(2017). Reframing Positive and Negative: A Qualitative Exploration of How White Students Make Meaning of Cross-Racial Interaction. Whiteness and Education, v2 n2 p112-130. This qualitative study explores how white students make meaning of positive and negative cross-racial interaction, and how these interactions contribute to growth and learning. Utilising the theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory and intercultural maturity, this study provides evidence that cross-racial interactions reflect both positive and negative attributes that contribute to growth and learning. How this manifests is outlined in three overarching themes, including: 'Net-positive', 'Awkward, Uncomfortable, Tense' and 'The Nature of Positive Interactions'…. [Direct]
(2022). Leading the Flock: Examining the Characteristics of Multicultural School Leaders in Their Quest for Equitable Schooling. Improving Schools, v25 n1 p22-36 Mar. The quest for educational leaders to enact social and equitable schooling requires ongoing critical transformations that cannot be alienated from contemporary educational discourses and practices. Enacting social justice and equitable schooling poses an unparalleled challenge on the shoulders of risk-taking visionaries, who meticulously attempt to transmit their beliefs and values into the daily routine tasks at school, rather than plotting futuristic management scenarios. The study seeks to explore the multifaceted role of primary school leaders in the daily struggle to diffuse the principles of Multicultural Education for more just and equitable schooling. For this purpose, qualitative data measures were employed to determine the extent of which participants in the study mirrored the review of literature and research questions. The Critical Incident Technique was particularly useful as it allowed the collection for a large number of incidents occurring over a number of years, from… [Direct]
(2023). A Case Study of Two Private Restoration Movement Christian Institutions of Higher Education Demonstrating Positive Retention and Graduation Rates of Black Students. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Missouri – Columbia. This case study utilizes mixed methods to evaluate the methods and processes used to recruit, to gauge student persistence and the graduation rates of black students in a Christian college setting. It examines the institutional practices and policies that influenced positive retention and graduation of Black students in small, private Christian colleges and universities associated with the Restoration Movement and how these methods and processes were used in two specific universities that demonstrate the highest percentage of retention and graduation rates from among other like institutions, according to efficacy, confidence, dispositional assessments, and qualitative data gathered from multiple perspectives. The conceptual framework for this study includes the triangulation through analysis of three specific areas: first, a consideration of the tenets of Restoration Movement (RM) schools with respect to their history in the United States; second, the application or avoidance of… [Direct]
(2020). A Critical Race Examination of the Lived Experiences of Persistent African American Students at a Predominantly White Community College. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of North Dakota. For well over a century, African Americans have fought for equal rights to employment, prosperity, political power and freedom. Earning an education was the way forward. Over time, legislative and institutional policies have created greater access to education for racialized individuals. Yet, African American students remain the most underserved population, and among the lowest in degree attainment across ethnic groups. Decades of research literature places blame on students and families, highlighting student deficiencies. Far fewer explanations in the literature point to institutional barriers that perpetuate practices that place African American students at a disadvantage. Critical Race Theory (CRT) offers a lens to examine ways in which race continues to be a prominent component of inequality throughout education, and allows researchers to critique deficit theorizing that may be limited by the exclusion of voices of people of color. Using CRT as a theoretical framework, and… [Direct]
(2016). Words Are Wind: Using Du Bois and Bourdieu to "Unveil" the Capricious Nature of Gifted and Talented Programs. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, v14 n1 p127-143 Mar. Concerns over students of color gaining access to gifted education programs have persisted for decades; and while numerous educators, policymakers, and researchers have deliberated about the underrepresentation of minority students in gifted education, few articles utilize a theoretical approach explicating this dilemma. This article seeks to fill this void, utilizing Critical Race Theory and Latino Critical Race Theory's counter-story/testimonies to understand and illuminate the capricious nature of gifted and talented programs in Denver Public Schools. Using Bourdieu's notion of cultural capital and Du Bois' analogy of the veil, the article demonstrates the role parents play in accessing gifted and talented programs and details how accessibility perpetuates racial disparities in schools that are lauded as being diverse and inclusive. Also discussed are issues of cultural capital, namely factors that enable and empower white parents and their respective students to remain in… [Direct]
(2018). (Re)Constructing the Language of the Achievement Gap to an Opportunity Gap: The Counternarratives of Three African American Women School Leaders. Journal of School Leadership, v28 n3 p344-373 May. This article situates the counternarrative of three African American female school principals and their leadership practices toward equity using a critical race theory framework (CRT). The data come from a larger exploratory study that addressed the understanding of the so-called achievement gap by school leaders. Four prevalent themes emerged through the use of a CRT analysis: (1) "Mind-set toward opportunity gap;" (2) "recognizing issues: race, racism, and interest convergence;" (3) "holistic approaches toward "Our" students;" "and (4) the (real) opportunity of loss." I conclude with four contexts for implication for school leadership practice…. [Direct]
(2018). I Can't Be Racist–I Teach in an Urban School, and I'm a Nice White Lady!. World Journal of Education, v8 n3 p1-11. This paper examines, through the lens of critical race theory (CRT), beliefs often asserted by self-described, open-minded white educators about their students of color. While these teachers may perceive themselves as liberal and inclusive, their interactions with students of color are shrouded by white privilege which can be disenfranchising to students of color. By countering these ascribed beliefs with research, theory, and qualitative experiences, the authors aim to expose how white privilege manifests within the typical classroom and to invite all white educators to examine their racial attitudes and beliefs. Using CRT, the authors make recommendations for strategies to develop white teachers into white allies…. [PDF]
(2018). Examining Latina/o Students' Experiences of Injustice: LatCrit Insights from a Texas High School. Journal of Latinos and Education, v17 n2 p103-120. We used Latina/Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) to re-analyze survey and interview data from earlier research in which we found that Latina/o students reported less positive experiences than other students in this high school. We found racial injustice in class enrollments, in students' experiences with stereotypes and prejudice, in student-teacher relationships, and in school policies and norms. LatCrit principles illustrate interconnections among racism, interest convergence, and colorblindness that create racial injustice for Latinas/os. We argue that counterstorytelling could emerge to resist that injustice and that educators must understand how racism functions in their schools and interrogate relevant policies and norms…. [Direct]
(2018). Asian American Female School Administrators' Self-Concept and Expectations for Students' Educational Success. Leadership and Research in Education, v4 spec iss p70-96 2017-2018. Historically, Asian American school administrators' experiences leading the K-12 educational system have been under-researched and under-theorized. Today, as the fastest growing population in the United States, Asian American educators' experiences and contributions can no longer be ignored in educational policy and research. Drawing on the traditions of critical race theory in education, this qualitative study underscores the leadership experiences of four Asian American women school administrators in one Southern U.S. state and seeks to identify their self-concept and expectations as school administrators. This vantage point provides the basis for investigation into their sense of responsibility for equity and leadership practices in diverse educational settings…. [PDF]
(2018). We Are Not Even Post-Colonial Yet!: Archetypes in the Master Narrative of U.S. History Textbooks. Penn GSE Perspectives on Urban Education, v15 n1 Sum. This paper uses literary analysis of 21 st century U.S. history textbooks and the theoretical frameworks of post-colonial theory, racial pedagogical content knowledge, and critical race theory to argue that students at urban schools continue to be "made ahistorical" by classroom instructional conditions that devalue history instruction, including textbooks, standardized testing (in both the presence and the absence), and the lack of substantial content-matter teacher professional development. More troublesome is the persistence of a colonial master narrative that both fails to serve the majority of white students, and that minimizes or erases the growing population of students of color in urban schools…. [PDF]
(2018). Achieving the Dream, Uncertain Futures: The Postbaccalaureate Decision-Making Process of Latinx Undocumented Students. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, v17 n2 p112-131 Apr. This qualitative study examined the decision-making process of undocumented college students pursuing graduate degrees, and how their commitment to matriculate in higher education programs is shaped by a myriad of social, familial, financial, and institutional factors. This study drew on 2 years of ethnographic data from a sample of 20 undocumented graduate students. The authors used critical race theory and LatCrit in education as guiding frameworks. The findings revealed that family marginalization, guided pathways, and social activism inform student decisions to pursue graduate school. The article concluded with a discussion of implications and areas of future research on undocumented students pursuing a graduate education in a DACA context…. [Direct]
(2020). Adult Reflection on Engaging Youth of Color in Research and Action: A Case Study from Five U.S. Cities. Journal of Adolescent Research, v35 n6 p699-727 Nov. With the proliferation of participatory approaches to promoting youth development such as Youth-Led Participatory Action Research (YPAR), it is more important than ever that researchers and practitioners understand how to create curriculum that will authentically engage youth of color. To that end, there are important lessons public health researchers can learn from the fields of community psychology, education, and social work, among others. We explore the benefits of a youth-led research and action curriculum steeped in critical pedagogy and critical race theory focused on public health. Youth of color (N = 35) between the ages of 13 and 34 years from five U.S. cities were hired as researchers. The majority (57%) of youth were 16 or 17 years, and the gender split was female (57%) and male (43%). Key informant interviews with adults and qualitative data analysis techniques were employed to examine program products and outcomes. Materials were deductively coded for content related to… [Direct]
(2023). "Showing up for Students": Exploring an Emergent Asian/Asian American Mentorship Pedagogy at Minority Serving Institutions. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, California State University, Los Angeles. Employing critical race theory, this study explored Asian and Asian American mentorship pedagogy in minority serving settings. Despite growing recognition of the role Faculty of Color play in mentoring college students, especially in minority-serving institutions, few studies have explored the way Asian and Asian American faculty mentor Students of Color. This study included nine participants from a large four-year public university in Southern California and three faculty members who served as mentors in a doctoral preparation program. All faculty worked in minority-serving institutional settings at large public-four-year institutions in California. Findings indicate that, like other Faculty of Color, Asian and Asian Americans faculty who mentor are informed by their lived experiences and community cultural wealth, particularly, navigational, social, and resistant capital. Despite differences attributable to their diverse backgrounds, the vast majority of mentors linked their… [Direct]
(2023). African American Women Leaders in Higher Education: An Examination of Job Satisfaction. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, St. John's University (New York). Despite the increase of African American women on college campuses, African American women leaders in higher education administration in the United States are significantly underrepresented and under-retained. This lack of representation has lasting effects on leadership pipelines and how African American women leaders are perceived and valued in the workplace. A contributing factor to this disparity is job satisfaction experienced by African American women leaders in academia. Using Black Feminist Thought and Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Higher Education as theoretical frameworks, this critical narrative study described the experiences of eight African American women in higher education leadership to help us understand how individual experiences in the workplace shape job satisfaction at a doctoral-granting, predominantly White public institution in the northeast United States. Through a series of semi-structured interviews, the study investigated the individual experiences of the… [Direct]
(2017). Black and Brown Millennial Activism on a PWI Campus in the Era of Trump. Journal of Negro Education, v86 n3 p252-268 Sum. This is a qualitative study of 12 Black and Brown student activists at a predominantly White institution (PWI). Using a combined civic engagement and critical race theory framework to analyze student narratives, the authors found that the campus climate is responsible for initiating students into activism, that millennials viewed activism on a spectrum, that minoritized identities are a driving motivation for engagement, and finally the first 100 days of Trump had little effect on the motivations of Black and Brown activists…. [Direct]