(2020). Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Raising High School Graduation Rates. Featuring the Meeting the Moment Plan. Annual Update 2020. Civic The COVID-19 pandemic and protests against systemic racism have shaken the nation in recent months. In addition to presenting an update to the nation on progress and challenge in increasing high school graduation rates on a path to postsecondary and workforce readiness, this report also addresses some of the gaps, barriers, and innovations seen across school systems to strengthen the nation's educational response to these crises and help prepare for those in the future. It also unveils a "Meeting the Moment" plan of action to reach national goals and to ensure that these moments of crisis are used to re-envision education and to leverage what is most important to boost academic and other outcomes for children and youth. Since 2001, the nation has been committed to reaching a 90 percent high school graduation rate and the GradNation campaign has had a focused effort to reach that goal by the Class of 2020. The nation is currently off-pace to reach this goal, which would have… [PDF]
(2024). 'It's Not Just Linguistically, There's Much More Going on': The Experiences and Practices of Bilingual Paediatric Speech and Language Therapists in the UK. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, v59 n5 p1715-1733. Background: Despite the high prevalence of bilingualism in the United Kingdom, few speech and language therapists (SLTs) are bilingual themselves. Most SLT research on bilingualism has generated knowledge to inform service delivery for bilingual clients, but few studies have investigated how being a bilingual SLT influences one's professional experiences and practices. Better understanding the unique positionality of bilingual SLTs can yield critical insights to meaningfully address issues of diversity, inclusion and equity in the profession. Aims: To investigate the experiences and practices of bilingual paediatric SLTs in the United Kingdom through the lens of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory-International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (CHAT-ICF), a new theoretical framework developed to conceptualise the activities of professionals working in the field of disability. Methods: In this qualitative study, 19 bilingual paediatric SLTs practising in the United… [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]
(2023). Bolstering the Persistence of Black Students in Undergraduate Computer Science Programs: A Systematic Mapping Study. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, v23 n4 Article 40. Background: People who are racialized, gendered, or otherwise minoritized are underrepresented in computing professions in North America. This is reflected in undergraduate computer science (CS) programs, in which students from marginalized backgrounds continue to experience inequities that do not typically affect White cis-men. This is especially true for Black students in general, and Black women in particular, whose experience of systemic, anti-Black racism compromises their ability to persist and thrive in CS education contexts. Objectives: This systematic mapping study endeavours to (1) determine the quantity of existing non-deficit-based studies concerned with the persistence of Black students in undergraduate CS; (2) summarize the findings and recommendations in those studies; and (3) identify areas in which additional studies may be required. We aim to accomplish these objectives by way of two research questions: (RQ1) What factors are associated with Black students'… [Direct]
(2021). The Pursuit of Anti-Racism in University Theater. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Southern California. Although systemic racism has always been a persistent problem in university theater training (Community of BIPOC Theatremakers, 2020a), heightened calls for action began in the late spring and early summer of 2020. In July 2020, some 300 BIPOC theater-makers drafted and signed an open letter to the theater industry at large (Community of BIPOC Theatremakers, 2020a). By February 2021, the letter had garnered over 104,600 signatures, and more than 100 theater organizations from all over the United States had responded to the call by publishing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) statements and action plans (Meyer, 2021). The letter, titled "We See You White American Theatre," listed grievances and called for change. It listed a clear set of demands that the creators felt were necessary to create a more equitable and inclusive theater industry. This field study examined the work being done in university theater departments and schools in response to these heightened calls… [Direct]
(2021). Women of the Black Diaspora in Higher Education: Policies of Inclusion, Politics of Belonging, and Spaces of Resistance. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Wisconsin – Madison. While a large body of work examines Black women's experiences as students and faculty in universities, most studies narrow in on students or faculty and are geographically bound by nation. Drawing on intersectionality, global anti-Black racism, and theories of belonging and resistance, this dissertation provides an interdisciplinary analysis of how distinct educational policies of diversity and inclusion shape the ways Black women navigate and resist institutional, cultural, and social exclusionary practices in academia. Through a transnational, multi-sited ethnographic case study approach, this study uses interviews, observations, and artifact analysis to examine how women of the Black diaspora experience policies of inclusion and exclusionary practices in two public, predominantly white, research universities in the Midwest region of the United States and the South region of Brazil. Findings contribute to educational policy studies, Black diaspora and gender studies, and critical… [Direct]
(2021). The Power Gap in Massachusetts K-12 Education: Examining Gender and Racial Disparities among Leadership. Women's Power Gap Study Series. 2021 Report. Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy Though Massachusetts is viewed as a leader in K-12 education, our state grapples with significant racial and gender power gaps in education leadership. This report, developed in partnership with the Women's Power Gap Initiative of the Eos Foundation, delves into the inequities among superintendents and other leadership roles in Massachusetts public schools and analyzes the cultural, systemic, and institutional barriers that woman and people of color face when aspiring to these leadership positions. Based on a review of the 180 Massachusetts school districts with more than 1,500 students, this report finds that 80% of districts have never had a permanent superintendent of color. As of October 2020, only 5% of superintendents statewide were people of color, despite the fact that young people of color make up nearly half of the Commonwealth's student body. People of color are severely underrepresented at every level of public education in Massachusetts, making up 9% of teachers, 12% of… [PDF]
(2022). The Role of Peer Mentoring for Black and Latinx Doctoral Students' Success. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Boston College. Students in doctoral education view mentoring as the most important aspect of their educational experience (Golde et al., 2005). Mentoring can affect student retention and dissertation completion (Cronan-Hilllix et al., 1986) and is typically received from the student's advisor. However, many Black and Latinx doctoral students do not receive the critical feedback they need from faculty to develop their academic skills (Williams, 2018). Given reported problematic faculty interactions within the traditional mentoring model (Johnson-Bailey et al., 2008), peers offer an alternative source of support. Few empirical studies examine the effects of peer mentoring for doctoral students of color. This qualitative study examines how six Latinx and Black doctoral students engage in peer mentoring and how they perceive its effects on their doctoral experience. The maximum variation sample includes students in five disciplines who were enrolled in one of three research universities in the… [Direct]
(2017). New Label No Progress: Institutional Racism and the Persistent Segregation of Romani Students in the Czech Republic. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v20 n5 p595-608. The over-representation of Romani children in special schools in the Czech Republic is well documented and widely condemned. In 2007 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found the state guilty of discrimination against Romani children on the basis of disproportionate placement of children in remedial special schools. In 2015 high numbers of Romani children are still being misdiagnosed with special educational needs (SEN) and offered a limited and inappropriate education. This article explores the challenges which continue to hamper their successful inclusion in the Czech education system. Using critical race theory (CRT) as a lens to examine the Czech case, problems with the current policy trajectory are identified. The article shows that institutional racism persists in the Czech Republic, shaping attitudes and practices at all levels. Policymakers demonstrate little recognition of ingrained educational inequalities and Roma continue to be widely perceived as… [Direct]
(2022). Theorizing Racist Ableism in Higher Education. Teachers College Record, v124 n7 p17-50 Jul. Background/Context: Although research on the experiences of multiply-marginalized Black and Brown students with dis/abilities in higher education is limited, this growing body of work indicates that these students navigate racialized perceptions of ability, which impact their experiences on college and university campuses. This research highlights the need for intersectional frameworks that consider students' multiple identities and the limitations of single-identity-focused frameworks. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: Centering the counternarratives of 10 Black and Brown undergraduate students with dis/abilities across five college and university campuses, this article uses critical race theory (CRT), disability critical race theory (DisCrit), and racist nativism to develop a conceptual framework of racist ableism. Racist ableism bridges CRT, DisCrit, and racist nativism to describe how particular forms of ableism, informed by racist attitudes and beliefs, oppress… [Direct]
(2010). How White Teachers Experience and Think about Race in Professional Development. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles. The public educational system in the United States fails to proficiently educate a majority of African American, Latino/a, and students from low-income backgrounds. Test score statistics show an average scaled score gap of twenty-six points between African American and White students (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007). The term "achievement gap" and the use of test data indicators of student performance, however locates the problem in students and with student group underperformance rather than in school system factors that contribute to educational inequity. Critical race theory scholars in education effectively argue that the discrepancies between groups in the educational system reflect the imprint of societal race, racism, and power insidiously operating in schools (Howard, 2008; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). A research agenda to examine racism, class-ism and race in education has been introduced as necessary to catalyze a radical shift toward… [Direct]
(2020). I Am Doing More than Coding: A Qualitative Study of Black Women HBCU Undergraduates' Persistence in Computing. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Michigan State University. The purpose of my study is to explore why and how Black women undergraduates at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) persist in computing. By centering the experiences of Black women undergraduates and their stories, this dissertation expands traditional, dominant ways of understanding student persistence in higher education. Critical Race Feminism (CRF) was applied as a conceptual framework to the stories of 11 Black women undergraduates in computing and drew on the small stories qualitative approach to examine the day-to-day experiences of Black women undergraduates at HBCUs as they persisted in their computing degree programs. The findings suggest that: (a) gender underrepresentation in computing affects Black women's experiences, (b) computing culture at HBCUs directly affect Black women in computing, (c) Black women need access to resources and opportunities to persist in computing, (d) computing-related internships are beneficial professional opportunities but… [Direct]
(2017). Assistant Professors of Color Confront the Inequitable Terrain of Academia: A Community Cultural Wealth Perspective. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v20 n5 p696-710. This qualitative study adopted Yosso's community cultural wealth (CCW) framework to examine how 16 assistant professors of color (APOC) drew upon various forms of capital (navigational, aspirational, social, resistant, linguistic, familial) to deal with racism and marginalization in academia. Findings revealed how APOC: dealt with students' stereotypes of them, maintained their authentic selves to make academia more accessible and relevant, persevered with integrity despite hostility or marginalization, self-advocated for quality mentorship, and engaged in strategic service while avoiding cultural taxation and tokenism. Findings highlighted the positive cultural assets APOC enact within the academy while reiterating the need to address racist and marginalizing policies and practices in higher education. Variations in experiences based on gender and international status that can be explored further in future research also emerged. Working at a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) also… [Direct]
(2016). We May Well Become Accomplices: To Rear a Generation of Spectators Is Not to Educate at All. Educational Researcher, v45 n2 p159-172 Mar. Research on education and society is the focus in discussing four essays of AERA past presidents, Newton Edwards, Maxine Greene, Linda Darling-Hammond, and William F. Tate, IV. The title, "We May Well Become Accomplices…," is taken from Greene's speech to foreground inherent moral obligations of scholars when racial and social justice is a goal of education research on education and society. The essay begins with a prologue situating the author's personal and professional biography within the span of time in which these essays were published. Progress and challenges with respect to race and racism in relation to learning for freedom and democracy and research on education and society are displayed in thematic timetables organized to contextualize the intellectual issues and the social times surrounding the presidential publications. The conclusion discusses a role for AERA in supporting new possibilities for collaborative learning relative to morally engaged research as… [Direct]
(2020). Knowledge Gains in a Professional Development Workshop on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Implicit Bias in Academia. Advances in Physiology Education, v44 n3 p286-294 Sep. As literature indicates, historic racism and implicit bias throughout academia have been profound metrics leading to a lack of diversity, as related to people from underrepresented groups according to race and ethnicity, among biomedical sciences graduate students in U.S. universities. Recognizing such challenges, a team of biomedical scientists and inclusivity educators developed and implemented a pilot training program within an academic health sciences center as an initial step to educate faculty and staff regarding their roles in the promotion of an inclusive academic environment, receptive to all students, including underrepresented students. The 3-h workshop included didactic modules, videos, teaching modules, and active attendee participation. Faculty and staff were presented common terminology and ways to promote the development of an inclusive and diverse academic workforce. Compared with pre-workshop, post-workshop survey results indicated a statistically significant… [Direct]