(2025). A Path Forward: A Critical Race Mixed-Methods Study of Social Justice Teacher Education. Teacher Educator, v60 n1 p151-173. Teacher preparation programs are being called to comprehensively engage preservice teachers (PSTs) in expansive learning about equity issues beyond one "diversity" course or superficial approach. Our interdisciplinary faculty collaborative within a Midwestern predominantly-white institution met this call by implementing a Critical Social Justice Teacher Education (CSJTE) framework, redesigning three foundational PST courses around social justice. We then conducted a critical race mixed-methods (CRMM) study to measure the impact upon PSTs' social-justice dispositions and commitments to action in their future classrooms. The results yielded findings that were both expected and unexpected and present a path forward for critical social justice work in teacher education…. [Direct]
(2006). Being \Dixie\ at a Historically Black University: A White Faculty Member's Exploration of Whiteness through the Narratives of Two Black Faculty Members. Negro Educational Review, The, v57 n1-2 p117-135 Spr-Sum. There is a great need for higher education faculty to understand the complexities of teaching students of diverse backgrounds. In this article, two Black educators mentor a White faculty member yearning to understand the nuances of the culture of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) because she wants to engage her students in meaningful learning. Supported by Critical Race Theory and told through the use of counterstories, the authors identify three themes or questions from their separate narratives: race, culture, and teaching. These mentoring stories offer an in-depth view of what it means to teach from three very different perspectives–those of a White woman, a Black man, and a Black woman…. [Direct]
(2003). Exploring Literacy Performances and Power Dynamics at the Loft: Queer Youth Reading the World and the Word. Research in the Teaching of English, v37 n4 p467-90 May. Draws on queer theory, critical feminism, Critical Race Theory, and New Literacy Studies to explore the ways in which queer youth read and wrote words and worlds in ways that both challenged and reinforced power dynamics in and beyond a youth-run center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Situates possibilities for social change in the perpetual interrogation of the relationships between literacy performances and power dynamics. (SG)…
(2002). Backlash Pedagogy: Language and Culture and the Politics of Reform. Review of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, v24 n4 p335-51 Oct-Dec. Investigates the ways that backlash pedagogy, a centerpiece of educational reform, accepts substantial inequality as a neutral baseline for educational practice and reform and, simultaneously, enshrines the status quo. The analysis draws on several theoretical lenses (cultural-historical activity theory, critical race theory, and ethnographic research), focusing on the impact of California's Proposition 227 (prohibition of the primary language in instruction) on bilingual and English-only education. (SM)…
(2002). The Implementation of Proposition 227 in California Schools: A Critical Analysis of the Effect on Teacher Beliefs and Classroom Practices. Equity & Excellence in Education, v35 n2 p108-18 May. Explored the relationship between race and language as related to bilingual students' educational experiences. Used Latino/a critical theory, Asian American legal scholarship, and critical race theory as frameworks to examine the aftermath of California's Proposition 227. Data from teachers and administrators highlighted significant variance in implementation of Proposition 227 across and within districts. Teachers felt pressured to speed up English acquisition at any cost. English-only ideology was pervasive. (SM)…
(2002). Beyond Love: A Critical Race Ethnography of the Schooling of Adolescent Black Males. Equity & Excellence in Education, v35 n2 p131-43 May. Used critical race theory to examine how black males could be placed "beyond love" in a competitive secondary school recognized for its supportive environment. Interviews, observations, and school-related data indicated that these students remained marginalized and oppressed. Suggests that attempts to transform black students' academic and social experiences at competitive schools must go beyond compensatory programs and professional development workshops to examine the moral dimensions of schooling. (SM)…
(2024). "They Were Mostly Sitting Back and Staying Quiet": A Critical Race Discourse Analysis of Racial Voyeurism in Cross-Racial Intergroup Dialogues. Whiteness and Education, v9 n2 p234-251. This study utilises a critical race discourse analysis to understand how cross-racial intergroup dialogue (IGD) participants perceive racial voyeurism, a form of racism within their dialogue course. IGD is a face-to-face, co-facilitated interaction between two or more groups within a social identity-based conflict where participants form intergroup relationships, reflect critically and interpersonally, and build intergroup alliances. The discursive statements of participants analysed through critical race discourse analyses reveals how racism penetrates the IGD through race-evasiveness and the normalisation of Whiteness…. [Direct]
(2024). Revisiting Testimonio as Critical Race Feminista Methodology in Educational Research. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v37 n5 p1272-1286. This study is a review of educational scholarship that has utilized "testimonio" as a methodological approach. We begin with a brief overview of "testimonio", highlighting its discursive subversions that align with longstanding traditions of storytelling within Communities of Color, and in critical race storytelling. We then describe how "testimonio" is an important tool within a broader Critical Race Feminista Methodology–a space of theorizing humanizing, anti-colonial methodological approaches that disrupt structural oppression and are guided by "a nostalgia for wholeness" (Delgado Bernal, P√©rez Huber, & Malagon, 2019). "Testimonio" as a Critical Race Feminista Methodology allows for an interweaving of Chicana feminist and critical race epistemological and theoretical tools with qualitative research methods to cultivate methodological space for "convivencia", critical reflection, collective knowledge production, and… [Direct]
(2023). Charles Mills Ain't Dead! Keeping the Spirit of Mills' Work Alive by Understanding and Challenging the Unrepentant Whiteness of the Academy. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v26 n4 p553-564. In this article, we draw upon Charles Mills' powerful scholarly insights on the racial contract and epistemologies of ignorance and argue for keeping his spirit and theorizing alive through a relentless focus on the endemic reality of racism/white supremacy in our society and institutions — particularly in the institution in which he and we work, higher education. We believe that continuing Mills' legacy requires pushing back against unrepentant whiteness in the academy — the pervasive white standpoint that naturalizes so much of the inequity that transpires in our academic departments, fields, and institutions. Toward this end, we provide several examples of somewhat mundane ways unrepentant whiteness (in the form of white habitus, group interests, racial apathy, and ignorance) shows up in higher education. These examples explore Mills' concept of 'the macro in the micro', or the every-day ways that white supremacy courses through the tentacles of our colleges and universities…. [Direct]
(2023). Student Loan Debt for Borrowers of Color: A Policy Afterthought?. Higher Education Politics & Economics, v9 n2 p66-85. Levels of student loan debt in the United States are increasing exponentially every year, directly affecting the ability of millions to live a comfortable life. Student loan debt levels are an acute issue for borrowers of color, as they more often need federal loans to attend institutions of higher education in comparison to their White peers. This qualitative study focuses on this issue through the lens of critical whiteness studies, using a critical discourse analysis to better understand what messages policymakers create for borrowers of color. Discourse studied in this analysis includes the text of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and all proposed amendments, personal Senate websites of all committee members, and newsletters published by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee in the 117th Congress. The findings of this study show uneven support for borrowers of color, largely divided under political party lines. Narrative devices were also used to… [PDF]
(2003). Hopelessness and Healing: Racial Identity in Young Adult Literature. New Advocate, v16 n1 p43-56 Win. Notes that "Tears of a Tiger" is the story of a young African American man's responsibility for a drunk-driving crash that killed his best friend. Offers a reading of "Tears of a Tiger" and "Whirligig" through the lens of critical race theory. Suggests that, paired together, these novels afford a powerful opportunity for students to explore racial identity and concepts of justice, healing, and hope. (SG)…
(2003). Theoretical Frameworks for African American Women. New Directions for Student Services, n104 p19-27. Applying appropriate theoretical frameworks for black women is challenging because many theories are very general and do not consider multiple identities and roles. Black feminist thought and critical race theory are suggested as appropriate frameworks and applied to the needs of black women in higher education. The information provided here paves the way for a framework that highlights the benefits and support systems for black women that can be created on college and university campuses…. [Direct]
(2006). Dancing between Two Worlds: A Portrait of the Life of a Black Male Teacher in South Central LA. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v19 n2 p221-242 Mar-Apr. This article offers a portrait of a young black male teacher in an urban school in South Central Los Angeles. In the portrait, the words of the subject are intertwined with the thoughts and reactions of the researcher as a way in which to capture his life history narrative and offer his reading of the world. The article discusses the participant's reflections on growing up in South Central, Los Angeles and how it shaped his identity. In particular, the portrait discusses the participant's experiences in middle school, high school and college. The article concludes with some reflections about how Critical Race Theory–as a discourse on race and racism in the law and society–helps us to better understand the lives black men lead. (Contains 3 notes.)… [Direct]
(2024). Rooted in Justice: One Black Woman's Unique, Intersectional Educational Leadership Journey. School Leadership & Management, v44 n2 p140-158. Historically, there remains an underrepresentation of Black women in and en route to the highest levels of organisational leadership. The divide is all the more pronounced in the field of education, one in which women represent a large share of the community. Particularly relevant for Black women is the incongruence between their heightened educational attainment levels compared to their lower status in the organisational pecking order. To advance both theory and research in this domain, social justice leadership theory (SJLT) serves as the framework for this paper, rooted in the context of the United States. This paper explores the multilayered journeys of Black women aspiring to and operating in senior-level leadership roles (i.e. executives, directors, and CEOs) in US-based education, highlighting the unique and intersectional experiences of one Black woman educational leader. Indeed, there is a need to increase collective consciousness about the impact of leadership cultures on… [Direct]
(2024). Examining Experiences of Academic Advisors of Color Using a Critical Race Framework. NACADA Review: Academic Advising Praxis and Perspectives, v5 n1 p9-19. Part of a larger study exploring leadership development opportunities for academic advisors of color at a predominantly white institution, this paper focuses on the lived experiences of academic advisors of color. Through an understanding of race theory, a critical race lens is used to examine the predominantly white institution and the narratives of academic advisors of color in this racialized setting. This qualitative study explored advisors' experiences with the structure of academic advising, their racialized experiences, and how race is addressed in the workplace. Implications for institutions of higher education are discussed, including how an understanding of the experiences of academic advisors of color can aid in challenging dominant narratives and practices within institutions of higher education…. [PDF]