(2021). Critical Race Theory and Islamophobia: Challenging Inequity in Higher Education. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v24 n3 p319-337. This paper engages with a dominant model of Islamophobia which gives race and racism primacy. It argues that such an approach is parochial, conceptually narrow and practically ineffective. I take as my case the UK's Muslim student awarding gap — Muslims are currently the worst performing religious group at UK universities. Existing work explains this problem in terms of racism/Islamophobia. These factors are correctly identified, but a lack of analytical precision around race and religion has led strategies to fall back on 'standard' and largely ineffective ideas. I argue that racial "and religious disadvantage" must be understood separately, though intersectionally, through Critical Race Theory and the concept of 'religification'. Such an analysis sheds light on how institutional approaches to race and religion play a key role in the structuration and perpetuation of educational disadvantage for Muslim students. It also paves the way for more effective strategies for… [Direct]
(2021). Attacks on Critical Race Theory Blemish Era of Race Consciousness. New England Journal of Higher Education, Jun. Last year, shortly after the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others, it seemed as if the world had finally opened their eyes to the everyday reality and fears of Black America. And yet, just after the anniversary of these murders, state legislation is seen in the headlines of various news sites attacking Critical Race Theory (CRT) and actually proposing legislation that would ban teaching history, as it is commonly accepted to be true. The anti-CRT legislation undoubtedly will uphold the inherently white-centric teachings that have been established as our common educational standard. The author believes that anti-CRT legislation is not only an attack on academia and free speech, but also a direct suppression of racial liberation and consequently any racial progression moving forward. It is time that politicians, activists and educators alike take a divisive and definitive stance and decide whether the academy, and whether this democracy, will follow a path of… [Direct]
(2022). Critical Race Theory in Science Education: Moving Forward and Making Critical Connections to Race through the DAST Research. Cultural Studies of Science Education, v17 n1 p169-176 Mar. In this paper, I discuss how Walls employs color-blind ideology, a critical race theory (CRT) tenet to analyze the role of race in the draw-a-scientist (DAST) literature. Walls' article, "A critical race theory analysis of the draw-a-scientist test: Are they really that white?" exposes how omitting race in DAST research leads to inaccurate perceptions and perpetuates stereotypes that children's views and images of scientists are White and male. This commentary focuses on identifying the ways Walls sheds light on color-blind ideology in DAST and offers insights for extending the use of CRT in science education. [For "A Critical Race Theory Analysis of the Draw-a-Scientist Test: Are They Really That White?," see EJ1332976.]… [Direct]
(2023). Microaggressions Faced by International Students in the US with a Discussion on Critical Race Theory. Journal of International Students, v13 n3 p236-253. International students make up an increasingly large portion of the US student population, especially among graduate students studying the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. In this article we analyzed the microaggression experiences of 22 international students in graduate STEM programs at predominantly white institutions. International students, often people of color (PoC), may be subject to facing discrimination within their universities. Our results break down the different types of microaggressions that our participants reported experiencing from faculty, peers and students, both on and off campus. These experiences include individuals insulting a participant's country of origin, doubting their academic ability, threatening them, and otherwise discriminating against them. Each event reported by our participants is classified into a type of microaggression and is further discussed using Critical Race Theory to connect how international students' racialized… [PDF]
(2023). Narrative Spillover: A Narrative Policy Framework Analysis of Critical Race Theory Discourse at Multiple Levels. Grantee Submission Narrative storytelling surrounds us. Narratives are especially salient in politics, as policy problems do not simply exist, but are actively created through the stories policy actors tell. Scholars introduced the narrative policy framework (NPF) to create a generalized framework for studying how policy actors use storytelling strategically to influence policy. We use the NPF to examine the recent rise of critical race theory (CRT) in policy debates. We demonstrate that increasing exposure to the ban CRT narrative plots led to greater support for a ban on CRT, particularly for White and Republican individuals. Finally, we introduce and test the concept of "narrative spillover," which provides a new way of thinking about how micro, meso, and macro policy narratives interact to influence-related political beliefs and macrolevel beliefs about institutions and culture. [This is the online version of an article published in "Policy Studies Journal.">… [Direct] [Direct]
(2023). Examining Literature through Tenets of Critical Race Theory: A Pedagogical Approach for the ELA Classroom. Multicultural Perspectives, v25 n1 p4-20. In this article, the authors present a qualitative study focused on preservice teachers employing a framework using tenets of critical race theory (CRT)–permanence of racism, experiential knowledge and counter-storytelling, interest convergence, and critique of liberalism–in literature study. Drawing on critical English education, critical race English education, and CRT, the proposed framework integrates key tenets of CRT with literature in classrooms. Our findings demonstrated engagement by preservice teachers in identification, analysis, and reflection of CRT tenets in texts. This framework has the potential to provide a tool for students and teachers in K-12 schools to connect tenets of CRT to their knowledge of society and race in the texts they read…. [Direct]
(2023). Hysteria, Hypermania, & Hullabaloo: How White Emotionalities Manufactures Fear of Critical Race Theory & Teaching. Thresholds in Education, v46 n1 p1-7. From a global pandemic that killed 6.5 million people to worldwide awareness of police brutality leading to the systematic murders of Black people, the world today has set a new precedent in what constitutes fear. Plainly, fear is not always some sentimental whim one conjures up against a fantastical boogeyman; instead, fear in today's sense is tantamount to life and death themselves. Therefore, one can understand how absurd it is to hear that the nation has become quickly obsessed about the fear of a potential new "threat": not monkeypox or nuclear war, not white supremacist marches or the Ukrainian war, but the big, "bad," CRT. That critical race theory (CRT) is the boogeyman, moreover the big bad wolf, lurking behind K-12 classrooms waiting to huff and puff at the doors of K-12 schools, simply to blow down their very existence is ridonkulous. This series points out how we are being swayed by ridiculousness and how we can think more critically and rationally… [PDF]
(2022). Defining Professional Support by Counselor Education Faculty of Color Using Critical Race Theory. Counselor Education and Supervision, v61 n2 p72-85 Jun. Implementing professional support systems that are beneficial to the professional needs of faculty of color (FOC) have been found to promote positive work environments. Using a Critical Race Theory lens, the results of this qualitative study yielded two important themes related to support for counselor educators of color: (1) culturally responsive mentoring; and (2) purposeful support toward tenure and promotion. Culturally relevant implications that addresses programs and systems have been provided…. [Direct]
(2019). Critical Race Theory v. Deficit Models. Equity & Excellence in Education, v52 n1 p47-54. This article is a response to Amanda Lewis, Margaret Hagerman, and Tyrone Forman's the Sociology of Race & Racism: Key Concepts, Contributions & Debates. Sociology and education, like any scholarly areas, have veins that reinforce racism and some that astutely assess, theorize, and challenge White supremacy. In this article, I explore the history of racial analysis in sociology and education, especially the 1990s and early 2000s, where theorists moved the larger discourse around racism from an issue of individual prejudice to one of structured racial oppression. In particular, I discuss the development and applications of concepts such as color-blind ideology, Critical Race Theory, racial formation, and systemic racism. The argument centers on how critical sociology and education scholars of race/racism are not regularly speaking to each other, despite their fields' similar developments. The article points to how a deeper engagement with the developments of each, in… [Direct]
(2024). Cultivating Critical Race Theory Awareness with Secondary Pre-Service Teachers through Examination of Black Lives Matter-Themed Literature. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, v67 n6 p403-413. This study documents secondary pre-service teachers (PSTs) who examined Black Lives Matter (BLM)-themed young adult literature (YAL) embedded in contemporary realistic fiction and graphic novels, as part of coursework for an online YAL course required for secondary teacher certification. An analysis of instructor mentoring, online discussions, literature evaluations, and interviews demonstrates enhanced awareness of the need to implement BLM-themed literature, against the grain of rigid curricular requirements and policies that ban critical race theory (CRT) dialogue in numerous school districts. Moreover, PSTs identified these texts as a source to guide CRT to raise awareness of the history and permanence of systemic racism and its influence on contemporary society and the implementation of culturally relevant literature…. [Direct]
(2023). Legislate to (Un)Educate: Examining the Impact of Divisive and Dehumanizing Education Policies. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, v25 n1-2 p51-68. Authors explore recent education policies that ban the teaching of critical race theory, restrict teaching race-related topics, prohibit conversations about divisive concepts, and problematize their impact in further silencing (and potentially erasing) complex issues about race and racism and other forms of oppression in historical and sociocultural contexts. This article highlights legislative efforts and examines findings and implications from a study designed to explore perceptions of educators related to the anti-critical race theory bills…. [Direct]
(2022). A Critical Race Theory Perspective on Assaultive Speech in U.S. Campus Communities. Equity & Excellence in Education, v55 n3 p244-256. US college and university administrators are reluctant to regulate racialized assaultive speech by members of their campus communities, even when the effect and objective of such speech is to demean, degrade, ostracize, and threaten Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. My critical race theory analysis reveals how two US Supreme Court cases commonly used to defend assaultive speech in campus communities, have been misapplied. Both cases were about students expressing political speech–a different legal realm from hate speech that has no educational value and, in my view, merits regulation because of its harmful effect. In this theoretical article, I urge institutional leaders and researchers who are committed to equity in education to challenge the white legal logic that for too long has protected assaultive speech in educational settings at the expense of marginalized communities. I recommend that institutions of higher education establish robust, unapologetic standards and… [Direct]
(2024). Exploring the Structural Inequalities of the Individualized Education Program: A Dis/Ability Critical Race Theory Perspective. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, v44 n3 p217-228. Disproportionality and inequity exist in the special education services that U.S. children receive based on factors such as race, geographic location, and resources of the school system. Overrepresentation and underrepresentation are both prevalent issues and can vary by region or school district and are likely due to multiple factors. Although several areas of special education services have been examined critically, one missing piece in the literature seems to be the writing and revising of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature and background of special education services and the IEP, followed by an examination of the required portions of the IEP form and where the existing law might allow for implicit biases, specifically racism, to surface in the development of this program and its implementation…. [Direct]
(2023). Contextualizing Critical Race Theory on Inclusive Education from a Scholar-Practitioner Perspective: Does It Really Matter? International Perspectives on Inclusive Education. Volume 22. International Perspectives on Inclusive Education Race does not only resonate with the dichotomy of blackness and whiteness but also on its impact on non-physical attributes, this includes factors such as indigenous status, social class, religion, language, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality and immigration. The intersection of these factors are key considerations on inclusive education. "Contextualizing Critical Race Theory on Inclusive Education from a Scholar-Practitioner Perspective" highlights what race means across social, cultural, political, and historical categories of diverse identities. The scholar-practitioner approach employed here captures the theories, tenets, perspectives, and misconceptions of this based on its particular critical expansion in describing other related social identities that is consistent with the attributes of inclusive education. More importantly, it emphasizes the theoretical and practical use of critical race theory as an analytical tool in addressing the influence of race on… [Direct]
(2024). Teaching and Leading in the Age of Critical Race Theory Legislation: A Case of Self-Silencing in a School. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, v27 n2 p60-72. This case centers on two early career educators: a principal and teacher struggling to address issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in their school in the current political context of legislative attacks on critical race theory (CRT) and the simultaneous national Black Lives Matter movement. A talented teacher is reluctantly self-silencing out of fear and uncertainty when her students ask her questions related to DEIJ topics. Tired of feeling anxious and compromising her teaching, she seeks the advice of her principal. The case asks readers to consider implications for school leaders, teachers, students, parents, and teacher educators…. [Direct]