(2018). Language Education for Romani Children: Human Rights and Capabilities Approaches. European Education, v50 n4 p371-384. The language of school is very often an obstacle to the successful education of indigenous, migrant, and minority children. One such group in Europe, the Romani, constitutes an ideal case of educational injustice meeting linguistic difference, racism, social marginalization, and poverty. Notwithstanding its virtues, rights-based advocacy for language minority children has not fulfilled its promise of educational justice: we propose that Sen's comparative capabilities approach is a better approach. We raise preliminary questions about (a) the unique linguistic situation for Romani youth in contemporary Europe, and (b) about the advantages of using Sen's capabilities approach as a conceptual tool for this investigation, and for investigations of other situations where linguistic minorities face persistent social injustice. We will attempt this through the investigation of a recent case of discrimination against Romani children on the basis of language, adjudicated by the European Court… [Direct]
(2020). Challenging Bigotry in the Freirean Classroom. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v33 n2 p212-228. In order to understand the current social, cultural, and political period of ascendant racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism, classism, and xenophobia — personified in the actions and statements of the current President of the United States — and its relationship to education, Ken McGrew suggests that the scholarship of Paulo Freire is particularly helpful. In this essay he positions his use of Freirean inspired pedagogy in the history of the social foundations tradition in education. He reflects on opposition to the foundations project, drawing upon his own teaching experiences and those of other scholars. Classroom experiences like those described in this essay, including institutional responses to them, are identified as locations of struggle with larger agendas — which include neoliberal efforts to repress the social foundations tradition in teacher training and advance banking education — to manipulate, divide, and dominate the lower-classes. He observes that the radical… [Direct]
(2023). The Disparities in Black College Students' Access to Financial Resources Based on Their Socioeconomic Status and Background. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D.Ed.Lead. Dissertation, Saint Peter's University. This research study aspired to establish a platform for African American college students to express their perspectives and encounters regarding their background and socioeconomic status, and how these factors have influenced their financial awareness. The endeavors aimed to provide insights that could be advantageous for future Black college students. The focal point of the study is on how Black college students obtain or struggle to receive financial literacy and resources according to their background and economic differences. The study was grounded in a theory of oppression (Feagin, 2013; Freire, 1987) and status attainment theory (Blau & Duncan, 1967). A theory of oppression highlights systemic racism and the social blocks that hinder Black college students' quality of life, and status attainment theory emphasizes the achieved and ascribed factors of inherited and influenced earlier years and social standings, as well as ascended and descended status hierarchy according to… [Direct]
(2016). Dangerous Assumptions and Unspoken Limitations: A Disability Studies in Education Response to Morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier, Mattison, Maczuga, Li, and Cook (2015). Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners, v16 n1 p4-16 Spr. In this article, we critically review the work of Morgan et al. (2015) and offer Disability Studies in Education (DSE) as an alternative conceptualization to traditional research within special education. We first unpack many of Morgan et al.'s (2015) assumptions, which are grounded in deficit discourses about children, family structures, economic status, and home cultures. Next, we identify flaws in their research design and methodology. Finally, we elaborate on how, through naming and making visible the workings of ableism and racism, DSE offers a way to counter the deficit discourses and inaccurate abstractions of lived realities upon which Morgan et al.'s (2015) work rests…. [Direct]
(2017). "Mohala i ka wai": Cultural Advantage as a Framework for Indigenous Culture-Based Education and Student Outcomes. American Educational Research Journal, v54 n1 suppl p311S-339S Apr. The framework of cultural advantage calls researchers and leaders to reexamine the structures, paradigms, and practices of effective education. We argue that the moral imperative in this challenge is to critically scrutinize and counter the way education systems perpetuate systematic inequities in opportunities and outcomes afforded to certain groups in society, in effect curtailing cultural and linguistic diversity and innovation. Our findings from research conducted in Hawai'i indicate that learners thrive with culture-based education (CBE), especially Indigenous students who experience positive socioemotional and other outcomes when teachers are high CBE users and when learning in high-CBE school environments. Educational progress will come from forward-oriented research and leadership that embraces the cultural advantages of students with diverse experiences of racism, poverty, cultural trauma, and oppression. By cultivating culturally vibrant and affirming learning environments… [Direct]
(2016). Teaching and the Imagination. Religious Education, v111 n4 p366-379. Emilie Townes begins by describing her childhood growing up as a Black middle class girl headed toward womanhood in the South in the late 1950s, 60's and early 70s. Townes writes that growing up during that time filled her with a host of experiences and memories that continue to shape her today. She writes that she learned about racism from the Black and White folks around her, and it was an education that puzzled her because racism made and continues to make no rational sense. Growing up in a world rich with words and religion meant that she learned at an early age to learn to survive the daily small and sometimes large indignities of racism by negotiating it with creativity, imagination, and sometimes humor, while maintaining her integrity and sense of self. Although educators sometimes forget the power of this kind of organic education that raised most of us, within this education children were taught to cultivate their imagination and dream of what might be. She argues for the… [Direct]
(2023). Racial Identity and Sense of School Belonging in African American Males: A Basic Qualitative Inquiry. ProQuest LLC, D.Ed. Dissertation, Concordia University Chicago. The underperformance of African American males compared to their white counterparts in educational settings has been a long-standing research subject. Researchers have employed several lenses with which to view this phenomenon. Ogbu (2004) claimed that African American students are more likely to possess anti-school attitudes, which ultimately lead to disconnection from school. These anti-school attitudes serve as a mechanism to disengage from an institution that is viewed as an instrument with which to perpetuate white supremacy. Steele (1992) asserted that Black students' contact with society's stereotypes of their ability is often internalized as "inferiority anxiety." This anxiety can result in blaming others for their underachievement, avoiding available opportunities, and developing a victim's mentality. This qualitative inquiry aimed to understand the lived experiences of African American adolescent males as they steer through societal constructs, racism, and… [Direct]
(2022). "Exitosas" on Their Own Terms: Centering Latina "Testimonios" to Understand Latina Undergraduates' Student Success Beliefs. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Denver. Utilizing "testimonio" methodology grounded in LatCrit and Chicana Feminism, this research centered the voices of 11 Latina undergraduates attending a 4-year private, predominantly white institution in the Western U.S. to understand how they defined and measured their own success in higher education. Traditional success measures focus on the institution's dominant measures, such as graduation and persistence rates. These success measures do not fully represent Latina/o/x values nor how Latinas undergraduates define their own success in higher education. This research revealed that Latina undergraduates define their success by academic achievement, career attainment, Latina/o/x values of "familismo" and "comunidad," and their own personal growth and well-being. While the Latina undergraduates in this study embraced academic achievement and career attainment, which align with dominant measures of student success, they also shared student success beliefs… [Direct]
(2013). Engaging the Pink Elephant in the Room: Investigating Race and Racism through Art Education. Studies in Art Education: A Journal of Issues and Research in Art Education, v54 n2 p141-157 Win. This mixed-methods practitioner inquiry aimed to facilitate transformative learning of individuals' racial attitudes. The focus of this research was to investigate what influence participating in a semester-long social justice art education studio course may have on preservice and practicing art educators' implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious) racial attitudes and understandings toward self and others. This research also aimed to develop transformative art education pedagogy and understand its role in the critical examination of issues surrounding race and racism, and its impact on transforming racial attitudes. The findings of this study indicated that exploring racial issues through transformative art education pedagogy can facilitate positive attitude change and help educators to become more comfortable with the topic of race and the idea of working with diverse populations…. [Direct]
(2016). The Preparation of Inclusive Social Justice Education Leaders. Educational Leadership and Administration: Teaching and Program Development, v27 p199-219 Mar. This article is intended to spark dialogue and debate related to the preparation of inclusive social justice education leaders in a time of colorblindness. Drawing attention to the reductionist construction of the professional standards for educational leaders when it comes to preparing educational leaders who are ready to address and eliminate racism, inequalities, and injustices. And calls for the preparation of education leaders and aspiring principals who understand that all isms are endemic and engrained in the fiber of our society and are prepared to address and abolish marginalization in schools and promote places of learning that are inclusive and diverse through the use of three existing frameworks…. [PDF]
(2022). Factors That Matter: Suburban Elementary Teachers' Growth Mindset and Culturally Responsive Teaching. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Saint Joseph's University. With the visceral response to instances of police brutality and use of excessive force, a resurgence of considerable racial unrest and a heightened awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement in the media makes this study timely in recognizing racial injustice and the need for cultural competency in the stronghold of education. The United States has experienced a surge of racial diversity in the last decade, and unsurprisingly, suburban school districts' diversity has grown commensurately. Currently, people of color make up 35% of the suburban population. However, teachers who service such schools continue to be homogeneously White. Because of the history of oppression in education, schools need educators who are adequately trained in culturally responsive teaching and who appreciate diversity in order to mitigate oppressive practices such as deficit thinking, systemic racism, and lack of training to teach diverse student populations. This qualitative, interpretive study examines… [Direct]
(2021). Black Women Speak: Examining Power, Privilege, and Identity in CS Education. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, v21 n4 Article 26 Dec. Despite the increasing number of women receiving bachelor's degrees in computing (i.e., Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, etc.), a closer look reveals that the percentage of Black women in computing has significantly dropped in recent years, highlighting the underrepresentation of Black women and its negative impact on broadening participation in the field of computing. The literature reveals that several K-16 interventions have been designed to increase the representation of Black women and girls in computing. Despite these best efforts, the needle seems to have barely moved in increasing the representation or the retention of Black women in computing. Instead, the primary goals have been to recruit and retain women in the CS pipeline using gender-focused efforts intended to increase the number of women who also identify as members of racialized groups. However, these gender-focused efforts have fallen short of increasing the number of Black women in… [Direct]
(2019). Remediating Campus Climate: Implicit Bias Training Is Not Enough. Studies in Philosophy and Education, v38 n2 p129-141 Mar. A common remedial response to a culture of racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of oppression on college campuses has been to institute mandatory implicit bias training for faculty, staff and students. A critical component of such training is the identification of unconscious prejudices in the minds of individuals that impact behavior. In this paper, I critically examine the rush to rely on implicit bias training as a panacea for institutional culture change. Implicit bias training and the notion of implicit bias it is grounded in is examined and the advantages and limitations of this approach is elaborated. An exclusive focus on implicit bias, it is argued, can protect ignorance rather than correct it. Similar to implicit bias, microaggressions is a concept that has played a role in campus diversity interventions. An examination of microaggression education demonstrates how it corrects for some of the pitfalls of relying on the concept of implicit bias to improve campus… [Direct]
(1993). Racism in Higher Education: Its Presence in the Classroom and Lives of Psychology Students. This paper explores the overt and covert forms of racism in American institutions of higher education and focuses on racism at one graduate school in psychology. Though the nation as a whole decries racism, overt racial acts are on the upswing at institutions of higher education and covert racism exists across the nation. The paper argues that, in the educational community, the most significant racism is covert and involves hostile and insensitive acts, bias in the application of harsh sanctions, bias in attention to students, bias in selection of curriculum materials, unequal amounts of instruction, biased attitudes toward students, lack of diversity in faculty and administration, and denial of racist actions. The central portion of the paper examines a particular graduate school of psychology publicly known for its openness and diversity. This portion cites examples of overt racism. Confronting these incidents brought to the surface existing covert racism in student treatment,… [PDF]
(2021). Unpacking Black School Librarianship. Knowledge Quest, v49 n4 p32-37 Mar-Apr. As a Black school librarian in Texas, there's one set of rules for her colleagues and another for Jean Darnell. Here she shares the difficulty she has endured trying to empower students to become active and engaged citizens while challenging school traditions. As an educator and school librarian for almost twenty years, she hesitated to even join this opportunity because the engrained slights and negative experiences she has endured where she can nonchalantly be thrown into the category of "she's just a bitter employee" or "she's just an angry Black woman." But that right there is an issue. She is not allowed to be upset by intentional ugliness. She has had to consistently turn a blind eye to injustice. Writing this article threatens her entire career because she will more than likely be labeled "difficult" when she is really searching for equality in professional growth and job protection when she speaks up about sensitive topics like implicit bias and… [PDF]