(2024). Refusing the Master's Tools: An Abolition Feminist Framework for Career and Technical Education for Black Girls. Career and Technical Education Research, v49 n1 p60-74. The contemporary reconceptualization of Career and Technical Education (CTE) often emphasizes the need for more post-secondary opportunities for racially marginalized students. Yet CTE typically functions as a mode of social control for the racial capitalist project, and increased exposure and more CTE for students of color, particularly Black girls who have been notoriously neglected across the profession, without a refusal of its extractive purpose, will not radically shift possibilities for their futures. In this article, we apply Critical Race Feminism to analyze the current contextual landscape for Black girls in CTE, and argue that CTE educators and school counselors must turn toward the politics of abolition feminism to radically transform future possibilities for and with Black girls. We offer five life-affirming tenets of abolition feminist praxis that refuse the master's tools (Lorde, 1984) of traditional CTE and center and elevate the humanity and world-making of Black… [Direct]
(2022). The Right to the University: The Experiences of Mexican/Mexican American/Xicanx Students at a Predominantly White University in Upstate New York. Journal of Leadership, Equity, and Research, v8 n2 p11-36. Having the right to a space is not only the right to be present without being harassed or bothered, but it also includes the right to have a say in how that space should be experienced. Yet, spaces have long been contested and not everyone has equal access to shared spaces. This paper examines the experiences of Mexican/Mexican American/Xicanx (MMAX) undergraduate students at a predominantly white university in the Northeast. Drawing on in-depth interviews, participant observations, "pla ¥ticas," and document analyses, I argue that MMAX students do not have the right to their respective university because their university does not address their specific needs as Students of Color. The denial of the right to their university is experienced through a lack of resources and institutional support. This includes, but is not limited to, (a) Inconsiderate University Investment Patterns; (b) Inadequate University Services; (c) Unequal Housing Accessibility; and (d) Unfair Treatment… [PDF]
(2022). Reading Privileges: Enacting Critical Race English Education in English Language Arts Classrooms. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Syracuse University. This dissertation uses practitioner inquiry (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999, 2009), narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 1990; Rolling & Bey, 2016; Schaafsma & Vinz, 2011; Toliver, 2020a), composite character counter storytelling (Baker-Bell, 2020), and critical discourse analysis (Bloome et al., 2008; Bloome & Power-Carter, 2013; Fairclough, 2003; Power-Carter, 2008; Rogers, 2004; van Dijk, 1993) to present findings from a 10-month qualitative study of the understanding and enactment of critical race English education (CREE) (Johnson, 2018, 2021) in one school and the effect of one teacher's enactment of CREE (Johnson, 2018, 2021) on youth's understanding of antiracism. Informed by critical whiteness studies (Applebaum, 2010; Delpit, 1988; Frankenburg, 1993; Harris, 1993; Leonardo, 2009; McIntosh, 1988; McIntyre, 1997; Rothenberg, 2008), Black feminism (Combahee River Collective, 1977/2014; Lorde, 1984/2007), and critical literacy theory (Freire, 1970/2000;… [Direct]
(2011). Powerful Pedagogies: Evaluating Effective Culturally Relevant English Instruction for High Achieving African American Males in Advanced Placement English. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles. Helping teachers to effectively use culturally relevant instructional practices can help the educational community close the literacy gap for African American males. This study examines effective secondary English teachers and their high achieving African American male students. Using critical race and sociocultural theories as a conceptual framework, this qualitative study documents the instructional practices of teachers who use culturally relevant curricula in their Advanced Placement English classes to ensure that their African American males develop languages and literacies of power. I employ an ethnographic and case study approach where I: (1) interviewed teachers around their beliefs concerning African American males and literacy Instruction; (2) observed and documented classroom practice; (3) analyzed the efficacy of culturally relevant instructional strategies; and finally (4) interviewed high achieving African American males about their overall engagement in secondary… [Direct]
(2024). Not "Citizens in Waiting": Student Counter-Narratives of Anti-Equity Campaigns. Educational Policy, v38 n7 p1638-1675. Recent efforts prohibiting race-related diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have informed localized public pushback narrating anti-equity campaigns. Emerging research and media accounts have largely focused on adults engaged with or against these efforts, with less attention on youth and their perceptions of these campaigns. To center youth voice, we analyzed 224 student newspaper articles published in Carmel, Indiana and Loudoun County, Virginia–two sites replete with localized contestations of equity reform. Using narrative policy analysis and approaches to counter-narratives, findings demonstrate youths' roles as engaged policy actors as student journalists highlighted forms of political engagement and action in their local contexts. We include recommendations for school leaders and policymakers to promote youth voice and engagement in education governance…. [Direct]
(2022). Perceptions of Race in Career and Technical Education: Moving toward Critical Consciousness. Career and Technical Education Research, v47 n1 p3-22 May. Career and technical education (CTE) gives students access to skill development and greater economic opportunity, but challenges in the CTE system are pervasive for students of color, specifically Black and Latinx students. This study examines Black and Latinx high school student and teacher experiences with race in a profession-based learning program that awards CTE credits. This basic qualitative study is built around a conceptual framework that examines what racism is in CTE, how it creates barriers for people of color and how activating sociopolitical consciousness of students and teachers may enhance student agency. Findings reveal student and teacher perspectives defining race as skin color, strong beliefs in meritocracy, and individualized approaches that lead to a lack of awareness of systemic racism. Teachers play a critical role in supporting students through challenges, but they stop short of using their positions to elevate those challenges toward more meaningful systemic… [Direct]
(2022). Overwhelming Whiteness: A Critical Analysis of Race in a Scripted Reading Curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, v54 n6 p852-870. Teachers in the US are increasingly required to use scripted curricula. Such instructional materials often reflect the overwhelming whiteness of the publishing industry through a lack of representation of authors and protagonists outside of white, middle-class normative characters. Implementation of such curricula stands in direct contrast to studies finding that culturally relevant pedagogy and curricula benefit students across racial and ethnic groups. This paper describes a qualitative analysis of the scripted "Wit and Wisdom" English Language Arts curriculum for grades K-8 guided by the research question: How might the curriculum reproduce a white supremacist master script? Following a quantitative analysis of racial representation across all core and supplementary texts in the curriculum, the research team used guiding questions grounded in a critical discourse and anti-racist teaching framework to qualitatively analyse teacher-facing materials at each grade level. The… [Direct]
(2022). Identifying Anti-Blackness and Committing to Pro-Blackness in Early Literacy Pedagogy and Research: A Guide for Child Care Settings, Schools, Teacher Preparation Programs, and Researchers. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, v22 n4 p565-591 Dec. This article is written for educators who serve as teachers, administrators, policy-makers in childcare settings, schools, classrooms, teacher preparation programs, programs that prepare educational researchers, and universities. Its purpose is to provide background, rationale, and support for individuals within those institutions to address the need to identify and counter anti-Black racist structures, policies, and practice within and beyond educational spaces. While the focus is on spaces connected to early literacy education, the content of this article will also be useful for educators and educational researchers in other areas of education. After providing a framework in Critical Race and Black Critical theories and addressing attempts to interrupt and take down any teaching about racial histories or contemporary issues, the authors provide extensive lists of questions that can be used for educational stakeholders to root out anti-Blackness in their institutions. A few of the… [Direct]
(2023). Orientalism and Linguicism: How Language Marks Iranian-Canadians as a Racial 'Other'. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v36 n4 p655-671. This study examines the social experiences of Iranian female immigrants in schools in Toronto, Canada. Drawing on postcolonial theory and critical whiteness studies, I interrogate the ways in which 'Oriental' subjects are Othered among their peers, and how whiteness is established as the invisible norm. This study observes the role that having an immigrant, English-as-a-second-language (ESL) identity plays in shaping the participants' social experiences at school. The women in this study rejected racism as a plausible cause of their social exclusion. I suggest two possible explanations for this: (1) the 'Aryan myth', which still heavily circulates within Iranian communities, constitutes a subtle mechanism by which white supremacy is culturally inherited by many Iranians; and (2) the participants' ability to 'pass' as white acted as a privilege which made race a less salient marker of difference to them. Instead, their status as the 'Oriental Other' was most visible when language was… [Direct]
(2023). Embracing the Promise and Potential of Preschool-Age Black Boys: Strength-Based Opportunities for Early Childhood School Psychologists. School Psychology Review, v52 n3 p343-356. Although extensive research illustrates the numerous benefits associated with attending a high-quality early childhood education program, preschool-age Black boys are not equitable beneficiaries of the academic, social-emotional, and behavioral supports provided in high-quality early childhood settings. Young Black boys in early childhood education programs face a variety of challenges that have significant, negative consequences for their foundational experiences. Overcoming these challenges and improving the educational outcomes of young Black boys requires not only a comprehensive examination of the complex issues impacting them but also requires the implementation of strength-based recommendations that will ultimately improve their short-term and long-term educational experiences. This paper offers a critical discussion of the systems and factors that fail to honor Black boys' strengths as well as specific recommendations for early childhood school psychologists seeking to… [Direct]
(2023). In Pieces: An Approach to Critical Reflexivity with Science Teachers through Storytelling and in Community. Journal of Science Teacher Education, v34 n5 p563-581. This study examines how storytelling can guide the critical reflexivity of secondary science teachers engaged in a professional learning community. Traditionally, storytelling has been used in Black communities to "teach the people to know themselves." The author engages in racial storytelling to remember, envision and consider what could have been, to imagine new possibilities. Through narrative case study analysis, the author examines two science educators' past, present, and futures through their narratives. The author asserts that critical consciousness is necessary for teachers as they aspire to support the needs of diverse learners…. [Direct]
(2023). Teaching Mathematics in Post-Apartheid South Africa: The Perspectives of Teachers of Black Students. Research in Mathematics Education, v25 n1 p105-123. Using a critical race theoretical lens, we examine how South African secondary mathematics teachers of Black students characterised their preparation in the post-apartheid era, how they portrayed good mathematics instruction, and what challenges they identified as barriers to becoming a good mathematics instructor. We found that teachers characterised their preparation in terms of their students' achievement, often talked about the importance of teaching their students mathematical skills and procedures, identified challenges associated with using English as the language of instruction, and engaged in student blaming. Implications from this study include prioritising quality professional development for mathematics teachers of Black students that focuses on developing teachers specialised mathematical knowledge. Professional development should also strengthen South African mathematics teachers' abilities to teach the mathematics register in English and support teachers to examine the… [Direct]
(2023). Fostering Cultural Responsiveness in K-8 Education: A Case Study of an Urban Public School. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Bridgeport. This case study investigates the intricate landscape of K-8 education in Connecticut, particularly focusing on Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT). Drawing inspiration from theories of cultural intelligence and collaborative learning, the research sought to understand the experiences, perceptions, and practices of K-8 educators concerning CRT, especially in the context of Public Act No. 19-100. This case study investigates the intricate landscape of K-8 education in Connecticut, particularly focusing on Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT). Drawing inspiration from theories of cultural intelligence and collaborative learning, the research sought to understand the experiences, perceptions, and practices of K-8 educators concerning CRT, especially in the context of Public Act No. 19-100. Four distinct themes emerged, each highlighting different facets of the CRT landscape. From the pressing need for comprehensive training modules to the challenges of sourcing culturally diverse… [Direct]
(2023). Barriers to Developing Antiracist Teachers: The Role of Policy, Pedagogy, and Practice in Teacher Education. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Santa Cruz. Following the murder of George Floyd and the wide-spread recognition of systemic discriminatory abuse of power by police, organizations across the country were jolted into reviewing their own policies and practices for evidence of prejudice and racial injustice. Teacher education programs were no exception. As teacher education grapples with this critical historical conjuncture, it is imperative to deeply examine how logics of systemic racism are embedded in the social and political structures charged with preparing future teachers. This dissertation contributes to this investigation by exploring how teacher education state and program policies intersect with teacher educator pedagogies regarding the development of antiracist engagement in pre-service teacher practice. Framed by critical whiteness studies rooted in Black scholarly perspectives and Victor Ray's conception of racialized organizations, the purpose of this research is to bring awareness to how education policy and… [Direct]
(2023). More than Multilingual: Investigating Teachers' Learning to Support Multilingual Students through an Intersectional Lens. Educational Forum, v87 n4 p362-376. Traditional teacher andragogy models oversimplify teaching multilingual students, overlooking both the complexity of identity and the contexts in which this work occurs. In this paper, we describe our intersectional approach to research, highlighting its affordances for research on teachers' learning to support multilingual students. This intersectional lens opens urgent new research questions, invites different types of data, and offers informative analytic approaches to improve both research and practice…. [Direct]