college access for local underrepresented students of color in a northeast local city school district. Using a descriptive study design, I utilize cultural capital theory and critical race theory in a combined theoretical framework to analyze the DCAPs' narratives. The present study is a qualitative look at DCAPs' perspectives of the interplay between sociocultural context, cultural capital, and institutional race-conscious admissions policies that impacts college access. Findings show that DCAPs are an authority on college access and have a unique perspective on local diversity recruitment and college access… [Direct]
(2016). The Effects of Racial Experiences on Former Ugandan Students in U.S. Universities: A Phenomenological Study. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of St. Thomas (Minnesota). The purpose of this study was to explore the racial experiences Ugandan students encountered in U.S. universities and the effects on those students when they returned to Uganda after completing their studies. In order to gather data relevant to this study, I interviewed six Ugandan women and six Ugandan men, and I employed a qualitative design and a phenomenological approach. I derived three themes from the students' racial experiences; namely, on-campus experiences, off-campus experiences, and the university as a racial buffer zone. Also, from the effects of the racial experiences, I derived three themes: openness to race and appreciation of racial diversity, the awareness of being a people of color and pride in Black heritage, and change of worldview. To shed light on the findings, I used six theoretical lenses: acculturation model (Jandt, 2004), assimilation model (Park & Burgess, 1921/1969), critical race theory (D. Bell, 1995), racial microaggressions theory (Sue et al.,… [Direct]
(2010). A Critical Race Theory Analysis of the Disproportionate Representation of Blacks and Males Participating in Florida's Special Education Programs. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Florida Atlantic University. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 has made a profound impact on millions of children with disabilities who now enjoy their right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). It is the goal of national policy, endorsed by Congress, to ensure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities. With the enactment of IDEA, it ensures that all children, who participate in special education programs, have equal access to education. However, since IDEA's inception, a disproportionate number of African Americans children have been placed, or rather, misplaced in special education programs. African American students are three times more likely than Whites to be placed into categories as needing services in special education programs, making them subject to less demanding schoolwork, to more restrictive classrooms, and to isolation from their peers. For the purpose of this study,… [Direct]
(2012). Institutional Racist Melancholia: A Structural Understanding of Grief and Power in Schooling. Harvard Educational Review, v82 n1 p52-77 Spr. In this article, Sabina Vaught undertakes the theoretical and analytical project of conceptually integrating "Whiteness as property", a key structural framework of Critical Race Theory (CRT), and "melancholia", a framework originally emerging from psychoanalysis. Specifically, Vaught engages "Whiteness as property" as an analytic tool to examine data from a larger ethnographic study of juvenile prison and schooling. She suggests that the psychoanalytic framework of melancholia enriches and complicates this analysis and proposes a theoretical move toward understanding structural affective processes in the scholarly effort to map schooling, race, and power. Throughout, Vaught illustrates the significance and utility of such an approach through multifaceted data-driven analyses. (Contains 3 notes.)… [Direct]
(2021). White Urban Special Educators: Making Sense of Culturally Relevant Teaching. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Illinois at Chicago. The consistency of a predominantly White special education teaching workforce in urban classrooms and the significant increase in the enrollment of culturally diverse students have fueled concerns about equity and access in special education (Artiles et al., 2010; Zion & Blanchett, 2017). Scholars advocate that all teachers need to understand culturally relevant teaching practices to promote student learning and to facilitate positive post-school outcomes (Gay, 2010/2018; Ladson-Billings, 1994/1995a/1995b). Many argue that utilizing culturally relevant teaching practices can help provide more equitable learning experiences to many Black and Brown students in urban schools (Gay, 2010; Grant & Sleeter, 2011; Ladson-Billings, 2009; Milner, 2010). However, little empirical literature exists regarding how White special educators perceive culturally relevant teaching and utilize it in urban classrooms (Banks & Banks, 2012; Blanchett, 2006; Blanchett et al., 2009; Gay, 2002;… [Direct]