(2005). A Challenge to Traditional Theory: Critical Race Theory, African-American Community Organizers, and Education. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, v26 n1 p95-108 Mar. The following article, through the tenets of critical race theory, seeks to investigate the relationship between theory and practice in school-community relationships. By investigating the views, values, and perceptions of three African-American community organizers in Chicago, Illinois, the following account offers a \challenge\ to traditional theoretical constructs in addressing the needs of students of color in urban schools. The work of community organizers in schools highlights the necessity of viable relationships between schools and communities in the execution of viable approaches to critically analyze the world of young people while developing practical approaches to address their realities. In an attempt to challenge hegemony in public education the author offers critical race theory as a feasible construct in praxis development…. [Direct]
(2013). What Is Taking Place in Science Classrooms?: A Case Study Analysis of Teaching and Learning in Seventh-Grade Science of One Alabama School and Its Impact on African American Student Learning. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Kansas State University. This qualitative case study investigated the teaching strategies that improve science learning of African American students. This research study further sought the extent the identified teaching strategies that are used to improve African American science learning reflect culturally responsive teaching. Best teaching strategies and culturally responsive teaching have been researched, but there has been minimal research on the impact that both have on science learning, with an emphasis on the African American population. Consequently, the Black-White achievement gap in science persists. The findings revealed the following teaching strategies have a positive impact on African American science learning: (a) lecture-discussion, (b) notetaking, (c) reading strategies, (d) graphic organizers, (e) hands-on activities, (f) laboratory experiences, and (g) cooperative learning. Culturally responsive teaching strategies were evident in the seventh-grade science classrooms observed. Seven themes… [Direct]
(2004). Practical Considerations of Critical Race Theory and Latino Critical Theory for Latino College Students. New Directions for Student Services, n105 p41-50. Critical race theory requires the examination of institutional policies, programs, and practices that interfere with Latino students' rights and abilities to receive the best educational opportunities available within higher education. With attention to an ethic of caring and social justice, student services staff can work to undo the effects of racism on campus…. [Direct]
(2010). Unmasking Whiteness: A Framework for Understanding Inclusive Leadership at a Predominately White Institution. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Denver. This study explored the personal journey of 11 White college administrators who were identified as inclusive leaders at a predominately White institution (PWI), recognized nationally for its work on partnering diversity and excellence. One overall question guided this study: How do White college administrators describe their journey to becoming successful inclusive leaders at a predominately White institution? This question was explored from the perspective of critical race theory (CRT), that is, inclusive leadership for White administrators could be achieved by intentionally examining their construction of Whiteness and their personal racial identity. Narrative inquiry was used to co-construct a developmental framework on inclusive leadership based on three face-to-face interviews and two group interviews; 7 participants identified as female, 4 as male; 6 were senior-level administrators, and 5 were middle-level administrators. Findings were represented through narrative and… [Direct]
(2001). From Racial Stereotyping and Deficit Discourse toward a Critical Race Theory in Teacher Education. Multicultural Education, v9 n1 p2-8 Fall. Examines connections between critical race theory (CRT) and its application to the concepts of race, racial bias, and racial stereotyping in teacher education. Defines CRT, then discusses racism and stereotyping, racial stereotypes in the media, and racial stereotypes in professional environments, noting the effects on minority students. Presents four exercises to better understand and challenge racism and stereotyping in education. (SM)…
(2011). Chicanas/os and Latinas/os Crossing Institutional Fronteras: Critical Race Counterstories along the College Transfer Pipeline at a Sacramento Valley Community College. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of California, Davis. Chicanos and Latinos constitute the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States, with the California public school system reporting a definitive majority (50.4%) of Raza students in 2010, and California community colleges (CCCs) approaching record one-third Chicano/Latino enrollments in the last five years. Since CCCs are the entry point to postsecondary education for most Chicano/Latinos in pursuit of a baccalaureate degree, the dismal transfer rates of this community to the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) systems warrant: (1) investigation into the "fronteras" (borders) imposed by institutions that block social equity and access to participation in public postsecondary education; and (2) examination of the attributes possessed by Chicano/Latinos which enable them to persist in the community college and successfully transfer to the four-year segments. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latina/o Critical Theory (LatCrit)… [Direct]
(2011). The Role of Leadership in Native American Student Persistence and Graduation: A Case Study of One Tribal College. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Mercer University. Literature verifies that Native American students are not graduating at a comparable rate as students from other ethnic groups. Furthermore, studies that focus solely on the persistence and completion rates for Native American students are fewer than for students who identify with other racial/ethnic groups. This research explored the inner workings of a single tribal college that has experienced successful retention and graduation rates to determine how various levels of leadership interact with students to encourage academic pursuits and degree completion at that institution. The framework for this study was based on two theories: Tribal Critical Race Theory and Family Education Model. Using a case study approach, the research was conducted at an institution in a southwestern state. Data collection consisted of interviews with executive, administrative, and student leaders as well as matriculating students; document analysis; and observations. The three research questions were… [Direct]
(2012). Proving Them Wrong: Academically Resilient First-Generation Latinas in College. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey – New Brunswick. This study examined the educational trajectories of academically resilient first-generation Latinas in college. More specifically, the study focused on the factors that led them to become academically successful. The researcher of this study conducted a narrative inquiry analysis of the K-16 educational trajectories of five academically resilient college students, which served as counter-educational system. The study was guided by the following research questions: (1) What experiences contribute to the development of academic resiliency in first-generation Latinas? (2) What factors do academically resilient first-generation Latinas attribute their educational success? (3) What do the experiences that contributed to the academic resiliency of first-generation Latinas suggest for educational practice and policy? The data collection tactics applied in this qualitative analysis were: written autobiographical narratives of each of the five participants' educational trajectories,… [Direct]
(2012). The Experience of Achievement Academy Students: What Their Experience Can Tell Us about Success. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Arizona State University. The purpose of this study was to answer the question, "What are the experiences of students who have completed the Achievement Academy program?" In collecting data to answer this question, a series of clarifying questions also emerged: "What are the cultural, academic, and personal costs and benefits associated with being a part of Achievement Academy?"; "How have students defined or redefined their cultural, social, academic, and personal identities because of Achievement Academy?"; and "In what ways have the students used their surroundings and experiences to overcome preconceived notions of either what they were capable of or general expectations of those around them?" While there have been studies undertaken to examine students' experiences in both public school and private school academic programs, there is currently no research on the unique academic program and partnership of Achievement Academy with both public and private schools…. [Direct]
(2008). Contextualizing Race: African American College Choice in an Evolving Affirmative Action Era. Journal of Negro Education, v77 n1 p15-26 Win. Using a critical race theory framework, this study examines the ways in which race and racialized ideologies are manifested in high-stakes college admissions, the debate over affirmative action, and the college choice behavior of Black high school students. This study allows for the voices of Black high school students in California to describe their lived experiences with Proposition 209, suggesting a deeper meaning to affirmative action than simply the ways in which it affected institutional practices related to admissions decisions. The results indicate that, following the end of affirmative action in California, Black students had altered perceptions of where they were welcome and where they belonged in higher education. The results of this study can help colleges and universities to create, maintain, or improve a positive and welcoming climate for students of color in the wake of such policy changes…. [Direct]
(2008). Desegregation and Multicultural Education: Teachers Embracing and Manipulating Reforms. Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v40 n1 p42-63 Mar. The purpose of this paper is to examine the remnants of desegregation curricular reforms in a small urban district. This study documents the affects of various policies that were implemented to create equity and equality in urban, multi-racial and socio-economically diverse classrooms. These reforms were created due to a court desegregation order that demanded the district take multiple steps to raise the academic achievement levels of students of color in the district. Using the lens of Critical Race Theory to examine issues of interest-convergence and the effects of court-ordered desegregation initiatives, the researcher documents how teachers have come to terms with two major curricular changes that work in conjunction with other curricular reforms. Research that considers the affects of large-scale policy initiatives on classroom practices is necessary to further current conversations on successful reform implementation…. [Direct]
(2013). Race Talk and School Equity in Local Print Media: The Discursive Flexibility of Whiteness and the Promise of Race-Conscious Talk. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, v34 n4 p510-530. This article examines how a progressive, rural/small city community in the USA wrestles with race, racism, and school equity in the public arena of print media. It inquires into the tensions, limitations, and possibilities for race-conscious discourse in the face of both explicit racist hate speech and benevolent liberal race talk. Based on ethnographic and cultural discourse analyses of local print media, this article draws from critical race and whiteness theories to examine how racist hate speech, occurring in a non-education context of a police-related tragedy, and benevolent liberal race talk on school equity issues mutually reinforce the logic of white racial dominance. It also locates the possibilities of race-conscious talk as generative speech that demands a response…. [Direct]
(2010). Other People's Daughters: Critical Race Feminism and Black Girls' Education. Educational Foundations, v24 n1-2 p11-24 Win-Spr. In her 1995 article, \Sapphire Bound!\, legal scholar Regina Austin calls for minority female scholars in the legal field to straightforwardly, unapologetically, and strategically use their intellectual pursuits to advocate on behalf of poor and working class minority women. Even though Austin is arguing from the perspective of a woman of color, with experience and interest in the legal field, her comments are also relevant to conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical efforts in the field of education. In this article, the authors focus on Austin's (1995) personal and professional insights for its implications and relevancy to urban girls, in particular, African American girls being schooled in urban school communities. They call for educational research, theorizing, and practice by women and scholars of color who are adamant about improving the academic outcomes and schooling experiences of Black girls. They look at critical race feminism in particular as a useful… [PDF] [Direct]
(2004). These Deadly Times: Reconceptualizing School Violence by Using Critical Race Theory and Disability Studies. American Educational Research Journal, v41 n2 p271-299 Sum. Most pragmatic responses to school violence seek to assign individual blame and to instill individual responsibility in students. The authors of this article argue that school violence is the result of the structural violence of oppressive social conditions that force students (especially low-income, male African American and Latino students) to feel vulnerable, angry, and resistant to the normative expectations of prison-like school environments. From the vantage point of the intersection of critical race theory and materialist disability studies, the authors examine the impact of social, political, economic, and institutional structures on the social construction of the \deviant\ student. They raise questions regarding violent \normalizing\ structures and argue for more empowering alternatives. (Contains 1 note.)… [Direct]
(2004). School Leader as Negotiator: Critical Race Theory, Praxis, and the Creation of Productive Space. Multicultural Education, v12 n2 p8-12 Win. In the attempt to gage innovative approaches to school leadership, this article seeks to investigate the possible application of Critical Race Theory (CRT) to school leadership. Expounding on Solorzano and Villalapando's application of CRT (1997), the hope is to engage the field of school leadership with constructive critique and suggestions for administrators who are dedicated to social justice and the well-being of students and staff. This article further seeks to address the question: How can CRT, as theory based in resistance to racial oppression, inform praxis for school leaders? While it is important to incorporate the needs of all students in schools, this article has urban schools in communities of color as its central focus…. [PDF] [Direct]