(2022). Black Student-Athletes, Contemporary Student-Athlete Activism, and Critical Race Theory. New Directions for Student Services, n180 p39-49 Win. Two significant events in the last decade, #concernedstudents1950 at the University of Missouri and the George Floyd murder, have galvanized student-athlete activism, particularly Black student-athlete activism. Framed in Critical Race Theory (CRT), this article examines contemporary Black student-athlete activism and how their activism is influencing intercollegiate athletics and higher education…. [Direct]
(2024). Examining Race in LatCrit: A Systematic Review of Latinx Critical Race Theory in Education. Review of Educational Research, v94 n4 p501-538. This systematic review includes 125 peer-reviewed education-research articles that employ a LatCrit framework (from a search including articles published from 1995 to 2020). The author examines how the literature utilizes LatCrit and advances ideas about race, Latinxs, and Latinidad in education. The author presents significant patterns and divergences in the literature's strengths, challenges, and tensions. Some strengths include detailing Latinxs' experiences and valuing experiential knowledge. The author problematizes four research practices: (1) describing LatCrit with select tenets of CRT; (2) not defining race or other relevant concepts (language, culture, etc.); (3) claiming Latinxs are unique because of their multidimensionality; and (4) exceeding LatCrit's scope by rationalizing the study's use of LatCrit because its participants are Latinxs. The author argues that these complications lead to a paradox: even though LatCrit emerges from critical race theory and is described… [Direct]
(2023). Counternarrative as Strategy: Embedding Critical Race Theory to Develop an Antiracist School Identity. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v36 n8 p1558-1578. This article examines the purposeful use of counternarrative to develop an antiracist school identity. Based on a seven-year ethnographic project at an elementary school in the southeast U.S., it illustrates how counternarrative can be employed as strategy to embed Critical Race Theory (CRT) into school equity discourse and, in doing so, help public schools disrupt majoritarian narratives that deny the salience of race. It argues that by developing counternarratives rooted in the perspectives and knowledge of teachers of color, and then using those counternarratives specifically for the purposes of strategizing, schools and researchers can help CRT achieve its activist function in K-12 school contexts…. [Direct]
(2023). Centering Youth of Color Activism and Knowledge in the Critical Race Theory Debates. Teachers College Record, v125 n5 p118-129 May. Background/Context: Leah Boveda, a sophomore at Brown University, collaborated with her mother–Mildred Boveda, an intersectional studies scholar situated in special education and teacher education–to make sense of her high school community activism in Arizona. They retrace how Leah's experiences eventually shaped her understandings of and participation in adult-centered conversations about critical race theory bans. This daughter-mother authorial team offers lessons learned from Leah's youth mobilizations and how they may inform education research about youth activists of color. Research Design: Using an "intersectionally conscious, collaborative approach" and a "daughtering" analytical framing, the authors revisited Leah's high school youth activism. In addition to their memories, they returned to written documents, such as a 2019 interview between Leah and a correspondent at "The New York Times," her notes from a 5-minute speech presented at a CRT… [Direct]
(2023). A Critical Race Theory Analysis of STEM Schools in an Urban School District. Science Education, v107 n5 p1193-1214 Sep. The creation of specialty science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Schools has been presented as a way to improve both academic and STEM-related outcomes, particularly in urban school districts where "failing" schools are converted the STEM Schools. This study examines this conversion process through the tenets of critical race theory, particularly the tenets of Whiteness as property, interest convergence, and the power of discourse. Using data collected from 28 textual sources and 29 interviews of teachers, students, and administrators at STEM Schools, a comparative case study approach was used to examine the historical development of two STEM Schools in one urban area. Findings indicated that the creation of STEM Schools was a way to protect STEM as a property of Whiteness by funneling resources toward White, middle-class students. Additionally, the motivation for the conversions demonstrates how interest convergence functions in educational reform. In… [Direct]
(2023). Impacts of Teaching Critical Race Theory and Applying Contact Theory Methods to Student's Cross-Cultural Competency in Diversity Courses. Teaching Sociology, v51 n1 p57-66 Jan. We examine the outcomes of three different teaching methods in courses where cultural competency is a course objective: (1) multiculturalism lecture only, (2) student research and reporting on other cultural groups plus multiculturalism lecture, and (3) cross-cultural conversation partners applying contact theory plus multiculturalism lecture. Lectures in courses 1 and 3 also include antiracist and critical race theories that directly challenge colorblind racism. The study measures both cultural competency and colorblind racism before and after courses over a semester on 181 students at a small midwestern university. Cross-cultural competency scores improved significantly in all three courses but were significantly higher in the course that included both content on critical race theory and contact theory methods. Colorblind racism fails to improve in courses without critical race theory. These findings have implications for improving cultural competency outcomes among undergraduates… [Direct]
(2023). Critical Race Theory and Its Critics: Implications for Research and Teaching. Multicultural Education Series. Teachers College Press Who and what are behind the attacks on Critical Race Theory (CRT)? Why are attacks on the teaching of racism happening now and what can be done about them? In this book, L√≥pez and Sleeter answer these questions in an effort to intentionally and strategically provide readers with sustainable tools for teaching toward an equitable future. This comprehensive book includes an overview of today's controversy surrounding CRT; a historical account of efforts to thwart fair and unbiased education opportunities; research on why these efforts have been successful; and ways for teachers, school leaders, and researchers to address this pushback in their own work. Contrary to claims by critics of CRT, research supports that addressing racism in the classroom is an integral part of a broader effort in ensuring that all children thrive. Written in an accessible style for a broad audience, "Critical Race Theory and Its Critics" offers evidence-based recommendations on messaging (including… [Direct]
(2023). Using Critical Race Theory to Support Black Students in Schools: A Call to Educators. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, v11 n3 p286-297. Recent events in the United States have made it clear that all institutions must examine their system and engage in social change. Educators are positioned to be social advocates (with the proper training), who play a unique role in helping to implement policies that promote social justice and equity, especially for Black students in the educational system. As schools engage in efforts to promote anti-racist practices, educators can lend their expertise to ensure that these changes provide adequate support for racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) students. This paper describes how educators can use a Critical Race Theory (CRT) framework to inform school wide policies and practices that encourage positive schooling experiences and outcomes among Black students. Specific strategies are provided…. [Direct]
(2022). What Critical Race Theory Is, What It Isn't, and Why It Is Important, You Should Know: A Call to Action. Research Issues in Contemporary Education, v7 n2 p112-127. Despite emerging from legal scholars in the 1970s, the term Critical Race Theory is currently at the forefront with increased attention focused on its framework and its use to explore and analyze racism in education. While this has led to school districts examining structural racism and making equitable changes, a subsequent backlash has also occurred. Critical Race Theory's use and application have become part of a contentious debate and there is a misunderstanding about what the theory entails and misperceptions to how it is being used. Forty-one states have passed legislation banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory and concepts associated with it while others have created systems to report complaints of the framework's use and penalize educators. The purpose of this call to action is to open lines of communication, create dialogue and break down the truth about Critical Race Theory…. [PDF]
(2022). Exploring Critical Literacy Pursuits through Teacher Narratives and Critical Race Theory. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo. Racism is woven into the fabric of every institution within the United States (Jones, 1974; Ladson-Billings, 1998), and it is present alongside the often unattended to intersectional oppression (Crenshaw, 2017). These two realities are often found and reproduced within P-12 school settings (Ladson-Billings, 2005; Ladson-Billings, 2019; Hopson, 2014). Given this, there is a growing interest concerning the experiences of Black and Brown students inside schools today, particularly around how these realities affect them and the ways they might respond to them, particularly during the "Trump Era". Extant educational scholarship has explored, critiqued and reimagined: (a) how teachers can engage in antiracism though pedagogical practices (Baker-Bell, 2020; Ladson-Billings, 2014; Love, 2019); (b) how schools can implement learning spaces and curricula that centers intersectional justice (Amico, 2015; Baker-Bell, 2020); and (c) broader anti-oppression work outside of the domains of… [Direct]
(2025). The Surge in Anti-Critical Race Theory Measures: Will It Affect How Teachers React to the Israel-Hamas Conflict?. Social Studies, v116 n1 p28-38. The Israel-Hamas crisis that started in October of 2023 has led to an increase in hate acts targeted at Jewish and Arab students. In response, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter reminding educational leaders of their responsibilities to address this behavior. This paper offers examples of the kind of conduct educational leaders are expected to address and reasons for including discussions about this crisis with students. Although students benefit from having discussions about this crisis and its outcomes, some teachers fear they will be disciplined for discussing controversial subjects with students because of the surge in anti-critical race theory measures. This paper includes a discussion on how the increase in these measures has impacted teachers. It also offers resources designed to promote a sense of safety and provide students with accurate information about the conflict…. [Direct]
(2024). Doing Critical Race Theory in Perilous Times: Engaging Critical Race Legal Scholarship for Higher Education and Beyond. Review of Higher Education, v47 n3 p249-280. Misinterpretations and caricatures of Critical Race Theory (CRT) abound in popular media and in higher education scholarship. Given the confusion surrounding what CRT is and is not, I write this conceptual essay as an invitation to engage seriously with CRT's legal foundations. I offer four guideposts to aid scholars in engaging the legal roots of CRT on a deeper level: thinking with and beyond tenets, leveraging the scope of CRT work by legal scholars, understanding the CRT critique of Critical Legal Studies, and appreciating CRT's theoretical depth and complexity. Further, I highlight characteristics of CRT legal scholarship that are not always explicit in higher education research. Specifically, I describe CRT as an anti-subordination project, a materialist project, a critical intellectual project, and an activist project. Through engaging with CRT's legal scholarship, I demonstrate how higher education scholars' understanding and employment of CRT will be enriched…. [Direct]
(2024). Retelling Education in Emergencies through the Black Radical Tradition: On Racial Capitalism, Critical Race Theory and Fugitivity. Globalisation, Societies and Education, v22 n3 p446-460. This article asserts that the Black Radical Tradition (BRT), grounded in historical and structural inquiry, offers tools to reinterpret EiE radically–the BRT encompasses a tradition rooted in diverse African intellectual and activist inquiries, providing a multifaceted theoretical framework. Relevant to humanitarian scholarship, the BRT challenges omissions of colonisation, capitalism, and enslavement histories in forced migration and aid, shedding light on their roles in perpetuating 'white saviours'. The paper, adopting my roles as a scholar and aid practitioner, critically examines the EiE sector through three BRT lenses: racial capitalism, critical race theory, and fugitivity. It employs case studies, aligning with the BRT's interconnected focus, revealing the pervasive influence of educational aid, racial injustice, and structural inequalities. These lenses collectively illuminate the potential of Black radical thought to transform the EiE landscape. By tracing EiE's… [Direct]
(2023). Critical Race Theory: An Exploration of African American Medical Students' Perception of Their Racialized Experiences While Attending Medical School. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, The University of Memphis. Supported by Critical Race Theory, this study explores the perceptions of African-American medical students regarding their racialized experiences while attending medical school. The history of African Americans seeking medical education in the United States is entrenched in a legacy of racial segregation, social and cultural constructs, and legal doctrine perpetuated through society's sustained racial bias. Critical Race Theory has often examined the relationship between race and education systems. Critical Race Theory in medicine consistently acknowledges race as a social construct. Racism is not obsolete, and this is not a post-racial world. A critical race methodology research approach along with counter stories will be utilized in this study through semi-structured interviews to fully understand participants' lived experiences as African American medical students and generate data concerning racialized experiences while attending medical schools. [The dissertation citations… [Direct]
(2024). Employing Critical Organic Writing for the Truth about Speaking of Critical Race Theory in the Classroom: My Narrative. Journal of Latinos and Education, v23 n5 p1694-1699. This document presents an in-depth exploration of the challenges and dynamics in discussing Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Texas high schools, particularly in the wake of House Bill 3979, often called the Critical Race Theory Bill. The author, a Mexican female educator, and a recent doctoral graduate, utilizes a unique narrative bridging academic research and practical teaching experiences. Through the lens of Critical Organic Writing (COW) and the theoretical framework of Nepantla, as conceptualized by Gloria Anzald√∫a, the paper examines the impact of such legislation on educational discourse and practice. The study employs qualitative narrative inquiry, focusing on the author's self-narratives and student responses to COW methodologies, to investigate the effectiveness and challenges of implementing COW as a pedagogical tool in politically sensitive environments. This work contributes to broader discussions on education policy, pedagogical innovation, and social justice, advocating… [Direct]