(2020). The Recruit: A Futurist Story about Race and College Admissions. Educational Perspectives, v52 n1 p18-25. "The Recruit," told through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), harnesses counter-storytelling to paint a cogent picture of how programs supposedly meant to address issues of social justice, in and of themselves, become new and more insidious versions of their predecessors. CRT posits that racism is inextricably embedded into the legal frameworks that govern every aspect of American society (Hiraldo, 2010, p. 54). "The Recruit" is set in a not so distant "utopian" future, where college admissions officers employ the same tactics football coaches use to find qualified black male athletes. They: (1) scout talent; (2) establish collaborative partnerships with high school coaches; (3) spend time cultivating one-on-one relationships with recruits; (4) visit homes to talk with parents and families; (5) host special visit days for student-athletes whom they wish to recruit; and (6) search far and wide for the most talented prospects (as opposed to… [PDF]
(2022). Teaching Diversity in North American Higher Education Master's Programs: Curricula and Rationales. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, v14 n4 p1731-1741. Purpose: This study aims to examine North American master's programs in higher education administration, leadership and student affairs; the extent to which these programs incorporate diversity coursework; and their reasons for doing so. Graduate programs must prepare practitioners who are able to work effectively with multiple groups of students, ameliorate persistence and graduation gaps, and create more socially just campuses. Design/methodology/approach: Using an open-ended questionnaire and document analysis, the authors analyzed the extent to which and why these master's programs incorporate courses and course material on diversity. Findings: Exactly half of higher education leadership (50%) and a small majority of student affairs (52%) programs require some type of diversity course, while only 42% of higher education administration programs do so. Reported reasons for including such coursework include students' demand for such courses, the centrality of diversity to university… [Direct]
(2022). Teachers' Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Practices and Inequalities with Black Students. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Northeastern University. Current educational systems utilize Eurocentric curricula and disciplinary practices that perpetuate discrimination towards students of color. As such, many educators are seeking improved strategies to better meet the needs of minority students. Culturally responsive teaching practices have been used throughout school districts as a pedagogy to address the academic achievement gap between Black and White students and improving educational environments. Culturally responsive practices involve the incorporation of student experiences, backgrounds, interests, and perspectives as an instructional practice that connects to academic content taught in classrooms. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used as a strategy of inquiry to construct meaning of teacher's perceptions of culturally responsive practices and inequalities with Black students. In this study, the researcher collected data from six tenured elementary school educators in Connecticut. Critical race theory was used as… [Direct]
(2017). We Are (Not) All Bulldogs: Minoritized Peer Socialization Agents' Meaning-Making about Collegiate Contexts. Journal of College Student Development, v58 n5 p643-656 Jul. In this study I examined the ways minoritized students who serve as peer socialization agents made meaning of their collegiate contexts in relation to their identities and socialization positions. Using the framework of Critical Race Theory and the concept of a meaning-making filter, I explored the meaning-making of 13 minoritized peer socialization agents (MPSAs) at a predominantly White institution. MPSAs mobilized meaning-making filters developed by counterspaces and enacted counterstorytelling as an act of resistance to the dominant narrative of the institution…. [Direct]
(2017). Kaleidoscope Views: Using the Theoretical Borderlands to Understand the Experiences of Gay Cis-Men. Journal of College Student Development, v58 n6 p818-832 Sep. In this critical narrative inquiry study, we explored the experience of gay cisgender men in college at the borderlands of social constructionism, critical race theory, and queer theory. Findings included 3 major themes: (a) the salience, tokenization, and centrality of being an "other" in a given space, (b) how performativity varied in different contexts, and (c) navigating competing counterspaces. We intended this study to complicate student development and how practitioners and researchers engage in praxis and research through multiple, (potentially) competing viewpoints…. [Direct]
(2017). Picturing Obama: Race, High School Students and a Critical Methodology of the Visual. Critical Questions in Education, v8 n2 spec iss p178-192 Spr. I draw on methodological findings from a case study on how high school students of color make sense of dominant narratives of race and politics in the Obama American Era. Incorporating literature from critical race theory, visual research methods, and the writings of cultural scholar Stuart Hall, I draw conclusions from this inquiry project as a means for offering a practical instantiation of critical race research through the use of visuals and a new avenue for considering Foucault's notion of parrhesia in qualitative inquiry…. [PDF]
(2022). Developing Servingness and Understanding Leadership Decision-Making for Hispanic-Serving Institution Grant Programs. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Higher education leaders have been competing for federally designated Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs) grant funding to improve the educational attainment of Latinx and low-income students. However, while the number of HSIs has continued to grow since the passage of the Higher Education Act (HEA), the availability of the funds has remained stagnant. Utilizing critical race theory, theory of racialized organizations, critical race praxis, and multidimensional servingness framework, this study aimed to understand eight HSI grant implementation leaders' decision-making practices, motivations to serve and explore their racial and cultural identities as they created programmatic interventions to support Latinx students. Employing a qualitative multiple case study approach, leaders from one research university, one state university, and one non-profit 4-year institution were interviewed. Three themes were identified in the findings: 1. participants highlighted their roles as being… [Direct]
(2022). A Phenomenological Case Study: The Perceived Benefits and Challenges of a STEM Mentoring Program for Women and Under-Represented Minorities. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Point Park University. This phenomenological case study explored the benefits and challenges of participation in a formal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) mentoring program for women and under-represented minorities (URMs) in the Natural Sciences & Engineering Technology (NSET) department at Point Park University. This study included the collection of qualitative interview data from NSET faculty, as well as alumni mentor and student mentee informants. Additional data was collected from a review of the NSET Mentorship Guidelines document and an analysis of student demographics and retention data. Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality Theory served as the conceptual framework used to explore and understand the experiences of women and URM students that have participated in the program. Analysis of the data revealed the following key themes: method and timing of communication in the recruitment of students; key benefits of professional and psychosocial development; challenges… [Direct]
(2022). The Influence of Academic Programs on College Choice in Transferring from Community Colleges to Maryland Historically Black Institutions of Higher Education. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Morgan State University. Legislation and litigation to end desegregation in higher education and improve college choice to HBCUs abound while academic programs continue to impact college choice. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the influence of Maryland's dual system of public higher education on college choice, specifically through community college transfer rates to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White institutions (PWIs). The study examined the relationship of academic programs between HBCUs and PWIs and the effect of the academic programs on college choice in community college transfers to four-year institutions. Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Effectively Maintained Inequality (EMI) provided the theoretical framework for examining the variables. Inferential statistics were used to address research questions and test the hypotheses. Descriptive statistics were used to provide an understanding of community college transfer rates at HBCUs and PWIs… [Direct]
(2022). Herstories: An Asset-Based Study of Black Women Faculty in Computing. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The Florida State University. This phenomenological study investigates the narratives of six Black women faculty to ascertain how their experiences contributed to their retention and persistence in Computing. This study, which incorporates Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework, Critical Race Theory, and Intersectionality Theory, is guided by phenomenology and the following key research question: What are the lived experiences of Black Women Faculty in Computing that have aided their academic persistence and capacity to overcome internal and external barriers? Given the dearth of research in this area, this study employed a qualitative research approach to elucidate and understand the factors that contributed to these Black women faculty's academic and professional success in Computing. The study collected data through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The research explored three sub-questions: (1) What experiences influenced each participant's decision to begin and continue their education in Computing?, (2) What… [Direct]
(2022). Meeting Them at "Tha" Crossroads: Examining General Education Teachers' Knowledge and Understanding of Reaching and Teaching Black Boys with Disabilities. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Rowan University. Black boys with disabilities struggle in general education classrooms throughout the United States and face challenges and barriers regarding access, success, and equity. Educators must better understand how these students learn and create equitable opportunities by leveraging students' cultures, strengths, and knowledge. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods research study is to examine teachers' knowledge and understanding of enacting culturally responsive tenets. Four theoretical frameworks are used: Culturally Responsive Teaching (Gay, 2002b, 2018), Ethic of Care (Noddings, 2012), Differentiated Instruction (Tomlinson et al., 2003; Tomlinson, 2017), and Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory (Annamma et al., 2013). The Culturally Responsive Preparedness Scale (Hsiao, 2015) (n = 138) and qualitative interviews (n = 7) are used to gather data. Chi-square, ANOVA, and descriptive statics are used with Phase 1, and thematic coding is used with Phase 2. Emerging… [Direct]
(2022). A Legacy of Financial Inequities: A Historical Black College and University Stakeholders' Response to Funding Strategies. ProQuest LLC, Dr.Ed. Dissertation, Sam Houston State University. While there has been disinvestment into higher education, there is also a significant disparity in state investment for certain types of public institutions, specifically for less-resourced institutions such as HBCUs (Williams, 2020). There is not much literature that examines the relationship of formula funding or state appropriations on institutional outcomes at public Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Texas (Williams, 2020). Using a critical race theory and outcome equity lens will help provide a historical context of continued inadequate funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The funding disparities and insufficient funding mechanisms have not met the demands of low-income and underserved students that HBCUs serve. This qualitative case study's primary purpose is to understand the current state funding strategies impact on a specific HBCU from its institutional and community leaders. In addition to understanding the institutional leader's… [Direct]
(2022). Reckoning with Racism in Family-School Partnerships: Centering Black Parents' School Engagement. Multicultural Education Series. Teachers College Press Drawing from the lived experiences of Black parents as they engaged with their children's K-12 schools, this book brings a critical race theory (CRT) analysis to family-school partnerships. The author examines persistent racism and white supremacy at school, Black parents' resistance, and ways school communities can engage in more authentic partnerships with Black and Brown families. The children in this study attended schools with varying demographics and reputations. Their parents were engaged in these schools in the highly visible ways educators and policymakers traditionally say are important for children's education, such as proactively communicating with teachers, helping with homework, and joining PTOs. The author argues that, because of the relentless racism Black families experience in schools, educators must depart from race-evasive approaches and commit to more liberatory family-school partnerships. This book: (1) Includes an introduction to CRT and explains how it… [Direct]
(2022). Black Male Success in Higher Education: How the Mathematical Brotherhood Empowers a Collegiate Community to Thrive. Teachers College Press For more than 175 years, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played a significant role in educating Black students. This book examines the experiences of a cohort of 16 Black male math majors at Morehouse College referred to as "the mathematical brotherhood." Through the lenses of Black masculinity and critical race theory, the author employs an asset-based approach to tell a captivating story about this cohort within a racially affirming learning community. Readers will hear how Morehouse empowers the students, as well as how they navigate and manage ongoing racial challenges, mathematical spaces, and society. Amplifying the voices of the participants, the study showcases the nation's top producer of Black male math majors, extends the knowledge base regarding HBCUs' multigenerational legacy of success, and makes a significant contribution to the growing body of discipline-based education research. The author provides recommendations for families,… [Direct]
(2022). Nothing for Us, about Us, without Us, DREAM Action NIU: (Re)Formation of Undocumented and Mixed-Status Students' Identities of Resistance. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Illinois State University. Undocumented and mixed-status students often find themselves resisting in contested spaces at institutions of higher education. This project focused on how nine Latina leaders, whose advocacy spanned a little over a decade, produced identities of resistance at their predominately white college campus. This study captured the "testimonios" of the former Latina presidents and leaders of an undocumented student organization named DREAM Action NIU. Braiding together figured worlds, undocumented critical race theory and Nepantla this study observed how "las mujeres" were agitated to action while residing in the figured world of their student organization. Their interactions in this space led to discourse which helped (re)shape their identities or resistance (activists, organizer, or leader) and facilitated their understanding of agency and ultimately led them to exert their activist agency to create change on their campus. The Latina leaders partnered in the completion… [Direct]