(2023). A Case Study of Latino Parental Involvement in an Elementary School. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, California State University, Long Beach. Socioeconomic status (SES), home language, and parent education level play a significant role in student academic achievement and the involvement of parents, including Latino parents, in schools. The purpose of this study was to understand Latino parent involvement at one southern California elementary school. The Latino critical race theory (LatCrit) framework was used to examine parental involvement and its connection to Latino families by considering factors such as immigration status, language, SES, and various cultural aspects school personnel may not fully consider when planning ways for parents and families to be involved. The research question asked about the opportunities school officials provided for parent involvement and how the parents perceived these opportunities. Data collection methods included parent interviews, document analysis of school-to-home communications, and observations of parent events. Themes such as Communication, Opportunities to Be Involved, and… [Direct]
(2023). Longing for a Seat at the Table: An Analysis of the Experiences of Four Black Women Who Navigated the Career Ladder in Early Childhood Education. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Ball State University. This study uses narrative inquiry to explore the stories of Black women who have successfully navigated the professional career ladder in early childhood education. The study examines four narratives, written by Black women in early childhood education through the lens of Critical Race Theory as well as Feminist Theory to understand what role race and/or gender play in the career progression of Black women in early childhood education. The main research question that this dissertation focuses on is: What are the experiences of Black women navigating leadership opportunities in the early childhood profession? Additional research questions include: What is the role of mentorship in Black women's early childhood career trajectory? What role do white women play in the advancement of Black women in early childhood education? The narratives were coded using the deductive coding method and the themes of agency, family support, mentorship and higher education emerged. Individual interviews… [Direct]
(2023). Performing Culturally Responsive School Counseling: An Exploration of the Gap between Theory and Practice in the Pursuit of Serving Minoritized Students. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, California State University, Long Beach. Culturally responsive school counseling (CRSC) is the call to action for school counselors, aimed at meeting the needs of underrepresented groups. CRSC is often described as an approach that serves all students, but definitions fail to mention and center underrepresented populations (i.e., students of color). Literature has included varying interpretations of CRSC but its definition remains vague, lacking identifiers or a set of best practices for practitioners to pursue. School counselors are left to interpret the ambiguity of CRSC, which impacts the services they provide Minoritized students and their outcomes. Using a conceptual framework based on critical race theory and culturally relevant pedagogy, this qualitative study examined the presence and invisibility of whiteness in school counseling through the perspectives of 17 practicing high school counselors in the state of California. One-on-one interviews elucidated how counselors make meaning of CRSC in their practice and its… [Direct]
(2020). Exploring Definitions of Success in Northern Territory Indigenous Higher Education Policy. Journal of Educational Administration and History, v52 n4 p323-343. This article critically examines definitions of policy 'success' in the context of historical Indigenous higher education policy in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. We begin by summarising applications of the often-used but arbitrary, rarely-critiqued terms 'policy success' and 'what works'. The paper chronologically articulates what 'policy success' has looked like in the context of historical Northern Territory higher education, based on a critical analysis of policy documents. We then apply Critical Race Theory and Indigenous research theories to highlight the power processes that are attached to representation of policy issues, creation of policy goals, and ultimately definitions of 'success'. We also consider the role of ethical principles in framing conceptions about what constitutes a worthy policy goal. We suggest expansion and resourcing of formalised Indigenous governance mechanisms is needed to create more productive dialogue about Indigenous higher education policy… [Direct]
(2020). The Normalcy of Racism in the School Experience of Students of Colour: "The Times When It Hurts". Scottish Educational Review, v52 n2 p26-47. This paper focuses on racism in Scottish schools drawing on data from focus groups with secondary students of colour. The study explores racial inequity in schools through students' reflections on enactments of bias and privilege. Findings demonstrate that: (1) students of colour experience racism but race is being ignored or deflected in their interactions in schools; (2) students feel discriminated against due to race; and (3) they do not feel that they are heard and supported by their school. Employing a Critical Race Theory perspective, the article argues for the necessity of race talk in schools and the need for student voice. The study concludes with implications for teachers, research, and education policy, and suggestions for more explicit focus on race in the classrooms, curriculum and policies. [Note: The volume number (51) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct citation for this article is v52 n2.]… [PDF]
(2023). The Slippery Work of Teaching about Whiteness and Privilege: Two Latinx Professors' Testimonio. Journal of Leadership, Equity, and Research, v9 n1 p55-79. Using "testimonio" (Reyes & Rodriguez, 2012), two Latinx instructors examine their experiences and thought processes with the kinds of resistance faced from White or White-aligning students constantly "slipping away" from doing the work of reflecting on Whiteness and their privilege. Analyzing the data through a critical race-grounded theory approach (Malag√≥n, P√©rez-Huber, & Velez, 2009), we theorize a pattern of self-removal and deflection that White students engage in to maintain their privilege and Whiteness invisible. In our discussion, we consider the role of pedagogy and ideology for teacher educators working with resistance from White students…. [PDF]
(2019). Eastern European Migrants' Experiences of Racism in English Schools: Positions of Marginal Whiteness and Linguistic Otherness. Whiteness and Education, v4 n1 p53-71. The number of students in England registered as speaking the languages of Eastern, and Central Europe has grown significantly in the past decade, but these migrants' educational experiences remain under-researched. This study, based on interviews with students, parents and teachers in four secondary schools in London and in the East of England, found that Eastern European students experience various forms of racism and low expectations from teachers. Using a framework influenced by Critical Race Theory and critical conceptions of whiteness, we argue that these students occupy a position of marginal whiteness, related to their linguistic Otherness. However, as the parents we interviewed were aware, the students do benefit from whiteness if they speak English without an accent so that they are not perceived as 'foreign'…. [Direct]
(2022). Masquerading as Equitable: Using White Teachers' Racist Communication to Guide Diversity Course Revisions. Teaching Education, v33 n1 p56-80. Graduate programs for inservice teachers seeking additional credentialing often include a mandatory diversity course. One aim of these types of courses is to help teachers recognize and dismantle their racial biases in hopes that this self-reflection process will enable teachers to use antiracist teaching approaches and create classroom communities where all students feel safe, respected, and justly included in the classroom. We, two practitioner-researchers, both taught separate sections of one such mandatory graduate diversity course for inservice teachers. Instructor photos revealing our race (Author 1: Black, Author 2: White) were the only differences in the fully online, asynchronous course sections. After experiencing/witnessing graduate students' racial bias towards the Black instructor captured via informal communication posted to the 'Ask the Instructor' board, we investigated whether students' racial bias would be captured in graded coursework. Using both Cultural… [Direct]
(2022). Four Black/Brown Struggling Readers: Narratives from Second and Third Graders in Baltimore City. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, The George Washington University. This study emphasizes formal and informal reading development, race, and socioeconomic status as significant components of the lived experiences of four low socioeconomic Black/Brown second- and third-graders who struggled with reading. The research acknowledges historical progression of the American public education system, exploring peer-reviewed literature to examine the four components of the study's conceptual framework: race, socioeconomics, formal reading instructional practices, and informal reading exercises, as influences of the lived reading experiences of struggling readers. Set in Baltimore, Maryland, the researcher used qualitative methodology to gather data to develop narratives of the elementary-aged participants, illuminating their lived formal and informal reading experiences as struggling readers. The data collection process, being completed during the global COVID-19 pandemic, added dimension to the thoughts, feelings, and concerns of the participants. Using… [Direct]
(2014). Still Flies in Buttermilk: Black Male Faculty, Critical Race Theory, and Composite Counterstorytelling. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v27 n10 p1354-1375. Driven by critical race theory, this essay employs composite counterstorytelling to narrate the experiences of black male faculty on traditionally white campuses. Situated at the intersections of race and gender, our composite counterstory is richly informed by 11 interviews with black male faculty alongside critical race scholarship that documents the omnipresence of black misandric ideology. Through our protagonist Dr Timesnow, a black male Assistant Professor, we reflect on how his daily experiences incite racial battle fatigue, feed into imposter syndrome, and circumvent an inclusive campus community…. [Direct]
(2024). Lived Experiences of Students of Color at a Faith-Based Predominantly White Institution: A Narrative Inquiry. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Michigan-Flint. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study (n = 9) is to understand the lived experiences of students of color at a faith-based predominately white institution (PWI). Students of color who attend PWIs graduate at a lower rate than their majority-culture peers and are less likely to report feeling a significant sense of belonging to the institution (Strayhorn, 2019). Understanding student perceptions of sense of belonging as a key component related to student success may help educational leaders support students in faith-based PWIs complete their intended course of study and lead to increased educational outcomes. A sample of nine (n = 9) students or former students of color were invited to participate in the study, consisting of semi-structured open-ended interviews to document the lived and told stories of participants. Analysis of interviews demonstrated six major themes reflecting the experiences of participants that can inform educational leaders. These themes were… [Direct]
(2013). Reflections on a Critical Race Theory Project with Educational Leaders. International Perspectives on Higher Education Research This chapter highlights the experiences of a professor who taught a cultural diversity class to doctoral students in an educational leadership program. During the course students were engaged in the study of critical educational theory with a component of the course focusing on critical race theory. Some of the examples in this chapter illustrate how educational leaders despite initial difficulty with confronting issues of racism were able to overcome years of mis-education to become educational leaders for social justice. Moreover, the chapter highlights the difficulties and challenges that professors who engage in critical race theory encounter. The chapter pointedly discloses why there is a need for professors to engage students in conversations around racism and social justice. [For the complete volume, "Social Justice Issues and Racism in the College Classroom: Perspectives from Different Voices. International Perspectives on Higher Education Research. Volume 8," see… [Direct]
(2019). By Us, for Us: The Impact of a Professional Counterspace on African American Women in Student Affairs. Journal of Negro Education, v88 n2 p159-180 Spr. This study investigated outcomes associated with consistently participating in a professional counterspace developed by and for African American women higher education administrators. Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews with seven African American women student affairs professionals employed at predominantly White institutions, who consistently attended the African American Women's Summit (AAWS) between 2006-2011. Participants noted the Summit's impact on their physical, spiritual and interpersonal wellness; opportunities created by the AAWS for mentoring and networking; and the encouragement they received to advance their careers through professional development. Included is a discussion of the concept of professional counterspaces situated in Black feminist thought and critical race theory, which are the theoretical frameworks that grounded this inquiry. Implications for practice, theory, and further research are also presented…. [Direct]
(2019). Discrimination against Credentials in Black Bodies: Counterstories of the Characteristic Labour Market Experiences of Migrants in Ireland. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, v47 n4 p524-542. Black Africans across Europe who report higher levels of discrimination in employment encounter systemic resistance in their career pursuits. In this article, discrimination in the Irish labour market is creatively challenged by centring race, and juxtaposing the experiences of migrants of Black African descent against their White counterparts based on information from 32 semi-structured interviews of first generation migrants from Nigeria, Poland, and Spain. Five characteristic experiences identified by synthesising migrants' interpretation of their journeys to paid employment are presented. The typologies in these trajectories reveal whiteness as a hidden resource that advantages Whites. It also illustrates the prevalence of an ascription of deficiency to Black workers and their credentials. These findings are presented through composite characters following critical race theory's counter-storytelling…. [Direct]
(2019). Immigration Policy and Education in Lived Reality: A Framework for Researchers and Educators. Educational Researcher, v48 n8 p549-557 Nov. The urgency of immigration policy in the lives of immigrant students and families and educators is more evident than ever; however, education theories and educators' practices are not keeping pace with this lived reality. We draw on scholarship that examines the lives and educational experiences of undocumented students and undocumented or mixed-status families; research on classroom, school, and district policy and practice for immigrant students; and critical sociocultural approaches and critical race theories to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the intersection of immigration policy and education in a nuanced way. We highlight conceptual insights–on people, policy, context, outcomes, and power–for making sense of this nexus. We conclude with implications for our work as researchers and educators and how we conceptualize citizenship…. [Direct]