(2014). Factors That Promote the Academic Success of African American Male Students in High School Math. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Walden University. Low performance of African American male students in high school math is an ongoing concern of Maryland's public schools. Because disproportionately large numbers of African American male students enroll in Algebra 2 in Grade 11, the use of early academic counseling to promote enrollment in Algebra 2 in Grade 9 and to increase self-regulation may foster success in college-level math. Informed by Ladson-Billing and Tate's critical race theory, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of early academic counseling on freshman college math placement and the relationship between self-regulation and placement in credit or noncredit courses. A convenience sample of African American male graduates who enrolled in a Maryland community college were asked to complete the Online Motivation Questionnaire. Using a quasi-experimental research design, one group of participants included 18 African American male high school graduates who took Algebra 2 in Grade 9 and the comparison group… [Direct]
(2010). How White Teachers Experience and Think about Race in Professional Development. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles. The public educational system in the United States fails to proficiently educate a majority of African American, Latino/a, and students from low-income backgrounds. Test score statistics show an average scaled score gap of twenty-six points between African American and White students (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007). The term "achievement gap" and the use of test data indicators of student performance, however locates the problem in students and with student group underperformance rather than in school system factors that contribute to educational inequity. Critical race theory scholars in education effectively argue that the discrepancies between groups in the educational system reflect the imprint of societal race, racism, and power insidiously operating in schools (Howard, 2008; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). A research agenda to examine racism, class-ism and race in education has been introduced as necessary to catalyze a radical shift toward… [Direct]
(2023). Learning to Disengage? Examining Connections between Racial Disparities in School Discipline and Civic Engagement Later in Life. Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness Background: Public schools are among the first civic institution with which many individuals have prolonged, meaningful social interaction. Lessons about the authority, power, and fairness of civic institutions, conveyed through disciplinary and social control practices, may be part of the "hidden curriculum," that teaches students about racially inequitable unspoken norms, beliefs, and values held by society. We summarize three pathways by which the discipline gap in schools may contribute to civic disempowerment. First, and most directly, schools are key providers of civic education. They provide students with knowledge and skills on topics like politics, history, government, and current events (1,2). Students who are excessively removed from the classroom because of exclusionary discipline are more likely to miss out on this education. Second, schools shape students' attitudes about civic engagement. Schools influence students' concern for the common good, their… [Direct]
(2008). "Coming Home" to New Homes and New Schools: Critical Race Theory and the New Politics of Containment. Journal of Education Policy, v23 n2 p135-152 Mar. Older cities in the United States have long been trying to "bring back" the middle class in order to increase tax base. The poor quality of schools and the presence of public housing often were cited as deterrents for attracting higher income families. When the 2000 Census data revealed improvements in many cities, some elected officials and scholars attributed the turnaround to policies such as those aimed at transforming public housing and urban schools. In this article the authors examine these strategies as they have played out in a Chicago community to illustrate how these policies also facilitate the displacement and containment of poor people of color. Utilizing critical race theory, they argue that race continues to guide both education and public housing policy in historically segregated places like Chicago, and that racism is masked by class claims that allow the interests of middle class to trump educational opportunities for poor. (Contains 2 tables, 2 figures,… [Direct]
(2013). Undocumented Students, Institutional Allies, and Transformative Resistance: An Institutional Case Study. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles. This study focuses on the capacity of colleges and universities to minimize educational inequalities experienced by undocumented students. It analyzes the role of student activism in prompting institutional accountability and successful practices used by institutional allies, such as faculty and administrators, in order to create a model for improving undocumented student success. My research and writing is centered in critical pedagogy, critical race theory, and feminist frameworks. These theoretical perspectives provide the lens to analyze interviewees' understanding of educational disparities and their sense of agency to maintain and/or resist existing institutional structures. This lens offers a framework to analyze the disenfranchised educational experiences of undocumented students and to examine their counter narratives within the larger social, economic, historical, and political contexts to understand external factors that shape discriminatory institutional practices…. [Direct]
(2013). Building a Transfer-Receptive Culture at Four-Year Institutions. New Directions for Higher Education, n162 p51-59 Sum. This chapter reviews a four-year university's role in developing and implementing a transfer-receptive culture. In particular, it focuses on the first element of a transfer-receptive culture by highlighting a series of visits by the chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles, to community colleges within California. Strengthening a four-year university's commitment to transfer can be a monumental undertaking that requires support and collaboration across the campus. While trying to develop this culture, it is important to remember that all five elements of building a transfer-receptive culture should be present and harmonious (Jain et al., 2011). The five elements of a transfer-receptive culture are built on the foundation of critical race theory, which allows institutions and educators to center race and racism when considering the experiences of nontraditional, first-generation, low-income, and/or under-represented students who make the transition from the community… [Direct]
(2016). Narrative Study of Vietnamese American Male Students: Equity, Access, and Retention on the Campus of San Francisco State University. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Drexel University. Critical race theory applies to all ethnic groups and creates a social hierarchy. Asian Americans are an extremely diverse group of the American population comprising over 40 various sub groups. The Vietnamese American sub group population, which has grown in numbers since the 1970s, has still been met with the stereotype of the "model minority." The purpose of this study was to use the narrative experience of recent Vietnamese American male San Francisco State University alumni to examine how the underserved population is able to gain equity, access, and retention. Using the narrative voices of six men from the Vietnamese American population on topics of equity, access, and retention rates will give insight into the path many Vietnamese American males must navigate within higher education system. The reflective voices and stories of recent male alumni of San Francisco State University who self-identified as Vietnamese Americans will allow enrollment management… [Direct]
(2012). ESL Teachers' Perceptions of the Process for Identifying Adolescent Latino English Language Learners with Specific Learning Disabilities. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Virginia Commonwealth University. This dissertation examines the question "how do ESL teachers perceive the prereferral process for identifying adolescent Latino English language learners with specific learning disabilities?" The study fits within the Latino Critical Race Theory framework and employs an interpretive phenomenological qualitative research approach. Participants were six secondary-level ESL teachers from two school districts with small ELL populations. Data consisted of in-depth interviews, researcher notes, and analytical memos. Phenomenological data analysis procedures followed recommendations by Colaizzi (1978) and Smith, Flowers, and Larkin (2009). Data validity measures included second-researcher review and member-checking. Results of the study are presented as descriptions of how participants perceived the prereferral processes for identifying adolescent Latino English language learners with suspected specific learning disabilities. Nine categories emerged from the interviews: (a)… [Direct]
(2012). Blinded by the White: Foregrounding Race in a Language and Literacy Course for Preservice Teachers. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of South Carolina. While the teaching population in the U.S. is predominantly (84%) White (National Council of Education Statistics, 2010), students of Color will comprise 41% of the total school population by the year 2020, with 67% in urban areas (NCES, 2010). Studies show that children of Color are regularly disenfranchised through inequitable instructional, curricular, and assessment school practices (Ladson-Billings, 2009). Achievement statistics also show that schools fail to serve African American students more than any other group (Gay, 2010). Colleges of education must take action. Addressing this problem, this study used qualitative methods to explore what happened when critical race theory conceptually guided a literacy methods course for preservice teachers. Findings indicate that while preservice teachers gained many insights about issues of race and racism, there were considerable tensions and challenges, such as White Talk (McIntyre, 1997), colorblind dispositions, and deflection… [Direct]
(2012). Success Factors Identified by Academically Successful African-American Students of Poverty. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Liberty University. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore why some low-income minority students were academically successful in school using a three-tiered approach to research including individual student interviews, classroom observations, and photographs and follow up interviews on photographs to identify factors contributing to academic success. Twenty-five students in grades 3-8 meeting the criteria of African-American, low SES, and high achieving were selected and interviewed to identify factors contributing to their academic success as measured by Northwest Evaluation Association's Measures of Academic Progress testing. The study participant responses were compared and discussed through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), however, the data did not support the tenets of CRT as there was little discussion of race or racism during the study. Through the three-tier process themes were developed supporting academic success. Themes included positive feelings about school,… [Direct]
(2012). Success Factors of Black Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Faculty at Predominantly White Institutions. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Mercer University. Black faculty at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) have historically been underrepresented and made to endure with academic isolation, scholarship marginalization and other challenges to the tenure process. When it comes to science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM, as it relates to race and success, little is known of how tenured Black STEM faculty have developed an interest in STEM, navigated the unfamiliar waters of academia and maintained longevity at their respective postsecondary institutions. The purpose of this study is to look at the similar experiences of this population and provide insight regarding any factors and or influences that have impacted their success. Grounded in critical race theory (CRT), this qualitative study will utilize a Delphi technique to determine the similar experiences and influences of 17 Black STEM, tenured (and tenure-track) faculty working at PWIs in a Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states. The study… [Direct]
(2012). Teachers, Please Learn Our Names!: Racial Microagressions and the K-12 Classroom. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v15 n4 p441-462. Many Students of Color have encountered cultural disrespect within their K-12 education in regards to their names. While the racial undertones to the mispronouncing of names in schools are often understated, when analyzed within a context of historical and current day racism, the authors argue that these incidents are racial microagressions–subtle daily insults that, as a form of racism, support a racial and cultural hierarchy of minority inferiority. Furthermore, enduring these subtle experiences with racism can have a lasting impact on the self-perceptions and worldviews of a child. Using a Critical Race Theory (CRT) framework and qualitative data, this study was designed to explore the racial microaggressions and internalized racial microaggressions of Students of Color in K-12 settings in regards to their names. Black, Latina/o Asian American, Pacific Islander and mixed race participants were solicited through various education electronic mail lists, and data was collected… [Direct]
(2007). Interrogating Classroom Relationships and Events: Using Portraiture and Critical Race Theory in Education Research. Educational Researcher, v36 n3 p156-162. This article explores the use of the methodology of portraiture and the analytic framework of critical race theory (CRT) to evaluate success and failure in urban classrooms. Portraiture and CRT share a number of features that make the two a viable pair for conducting research in urban schools. In combination, portraiture and CRT allow researchers to evoke the personal, the professional, and the political to illuminate issues of race, class, and gender in education research and to create possibilities for urban school reform as social action. (Contains 3 notes.)… [Direct]
(2011). In the Space between the Rock and the Hard Place: State Teacher Certification Guidelines and Music Education for Social Justice. Journal of Aesthetic Education, v45 n4 p79-96 Win. This paper looks at the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Guidelines for Music Teacher Education, a governmentally defined technology of accountability for preservice teacher education. In this investigation, the author draws upon Jean-Francois Lyotard's analysis of "differends" to frame the conflict between the state-authorized technologies for accountability (DPI Guidelines) and discourses of education supporting ideals of social justice. Drawing from Lyotard's arguments, the author posits that the language of the guidelines constitutes a unique "phrase universe" that defines what (and thus whose) knowledge students need to enter the classroom as state-certified music teachers. This particular phrase universe contributes to ongoing exclusionary practices within music education. The DPI guidelines are drawn from the Eurocentric phrase universe of aesthetic education, a phrase universe that locates "music" as an object for… [Direct]
(2011). Shaping Perceptions: Integrating Community Cultural Wealth Theory into Teacher Education. Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education, v3 p81-96 Fall. Teacher candidates need to be prepared to work effectively with rising numbers of diverse student populations, and yet classroom interventions do not always impact perceptions and attitudes in the field. This study explored the initial steps of integrating Critical Race Theory and community cultural wealth (CCW) theory (Yosso, 2005, 2006) into the teacher education curriculum. The study asked if the candidates applied their knowledge of CCW in reflecting on their face-to-face interactions as hosts for Native American students in a diversity workshop. It further asked which types of (CCW) capital the candidates identified most frequently as they reflected on their experiences with Native American students. Results indicated that candidates can identify CCW in the field, with some types of capital more frequently identified than others. Because the potential exists for knowledge to shape perceptions (Kolb, 1984), the study concludes that CCW could be a valuable addition in teacher… [PDF]