(2023). Critical Race Theory and U.S. Community Colleges: Contending with Controversy. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, v47 n12 p748-752. Critical Race Theory (CRT) can be used as an analytical framework for understanding the propagation of systemic racism within societal structures and institutions, particularly in community colleges. CRT provides insights into the structural nature of racism as an issue of individual prejudice and one built into society's fabric. However, many states are attempting to or have successfully banned CRT and its related concepts. Despite the chilling effect of these regulations, community colleges still have a role to play in integrating CRT and other culturally responsive pedagogies. Liberating the hidden curriculum refers to instructional methods and practices for challenging the implicit norms, values, structures, and practices in schools that perpetuate social norms and reproduce racial oppression. The principles of CRT can also help challenge microaggressions and encourage candid discussions of biases to reduce their impact and alter hidden curricula, thus engendering more equitable… [Direct]
(2021). Understanding the Attacks on Critical Race Theory. National Education Policy Center Attacks on Critical Race Theory (CRT) have been in the news for over a year. Rallies have been organized, school board meetings disrupted, executive orders issued, and legislation introduced to remove or exclude CRT from school curriculum. Since early 2021, eight states have passed legislation that, broadly speaking, seeks to ban historical information and critical analysis related to race and racism in public school classrooms, and additional legislation is being considered. Advocates of these administrative and legislative actions argue that providing students with information on race and racism is un-American, divisive, and itself racist. This policy memo reviews the contemporary attacks against CRT, describes the political objectives of these attacks, explores historical examples of similar tactics, and provides resources on evidence-based strategies to counter the propaganda…. [PDF]
(2022). Resisting the Movement to Ban Critical Race Theory from Schools. Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, v95 n1 p35-41. Critical race theory has recently been blamed for causing harmful outcomes. Conservative activists are believed to be distorting this theory in order to ban it. The campaign to ban critical race theory has affected many schools across the United States. In some cases, school personnel have resigned because of the way some groups have responded to the debate over banning this theory. New laws that restrict teachers from teaching content that may make students uncomfortable have been passed. Banning critical race theory from K-12 schools is a controversial topic because public school personnel usually do not teach it. The controversy involves the programs that may have to be dropped if this theory is banned. This paper focuses on the origins of critical race theory, the misconceptions about this theory, the campaign to ban it, and the negative outcomes resulting from the movement to ban it. It also includes a description of how some groups are resisting this movement…. [Direct]
(2024). When the Lion Learns to Write: A Counterstory about a Doctoral Student's Qualitative Research Project. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v37 n3 p733-750. This essay utilizes critical race theory composite counterstorytelling to tell a story about Alberto, a first-generation Xicano doctoral student who is presenting his dissertation research proposal to his qualitative research class. Through Alberto's character, I discuss my complicated process of designing and conducting a research study. Specifically, I reflect on why I decided to study the experiences of Mexican, Mexican American, and Xicanx students in higher education, why I used critical race theory, Latinx/a/o critical race theory, and critical race spatial analysis as theoretical frameworks, why I utilized critical collaborative ethnography as my research approach, and why I chose counterstorytelling as a research method to distribute my findings…. [Direct]
(2023). The Evasion Pedagogy of Anti-"Critical Race Theory" Policy Actions. Thresholds in Education, v46 n1 p79-95. In the summer of 2020, while the United States was immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd became the catalyst for a national reckoning with persisting systemic racial injustice despite decades of civil rights efforts. While many Americans from all backgrounds became mobilized for justice, others perceived this movement as a threat, and politicians seized this opportunity to capitalize on that fear as a way of gaining political support. The academic concept of critical race theory (CRT) was quickly usurped as the catch-all term for any anti-racist effort, though few politicians or Americans understood what CRT is or what it aims to accomplish. Here, we provide a brief overview of CRT and how it has been intentionally misrepresented for political purposes since 2020. Then, we present a frame analysis of state and federal policy actions taking an anti-"critical race theory" stance in education and illustrate how an evasion pedagogy is being enacted… [PDF]
(2023). Pivoting a Bilingual Teacher Preparation Program through a Critical Race Theory Lens. Multicultural Perspectives, v25 n4 p221-226. This essay adds to the continuing discourse on the effective support of bilingual teachers. It examines the programmatic shifts in a university-based bilingual teacher preparation program, set against the challenges posed by a global pandemic and racial violence in the United States. Specifically, the study investigates the program's redesigned elements using Critical Race Theory as a lens. It concludes with policy recommendations to enhance bilingual teacher preparation and support…. [Direct]
(2023). Strategies for Diversifying the Legal Profession Pipeline: A Critical Race Theory Review. Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly, v11 n3 p41-56. Diversity in the legal profession is key to ensuring representation and equity in laws, but there is a longstanding imbalance in the representation of marginalized racial and ethnic groups in the legal profession. By merging literature, quantitative data, and qualitative evidence under the lens of critical race theory and QuantCrit, this article charts the systemic nature of inequities in the legal profession pipeline. Then, it focuses on strategies higher education institutions might employ to address inequities…. [Direct]
(2023). Critical Race Theory & Abolition: Disrupting Racial Policy Whiplash in Teacher Education. Thresholds in Education, v46 n1 p126-138. In 2021, like far too many states around the U.S., educators in Pennsylvania have been forced to wade through a myriad of attacks against educating students for liberation and justice under the guise of combating Critical Race Theory (CRT). There is a fair amount of "racial policy whiplash" in educators, as many states are simultaneously incorporating culturally sustaining and antiracist pedagogies into their teacher certification requirements. We explore this racial context as teacher educators organizing in a racially and ethnically diverse department at a small liberal arts college (SLAC). We begin by naming our theoretical North Star, guided by CRT, abolition, and Yamamoto's (1997) Critical Race Praxis (CRP) approach. We then argue that a societal "possessive investment in whiteness" (Lipsitz, 1995) continues to dominate teacher education at all levels (including our own), and highlight ways our teacher education community experienced the psychological,… [PDF]
(2022). How to Respond to Community Concerns about Critical Race Theory. Phi Delta Kappan, v104 n3 p48-53 Nov. Many school leaders responded to the controversies over critical race theory with denial. That approach can backfire, according to Emily Hodge, Francesca L√≥pez, and Joshua Rosenberg. They suggest proactive messaging, which can help prevent leaders from falling into the trap of reactively defending their practices and letting the direction of the conversation be guided by those with the most extreme views…. [Direct]
(2023). White Imagination, Black Reality: Recentering Critical Race Theory in Critical Whiteness Studies. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v36 n8 p1450-1458. This essay uses the concept of the white imaginary to reflect on Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) in education. It examines the field's value but also its limitations, specifically its preoccupation with converting white people as the solution to systemic racism. The conversion approach ignores the fuller structural nature of whiteness and often privileges the needs and wants of white people over people of color. The essay argues that to better serve Black students and educators, CWS must stay connected to the central tenets of Critical Race Theory and aligned with approaches rooted in the racial knowledge of people of color, such as work on Black genius…. [Direct]
(2022). Critical Race Theory within Graduate Education: Connecting Theory with Practice. NACADA Review: Academic Advising Praxis and Perspectives, v3 n2 p45-57. Graduate enrollment patterns of students of color suggest that a gap in graduate enrollment persists between Black and Latinx students and White students despite an overall increase in enrollment. Graduate enrollment depends, in part, on student aspirations for graduate study, which is influenced by undergraduate student success and sense of belonging. Using a lens of Critical Race Theory, this paper seeks to explore the nature of undergraduate student experience and how it impacts aspiration to graduate study. It also provides a framework to facilitate equity-minded academic advising, providing a positive space for students of color to explore graduate aspirations…. [PDF]
(2022). Critical Race Theory and Black Marxism: Implications for Higher Education. Educational Theory, v72 n2 p195-216 Apr. In this paper, Matthew Cowley advances a theoretical approach toward higher education drawn from critical race theory (CRT) and Black Marxism. After an overview of CRT and Black Marxism, Cowley builds a working understanding of two recent (re)conceptualizations of race and class analysis that draw from both: (1) "economies of racism" and (2) "critical raceclass theory of education." Subsequently, he connects two assumptions of CRT and Black Marxism — "whiteness as property" and "racial capitalism" — to expound on an original hypothesis, relate it to relevant issues in higher education, and evaluate it by deploying the economies of racism theoretical approach…. [Direct]
(2022). What Does Critical Race Theory Have to Do with Music Education?. Journal of General Music Education, v35 n3 p25-27 Apr. As more states pass bills banning critical race theory in schools, it is especially important for teachers to understand what critical race theory is and the implications of such bills. To understand what critical race theory is and intends to do. I look at its origins and how it has been employed in the field of education. Recognizing the legacy of European colonialism in music education, I propose that teachers critically examine our own subjectivities and engage with students' counterstories to disrupt the dominant narrative…. [Direct]
(2024). Using Critical Race Theory in Social Work Education to Prepare Antiracist Practitioners: A Systematized Review. Journal of Social Work Education, v60 n2 p193-205. Growing concerns arise over the effectiveness of cultural competency and humility in addressing systemic racism in social work. Scholars advocate for the incorporation of critical race theory (CRT) into social work education; however, its polarization creates uncertainty. This systematized review synthesizes the contemporary use of CRT in social work curricula. Comprehensive searches were conducted and sixteen peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria, representing BSW, MSW, and PhD education. Three roles for CRT within social work were identified: (a) understanding systemic racism; (b) an alternative model to cultural competence; and (c) the inclusion of CRT into the social work curriculum or specific courses. Benefits and barriers are also identified. To align with social work values, social work should consider the integration of CRT across the curriculum…. [Direct]
(2022). Willful Hermeneutical Ignorance and the "Critical Race Theory" Controversy. Educational Theory, v72 n6 p689-702 Dec. In this article, Barbara Applebaum examines "the inability to disagree claim" as it arises in objections made by those who want to ban "critical race theory" from being taught in schools and universities. Employing insights from the recent scholarship around willful hermeneutical ignorance, she discerns the important role that marginalized conceptual resources play in conditions of just and constructive dialogue. When such resources are misinterpreted and denied uptake, the resulting harm impedes the epistemic agency of marginally situated knowers. Applebaum claims that many high-profile anti-"critical race theory" arguments put forth by politicians, scholars, and others are a form of willful hermeneutical ignorance, and she concludes by showing how more just communications, in which disagreement is distinguishable from dismissal, can be achieved…. [Direct]