(2023). Social Determinants of Learning: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice. AERA Open, v9 n1. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed what educators, policymakers, and researchers have long known–namely, that learning opportunities and outcomes are intimately intertwined with other aspects of children's and families' lives. The list of social forces outside the education sector that can affect learning is endless and includes economic experiences that are inequitably distributed, such as housing security (Gallagher et al., 2020), income (Hoynes & Rothstein, 2019), and wealth (Pfeffer, 2018), as well as social experiences, such as interpersonal and structural racism, (dis)ability, and xenophobia (Anderson-Nathe, 2020; DeMatthews, 2020). Now, it is time to lock in this learning among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. We posit that the concept of "social determinants of learning" can serve as a powerful reframing tool for promoting educational equity, similar to the conceptual shift and policy impact we have seen in public health as "social determinants of… [PDF]
(2019). Confusion and Frustration as Catalysts for Change: 'Rich Points' in Multicultural Education. Ethnography and Education, v14 n3 p279-294. Despite compelling need for transformational approaches to multiculturalism, the measures in place at many schools may be works in progress. Based on twelve months of fieldwork at the secondary-school level in El Ejido, Spain, and longitudinal interviews with key participants, this article examines conflicting articulations of race, racism, and civility shaping interactions in state mandated intercultural education courses. Interweaving analysis of in-class exchanges with attention to textual/audiovisual inputs and socio-historical contexts, this article employs a discourse-centred approach to untangle the tensions shaping local interpretations of race and racism, based particularly on the experiences of marginalised Moroccan immigrant youth. Drawing on Michael Agar's notion of ethnographic 'rich points', or points of misunderstanding, I argue that the perspectives of diverse learners be leveraged to mindfully reconfigure top-down curricula through attention to distinctly local… [Direct]
(2023). Returning to "Normal?": Reimagining Study Abroad and Language Learning for a Sustainable and Equitable Future. L2 Journal, v15 n2 p145-159. Due to health and travel restrictions, COVID-19 has presented unusual challenges to international education. Meanwhile, the pandemic has also become a historical juncture overlapping with other political and cultural moments (e.g., renewed Black Lives Matter movement, resurgence of anti-Asian racism, extreme weather phenomena). These events have propelled a reconsideration of the complex relationship between access to and participation in study abroad, language learning, and social and environmental justice. In this paper, we draw on our collective experiences as practitioners and researchers across three languages (Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish) to argue that study abroad must be a part of equitable and sustainable world language education curricula. We begin by reflecting on existing issues related to access and participation in U.S.-based study abroad and the underlying ideologies that reinforce them. We then provide possibilities — within our spheres of influence — to… [Direct]
(2023). Navigating Common Challenges: Guidance for Educators in Racial Justice Work. Middle School Journal, v54 n4 p25-36. The work of racial justice advocacy in the field of education is fraught with responsibility and challenge. The impact of historical racism on social policy within the United States has had an enduring effect in the educational realm, which is maintained in part by the prevailing white supremacy culture (WSC). Recent middle level education scholarship has emphasized the urgency of addressing racial inequities in middle schools. Yet teachers attempting to confront unjust practices and policies are often met with significant obstacles, which can curtail racial justice efforts. Antiracist middle grades teachers could benefit from a knowledge base regarding how to respond to common challenges faced in racial justice work. Drawing on the experiences of a group of middle grades educators who are striving to create more racially just schools in their communities, this article offers guidance for navigating resistance. We describe three pervasive challenges the group faced in their work: (a)… [Direct]
(2022). From Support to Action: A Critical Affinity Group of Special Education Teachers of Color. Teacher Education and Special Education, v45 n1 p43-60 Feb. Special education teachers of color (SETOC) multiply experience marginalized positions as students of color in P-12 classrooms, as teachers in teacher preparation programs, and alongside the experiences of students of color with disabilities. Instead of drawing from their identities, SETOC tend to be absorbed into the ableist, behaviorist, and racist system of special education and are expected to become complicit in the system. For educators of color, critical affinity groups provide support, reduce trauma, and support work toward collective intersectional justice. Using qualitative narratives, this paper describes how a critical affinity group (re)positioned three SETOC as smart, knowledgeable, and addressing racism and ableism in schools. Disability studies and critical race theory (DisCrit) illuminated SETOC's unique experiences and how they came together to process racist/ableist interactions and resisted the erasure of their identities as teachers of color. Implications discuss… [Direct]
(2021). Preparing Adult Educators for Racial Justice. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, n170 p109-118 Sum. Adult educators are often seen as proponents of social justice but what does it really mean to be an advocate for racial justice in and outside the classroom? Draconian policies implemented by the Trump administration have placed additional hardships on Americans. The increasing attacks on education have clear ramifications for adults in formal and informal contexts. In this article, the authors will explore how adult educators can become not only allies for social justice but also advocates and accomplices for racial justice through curriculum, instruction, and altered perceptions. Social justice is a broad term capturing all aspects of injustice. Racial justice focuses squarely on injustices due to race and racism…. [Direct]
(2021). Pragmatic Humanism in CSD Diversity Education: A Conceptual Framework to Engage Students across the Political and Cultural Spectrum. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders, v5 n3 Article 6. The purpose of this reflection on scholarly teaching is to outline the difficulties arising when critical race theory, in its misappropriated and popularized form that dominates current discourse, is deployed as the sole educational framework in CSD education. We wish to offer an alternative framework, pragmatic humanism. The latter is expounded as a paradigm that can reap the benefits of critical race theory without succumbing to the absolutist claims of its popularized variant. It will be argued that pragmatic humanism is a useful framework for diversity teachers in CSD who are faced with an overwhelmingly White, conservative student body that may be reluctant to accept the realities of racism…. [PDF]
(2019). Wetekia kia rere: The Potential for Place-Conscious Education Approaches to Reassure The Indigenization of Science Education in New Zealand Settings. Cultural Studies of Science Education, v14 n2 p449-464 Jun. "Wetekia kia rere" is an expression in the Maori language that refers to "unleashing potential". This paper discusses questions of power relevant to challenges recently identified by government officials regarding learners' experiences of science education in New Zealand schools. We begin by summarising the Treaty relationship (Treaty of Waitangi, considered to be the country's founding document first signed in 1840) that informs the framing of New Zealand's science curriculum guidelines. Next we outline some official New Zealand education strategies along with several policy guidelines relevant to the aspirations of Maori communities for a transformative science curriculum. This is followed by a discussion of how the historical processes of ecological imperialism, environmental racism and institutional racism have combined to attenuate Maori experiences of science education. A review of international literature is then presented to support calls for the… [Direct]
(2024). Education for Robust Self-Respect in an Unjust World. Educational Theory, v74 n4 p452-472. Philosophical work on self-respect has distinguished between various kinds of self-respect. In this paper, Shiying Li begins by introducing important kinds of self-respect and exploring the conceptual and empirical relations among them. She then discusses the value and political significance of social bases of self-respect for both individuals and society. While political theory on this topic, especially from the Rawlsian tradition, has focused on the social bases of self-respect in a well-ordered society, Li takes on the task of uncovering the social bases of self-respect in an unjust society marked by structural injustices such as racism, sexism, social stigmas, and economic and other social inequalities. She provides arguments, including public reason arguments, for the political priority and urgency of securing robust self-respect for all in an unjust society, and thus paves the way for a discussion of the role that education, especially schooling, can and should play in securing… [Direct]
(2024). Deciphering Racism: A Developmental Approach to Racial Literacy by Examining the Racial Beliefs of Culturally Responsive School Leaders. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Michigan State University. Leveraging racial sensemaking and constructive-developmental frameworks, this study investigates how school leaders implementing culturally responsive-sustaining education make sense of racism, and how their racial beliefs change over time. Given New York State's mandate that educators implement culturally responsive-sustaining education, it made for an ideal site from which to recruit participants.Using survey, photo-elicitation, and narrative methods, I conducted a three-phase, qualitatively driven mixed-methods approach to my study. During Phase 1, 54 school leaders completed an online survey that gave insights into their culturally responsive school leadership practices and their racial beliefs. Quantitatively, the study leveraged the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) to measure school leaders' racial attitudes. Anchored in theories of racial colorblind ideology, the CoBRAS is a validated and widely used survey instrument to measure racial attitudes as a function of… [Direct]
(2022). Good Intentions, Colonial Relations: Interrupting the White Emotional Equilibrium of Norwegian Citizenship Education. Review of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, v44 n3 p210-230. The national imaginary of Norway as a global champion of democracy and social welfare has served well to market its image as exceptional both nationally and internationally. Norwegian national exceptionalism is also deeply embedded within the educational system, and manifests in the production of knowledge and social identities. Despite the country's exalted self-image and stated intentions for education to foster human dignity, equality and solidarity, Norwegian educational institutions continue to support the reproduction of colonial structures that naturalize racism, epistemic violence and exploitative capitalist economic structures. In this article, the authors argue that discourses of exceptionalism may have the effect of absolving educational institutions of their pedagogical responsibilities to denaturalize and disrupt unjust social relations. This article draws on interviews and observations of student teachers, and classrooms conversations…. [Direct]
(2023). Becoming Culturally Responsive: Equitable and Inequitable Translations of CRE Theory into Teaching Practice. Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v55 n4 p476-504 Nov. Research on Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) to date has mostly focused on identifying the aspects of education that already work for Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color. Building on this important literature base, this qualitative study examines the "implementation," rather than the "identification," of CRE practices. The seven New York City public schools that participated in the study were making school-wide changes for CRE as part of a program for Competency-Based Education (CBE) for personalizing learning for students. Both CRE and CBE are employed in schools to address common issues associated with educational inequities such as irrelevant lessons, teacher biases, one-size-fits-all instruction, and systemic racism. Based on interviews with teachers at the study schools, our findings demonstrated that teachers translated CRE theory into their CBE practice in three key ways: (1) deficit practices, where instructional choices were treated as neutral;… [Direct]
(2024). Forever Changed: Healing & Rebuilding through Ongoing Crisis. About Campus, v29 n2 p16-23. The influence of the global health crisis and systemic racism on the return to campus are enormous. With differing experiences, opinions, and ideas about what is needed, individuals are challenged to understand their own and others' lived experiences in 2020. Campuses should be prepared for the emotional healing and systemic changes needed in higher education. It is important for campus leaders to recognize that campuses will be places of collective trauma. Moving forward, according to the authors, campuses are likely to see more urgent concerns about food and housing insecurity, and physical, mental, and emotional health needs. Addressing these concerns will require significant levels of community and psychological support. In considering the current context, it is important for practitioners to communicate with students both immediate and long-term plans for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and COVID-19 precautions, while acknowledging areas of uncertainty. It is… [Direct]
(2021). Mobile and Elite: Diaspora as a Strategy for Status Maintenance in Transitions to Higher Education. British Journal of Educational Studies, v69 n5 p641-656. This article investigates elite young people's transitions from the Leysin American School in Switzerland, an elite secondary school, to international higher education. These young people often moved to the UK or the US for higher education — locations associated with global status in the education market. However, I argue, new configurations of race and racism in those spaces may challenge some students' elite status, despite their wealth. This article demonstrates that to navigate such issues in their transition to higher education, these young people leaned on their diasporic networks. By doing so, they strategically and pre-emptively ascertained whether their power and privilege would travel with them when they became mobile. Significantly, then, this article attends to the differential experiences of members of the transnational elite and highlights the racial discrimination that they may face in mobility. It thereby complicates the notion of mobility as an effective strategy… [Direct]
(2023). Freirean Inspirations in Solidary Internationalism between East Timor and Brazil in Science Education. Cultural Studies of Science Education, v18 n1 p115-141 Mar. The aim of this work is to reflect on the challenging trajectory of international cooperation between East Timor and Brazil, which focused on the need to rethink teacher education from a critical intercultural perspective, aiming to build emancipatory relations, love, and solidarity. From 2009 until 2016, we coordinated the Qualification of Teachers and Teaching of the Portuguese Language program in East Timor, inspired by the dialogicity of Paulo Freire, an educator well known and beloved by the Timorese people for his indirect contribution to the independence of that country. Freire's dialectic denunciation-annunciation was essential to identify the problems and propose solutions "with" the Timorese and not only "for" them. In addition, through our experiences in that country, we identified issues like those of Brazilian education as the effects of coloniality and introjections of inferiority and subordination, as well as the transnationalization of education,… [Direct]