(2013). James Edward Scott: The Leadership Journey of a Senior-Level African American Student Affairs Officer. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Indiana State University. The purpose of this study was to examine, understand, and describe the life, leadership, and influence of Dr. James Edward Scott on higher education and more specifically student affairs; as one of the most well-known and respected African American male chief student affairs officers in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Using a qualitative research approach as the method of research, this study utilized elements of inquiry to illuminate the experiences of Dr. James Edward Scott. For its biographical components, this study employed a narrative approach to qualitative research methodology to determine the realities that existed within Scott's leadership journey. A narrative approach was also utilized to frame chronologically the experiences and stories presented through the data collection process. In an effort to reveal Scott's leadership journey, this study examined leadership theories, philosophies, and development. Theories and philosophies–such as transformational… [Direct]
(2006). Trouble Don't Set Like Rain: Minority Status and Black Parents' Educational Decisions. Journal of School Public Relations, v27 n4 p397-419 Fall. Using grounded theory methodology combined with the interpretive lens of critical race theory, this study examines perceptions of minority status by 2 Black parents who have opted out of the public education system. Through the conceptual lens of stereotype threat, 2 contrasting examples illustrate how the perception of minority status affects parents' construction of perspectives that guide their educational decision making…. [Direct]
(2012). Latina/o Student Success in Higher Education: Models of Empowerment at Hispanic Serving-Institutions (HSIs), Emerging HSIs, and Non-HSIs. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles. While Latina/o enrollments in higher education are on the rise, more than half of these students enroll at a unique institutional type, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). As Latina/o enrollments in higher education increase, the number of HSIs and emerging HSIs also increases. Knowledge is presently limited on the Latina/o college choice to enroll at these institutional contexts and subsequent educational outcomes. This two-part study sought to address the gaps in research on Latina/os' college choice process and educational outcomes at these institutional types. Data were taken from the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI), Cooperative Institutional Research Program for the 2004 freshman and 2008 senior survey. Critical race theory and community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) in conjunction with the Multi-Contextual Model of Diverse Learning Environments (Hurtado, Alvarez, Guillermo-Wann, Cuellar, & Arellano, 2012) informed the conceptual model guiding this study…. [Direct]
(2004). A Crack in the Door: Critical Race Theory in Practice at a Predominantly White Institution. Teaching Sociology, v32 n4 p345-357 Oct. Midwest Central University has a population of 3,500 students, predominantly working class and 95 percent White. The racial composition of the university suggests, and rightly so, that the students have minimal contact with Asians, Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, Indians, Middle-Easterners, and people of mixed race, even though there is a predominantly black community about two miles from the campus. Given the lack of opportunities for cross-racial interaction among the student body, unless there is some intervention built into the curricula, students can complete their studies at the college with their limited ideological views on race and members of the aforementioned racial groups intact. If we have any hope of attaining a fair and just society, this cycle must be interrupted in the classroom. In this paper, I describe methods that I have used in my teaching and discuss my classroom experiences in an effort to provide some ideas for catalyzing white students to critically examine their… [Direct]
(2009). Educational Rights of Homeless Youth: Exploring Racial Dimensions of Homeless Educational Policy. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Illinois at Chicago. Research that addresses educational rights of unaccompanied homeless youth in grades 9-12 is limited. The McKinney-Vento Act was created to address the many needs of homeless individuals, including children and youth's right to an education. McKinney-Vento was created over twenty-years ago, and this research sought to examine the implementation of this legislation through the experiences of those most affected, homeless students. Further, discussions of homeless educational policy tend to focus on issues of class. This research illuminated racial dimensions of homelessness that often intersect with class. These dynamics were examined through a qualitative approach by conducting: interviews with homeless students, homeless liaisons, and homeless advocates; conducting document analysis of homeless educational policy; and field observations of two Chicago Public High schools enrolling 50 or more homeless students. The theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory and Structural Racism… [Direct]
(2009). Latinas and Latinos Describe Their Pre-Collegiate Experiences: What Helped and Hindered Their Postsecondary Journey. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Colorado State University. The purpose of this case study was to better understand how Latina and Latino students experience their pre-collegiate program and learn whether or not they feel their experience has impacted or will impact their decision to continue their postsecondary pursuit. This case study focused on a single, specific pre-collegiate program. I used the phenomenology approach to explore how pre-collegiate program's social and cultural contributions impact a student's willingness, interest, and ability to pursue postsecondary education. Interviews of students participating in a pre-collegiate program and their families were the primary source of data. Using a Critical Race Theory and Latina/Latino Critical Theory lenses, I examined the social and cultural experiences pre-collegiate Latina/o students encountered in their journey to postsecondary institutions. This research documents that Latina/o students are systematically and consistently excluded from access to the dominant high school… [Direct]
(2009). The Unexamined Whiteness of Teaching: How White Teachers Maintain and Enact Dominant Racial Ideologies. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v12 n2 p197-215 Jul. While much research that explores the role of race in education focuses on children of color, this article explores an aspect of the predominately White teaching force that educates them. This article explores findings from a qualitative study that posed questions about the ways in which White pre-service teachers' life-experiences influenced understandings of race and difference, and how these pre-service teachers negotiated the challenges a critical multicultural education course offered those beliefs. In keeping with the tenet of critical race theory that racism is an inherent and normalized aspect of American society, the author found that through previous life-experiences, the participants gained hegemonic understandings about race and difference. Participants responded to challenges to these understandings by relying on a set of \tools of Whiteness\ designed to protect and maintain dominant and stereotypical understandings of race–tools that were emotional, ideological, and… [Direct]
(2009). Critical Race Reflections: Valuing the Experiences of Teachers of Color in Teacher Education. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v12 n2 p235-251 Jul. While research has demonstrated that White teachers often must be taught about the pain of racism in order to not perpetuate it, this may not apply to racial minority teachers. Through personal experience, Teachers of Color are likely aware of the trauma that racism can cause students. Within teacher education, we must create research and teaching strategies that acknowledge racial minority teachers as insiders to the experiences of racism in school, and as valuable assets in the fight for educational justice. Using a critical race theory (CRT) framework, this article explores the reflections of Women of Color educators regarding their encounters and observations with race and racism in K-12 schools. Qualitative interviews were conducted with twelve Asian-American, Black and Latina women enrolled in a social justice teacher preparation program in Los Angeles. Their stories expose (1) the personal experiences with racism the women endured within their K-12 education; (2) the parallel… [Direct]
(2012). Using Standards and High-Stakes Testing for Students: Exploiting Power with Critical Pedagogy. Counterpoints: Studies in the Postmodern Theory of Education. Volume 425. Peter Lang New York This book overturns the typical conception of standards, empowering educators by providing concrete examples of how top-down models of assessment can be embraced and used in ways that are consistent with critical pedagogies. Although standards, as broad frameworks for setting learning targets, are not necessarily problematic, when they are operationalized as high-stakes assessments, test-based pedagogies emerge and frequently dominate the curriculum, leaving little room for critical pedagogies. In addition, critics maintain that high-stakes assessments perpetuate current class structures by maintaining skill gaps and controlling ideology, particularly beliefs in individualism, meritocracy, and what counts as knowledge. This book offers readers a deepened awareness of how educators can alleviate the effects of standardization, especially for students in poor and working-class communities. As teachers negotiate their roles in this time of increasing regulation and standardization, it… [Direct]
(2011). Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: A Study of Implementation. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, California State University, East Bay. In public education we are faced with three realities: (1) our student population is diverse and growing in children of color; (2) children of color are the students most at risk of being caught on the negative end of the achievement gap; and (3) the adopted curriculum and instructional practices are predominately Eurocentric. There is a need to integrate culturally responsive practices to engage and promote success for our increasingly diverse student population. Critical race theory, equity pedagogy, culturally responsive pedagogy and liberation education inform the conceptual framework for this study. There is a plethora of theoretical work on culturally responsive pedagogy and a lack of work on how to implement pedagogies. The study examined the experiences of teachers attempting to implement culturally responsive practices and the role of the administrator, both as instructional leader and a co-constructor of knowledge. The participatory action research method allowed teachers… [Direct]
(2007). Critical Race Perspectives on Theory in Student Affairs. New Directions for Student Services, n120 p39-53 Win. Student development theory has been used to make sense of attitudes, behaviors, norms, and outcomes among college students since the late 1970s. In addition, educators, administrators, and researchers rely on theories of retention and student success, organizational development, learning, and campus environments in their efforts to understand diverse groups of students (McEwen, 2003, Torres, Howard-Hamilton, and Cooper, 2003). Although these theories contribute substantially to higher education and student affairs work, they are limited in their use of language about race and considerations of the roles of racism in students' development and learning. The purpose of this article is threefold. First, the authors highlight the value, role, and uses of theory in higher education and student affairs, as well as the omission of race, racism, and racial realities in the theories commonly used in the profession. Second, they introduce critical race theory as a framework for not only… [Direct]
(2013). The Underrepresentation of African American Women Faculty: A Phenomenological Study Exploring the Experiences of McKnight Doctoral Fellow Alumna Serving in the Professoriate. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of South Florida. While African American women have been participating in higher education for more than a century, they remain significantly underrepresented among college and university professors in America. This study was pursued in an attempt to address the underrepresentation of African American women faculty at public and private universities within the State of Florida. More importantly, the study aimed to examine the role of the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship program (MDFP) in assisting McKnight Doctoral Fellow alumna in doctoral degree attainment, preparing them for the professoriate and contributing toward their professional success. A phenomenological methodological approach was used for this study, which was informed by doctoral student persistence theory, socialization theory, critical race theory and critical race feminism. These enlightening lenses allowed for the amplification of the lived experiences of McKnight Doctoral Fellow alumna. The findings from this study seem to suggest that… [Direct]
(2005). \I Think About It All The Time\: A 12-Year-Old Girl's Internal Crisis With Racism and the Effects on her Mental Health. Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v37 n4 p329-350 Nov. I conducted an ethnographic study, situated within the conceptual framework of Critical Race Theory, which illustrates one child's experiences with racism. The study was conducted in an urban after-school program, and explores issues of racism in both the school and community settings. Utilizing the storytelling aspect of Critical Race Theory, I explore the racial experiences of a 12-year-old African-American girl, and the dichotomous emotions of sadness and anger that emerge. I describe the risk to this child's emotional well-being, and suggest a need within the mental health field to create a framework to deal with the trauma caused by racism…. [Direct]
(2007). Identity and Performance in Seventh Grade Students' Interpretations of Quality Literacy Learning in Class Discussions. Online Submission, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Chicago, IL, Apr 2007). The purpose of this ethnographic study was to analyze seventh grade students' and teachers' perceptions of literacy learning in language arts and reading classes. This paper includes a report of a section of this study that focused on discussions about literature. The impact of this diverse school culture on teachers' literacy instruction and students' classroom experiences was also interpreted. Applying critical race theories, the researcher collected data in the form of interviews and classroom observations. Results seemed to indicate that, at least for this classroom, students interpreted small group discussions as problematic. Students preferred whole class discussions about literature because disagreements about meaning were monitored and negotiated by the teacher. Implications for teaching critical literacy skills through class and small group discussions are included. (Contains 2 tables.)… [PDF]
(2007). The Power of Contexts: Teaching and Learning in Recently Desegregated Schools. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, v38 n3 p297-315 Sep. The following critical ethnography interrogates what it means for urban students to learn in multicultural ways, given the oppressive historical and present contexts of their newly desegregated urban district. By retelling events that occurred in the district and the classroom, I present a picture of urban students who are willing to learn and engage in classroom activities when the activities do not threaten their emotional safety. Although their actions are understandable, the students' conscious decisions to disengage from school stifles learning opportunities that would allow them to empathize and connect with other students as a move toward individual and group empowerment. Using critical race theory, I problematize the possibilities for successful multicultural classrooms in urban districts with complex legacies of injustice and racial hostility…. [Direct]