(2022). Principles and Practices for the Preparation of Antiracist ESOL Teachers. CATESOL Journal, v33 n1. Events in 2020 sparked the need to continue a focus on ongoing inequities in the United States. This article addresses the preparation of ESOL teachers for antiracist work, acknowledging that racist beliefs and structures are pervasive in education and beyond, and how ESOL teachers can develop antiracist "conscientiza√ß√£o." I address questions related to power and privilege that are present in the TESOL field and provide an overview of historically racist practices that have been part of TESOL. I draw on some personal experiences with linguistic racism as a woman, Latina, transnational, immigrant, and selfidentified multilingual speaker who speaks English as an additional language to guide why and how I come to this work as a scholar and teacher educator. Drawing from the previous sections, I describe principles and practices to tear down those racist beliefs and structures, build antiracist classrooms, and guide the preparation of antiracist ESOL teachers…. [PDF]
(2022). Basic Writing and Resisting White Innocence. Journal of Basic Writing, v41 n1-2 p5-39. In this archival history, a college writing teacher and recent graduate together challenge the integrationist narrative of Basic Writing, grounded in "white innocence" and dating back to the 1970s. Joining other studies of physical and linguistic segregation in higher education, we recover the true birth of Basic Writing from 1969 to 1971 at City College and we find that racism was not an unintended bug of the first "Basic Writing" program, but it was rather the principal intended feature–a feature that was carefully concealed from students and outsiders with euphemisms and codes. We consider what this troubling birth means for the Basic Writing field today and enduring forms of white innocence that support monolingualism, including in our own experience together. We ask if it is still tenable for college writing teachers and researchers to remain "innocent" or neutral about Basic Writing and monolingualism…. [PDF] [Direct]
(2024). A Workshop to Address Wellness for BIPOC Students. ProQuest LLC, D.M.F.T. Dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Psychology. In higher education settings, minority BIPOC students have a harder time attaining wellness compared to their majority student counterparts. This may impact their level of functioning, leading to an overall unpleasant college experience. The covert and overt racism, injustice, and social unrest that exist in today's society hinders students from gaining the necessary coping skills and proper ability to care for themselves in college. The purpose of this resource guide is to provide wellness tools to faculty, staff, parents, and–especially–students. This resource is geared towards students of color because the existing literature exposes how microaggressions and macroaggressions from students who are not of color greatly and negatively impact BIPOC students. In order to approach optimal wellness support for BIPOC students, this guide will provide a roadmap, workshop, and list of tools all geared towards wellness. As a result, students, staff, and universities will have a resource to… [Direct]
(2024). Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Other Trigger Words. Art Education, v77 n5 p8-14. Art education is an important field where marginalization, differing privileges, and oppression can be addressed, but we can do more. In today's politicized educational climate, a teacher who wants to create an activism-oriented lesson needs to understand the terms surrounding equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I). However, many tensions exist regarding ED&I. The political right has weaponized these terms, while some researchers on the liberal left are skeptical of ED&I and view the terms as managed racism. Nevertheless, art teachers' achievements are determined largely by their ability to identify, understand, and empathize with the social and political struggles of their communities (Kraehe, 2017). This article is intended to inform art educators about the detailed and complex terms that have become politically charged in more than several states. In the following pages, the author breaks down the ideas of ED&I. She also explains the difference between critical… [Direct]
(2024). Racial and Academic Intersectionality: Black Students Navigating Spaces of Catholic Whiteness in Academia. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Saint Joseph's University. This qualitative research study used an interpretivist approach to examine the following research questions: (a) Do Black students experience intersectionality between their racial and academic identities in Catholic institutions of higher education? (b) Do student academic pathways promote their racial identity? (c) For Black students, do racial identity and academic pursuits intersect in the classroom? Is racial identity explored through inclusive pedagogical practice? and (d) Do Black students experience antiracist pedagogy in the classroom? Using an integrated and interdisciplinary exploratory approach by reconstructing four theoretical frameworks, this study explored Black American undergraduate student experiences and racial identity development holistically at Catholic institutions of higher education. Examining the intersection of Black American student identity as a Black American and a student through the reconstruction of Cross's Model of psychological Nigrescence,… [Direct]
(2017). Ethnographies of "A Lesson in Racism": Class, Ethnicity, and the Supremacy of the Psychological Discourse. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, v48 n1 p61-76 Mar. Through the ethnographies of two schools serving different socioeconomic communities, this article offers an examination of students' and teachers' interpretations of the anti-racism text "Brown Morning" taught in civics classes. Findings present the dramatic differences between the interpretations of students from dissimilar socioeconomic communities, the manners in which these interpretations discordantly activate the teachers, and the disparity of assorted class dynamics. These findings proffer a discussion of the link between education, class, ethnicity, and racism…. [Direct]
(2023). Policy and Leadership Accountability on Black Special Education Teacher Persistence. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of South Florida. There is a persistent shortage of qualified special education teachers in schools across the country. This issue is exacerbated by the need for special education teachers of color who can help serve the disproportionate number of minority students in schools. Over time, researchers and government entities, alike, have considered ways to increase the recruitment and retention efforts of Black teachers However, given the lack of investigation regarding the needs of Black teachers in special education and what encourages their persistence, efforts to increase representation have been unsuccessful. For this reason, using a qualitative methodology, the purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of successful Black teachers in special education who work with students with high incidence disabilities. Findings indicate, Black special education teachers confront enormous difficulties. Along with the usual pressures that special that special education teachers encounter, Black… [Direct]
(2018). Implicit Bias of Education Leaders and the Achievement Gap between Black and White Students in Suffolk and Nassau County, New York High Schools. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, St. John's University (New York), School of Education and Human Services. Researchers have been studying the racial achievement gap for years but somehow closing it has not happened systemically. Many scholars have postulated that implicit bias and systemic racism have contributed in perpetuating the achievement gap between African American and White students. The purpose of this study was to determine if implicit bias and structural racism influenced education policies and decisions among a diverse group of educators and education administrators in diverse districts in Suffolk and Nassau Counties in New York. This study was qualitative in nature. Semi-structured interviews with educational leaders (upper and lower level administrators), classroom teachers, and deans, were conducted in diverse Long Island, New York high schools in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The participants' ages and years of service varied. They ranged from 14 years of service to 30 plus years. There were even two participants who were retired. The researcher asked a series of prepared… [Direct]
(2023). Chicana Graduate Students' Decolonization and Healing from Educational White Supremacy: A Nepantlera Approach to Their Scholarly Writing. Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, v16 n3 p203-219. Embedded misogyny and white supremacy in higher education have resulted in Chicana graduate students experiencing education-based traumas. Furthermore, hegemonic values related to what is considered "noteworthy" and "publishable" in academia are heavily influenced by racism, sexism, and misogyny, further oppressing Chicanas intending to pursue academic careers. Therefore, Chicanas' journeys as graduate students and scholars must be understood within the context of their experiences with and methods of healing from educational white supremacy. Given our lived experiences as Chicana scholars, "mujeristas," and "poderosas," this article results from our commitment to supporting the healing and decolonizing of future Chicana scholars. Inspired by our respect and value of Gloria Evangelina Anzald√∫a's (1942-2004) work, we developed a decolonized healing approach to academic writing centered on her Nepantla Theory. This article is structured into the… [Direct]
(2022). The Genealogy of 'Cultural Literacy'. Changing English: Studies in Culture and Education, v29 n4 p382-395. The British government's current educational policy for England draws on E.D. Hirsch's writings on 'cultural literacy'. This paper aims to uncover the roots of Hirsch's influential views through a genealogical critique. Hirsch admired the Scottish Enlightenment educator Hugh Blair as a model architect of a hegemonic culture to unite disparate members of a nation. Following Hirsch, the government Department for Education in England called for 'shared appreciation of cultural reference points' and 'a common stock of knowledge on which all can draw and trade'. Consequently, the literature curriculum in England increasingly disenfranchises a significant component of the population in terms of both gender and cultural heritage. Recent 'culture wars' have highlighted the legacy of colonialism and have led educators to decolonise the curriculum and prioritise social justice. Continuing racism within civil society demonstrates the need for a general recognition that cultures are desirably… [Direct]
(2023). Sociocultural Factors That Affect the Identification and Development of Talent in Children and Adolescents. European Journal of Training and Development, v47 n3-4 p404-420. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to inform readers about the nature of talent development prior to post-secondary education; describe the obstacles that individuals face because of poverty, racism or geography; and recommend asset-based approaches that can enable more individuals to be prepared to make significant contributions to society within their domain of talent. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used was to review research from the fields of education and psychology about talent in varied domains of sport, academics and the arts, as it relates to key components (domain pathways, opportunities and psychosocial skills) of the talent development megamodel proposed by Subotnik "et al." (2011). Findings: Findings include a delineation of the challenges that many nations face in cultivating talent among its young citizens particularly related to their socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity and geography. Findings include recommendations for new approaches… [Direct]
(2018). From Neoliberalism to Structural Racism: Problem Framing in a Teacher Activist Organization. Curriculum Inquiry, v48 n3 p293-315. Philadelphia's teacher-led activist group, the Caucus of Working Educators, has displayed shifts in how it frames the central problems facing public education since its emergence in 2014. Initially, the organization tended to advance the notion that neoliberalist discourses and values were primarily responsible for "education reform" effects, including underfunded schools and districts, shrinking public school districts, and the privatization of formerly public aspects and services of schooling. Over its first four years of life, however, the organization has increasingly integrated critiques of structural racism in how it frames such issues in public education. This article asks: How do teacher Caucus members employ neoliberalist and structural racism problem frames within their activist teacher organization? I show how members have increasingly centred racial justice concerns, and argue that organizational strategy concerns and the desire to push the organization to align… [Direct]
(2018). The Rise of the Far Right in Japan, and Challenges Posed for Education. London Review of Education, v16 n2 p250-267. This paper examines emerging far-right movements and xenophobia, and the challenges they pose for justice in education in Japan. It illustrates discourses on nationalism and cultural diversity in both education and wider society from the perspective of critical race theory. It explores the voice of educators, particularly about their concerns and uncertainties regarding xenophobia, and examines their perceptions and reactions. By focusing on the narratives of interviewees from different ethnic backgrounds, this paper investigates far-right extremism and its challenges to education from different viewpoints. Data from interviews reveals different perceptions among both majority and minority teachers regarding the culturalization and personalization of problems in the classroom. This data also suggests that due to the absence of collective strategies and visions to challenge racism, approaches to combating racism depend largely on individual teachers. Drawing from these findings, this… [PDF]
(2017). Why Diversity Matters in Rural America: Women Faculty of Color Challenging Whiteness. Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public Education, v49 n1 p112-139 Mar. Using critical race theory as an analytical framework to examine White privilege and institutional racism, two teacher educators, in a rural predominantly White university tell counterstories about teaching for social justice in literacy and mathematics education courses. In sharing our counterstories in this paper, we, women faculty of color, challenge Whiteness and institutional racism with the hopes of: (1) promoting social justice teaching in order to globally prepare (pre-and-in-service) teachers and educational leaders to motivate and empower ALL students to learn; (2) dismantling racism to promote better wellbeing for women faculty of color; and (3) moving educational communities at large closer toward equitable education, which is a fundamental civil right. After analyzing the counterstories, we suggest that university leaders establish policies and practices to support (recruit, retain, and promote) faculty/leaders of color, not just mainstream academics. Working toward… [Direct]
(2021). White Privilege and Power in the NYS Opt-Out Movement. Teachers College Record, v123 n5. Background: Part of a special issue on the high-stakes testing opt-out movement, this article focuses its analysis on the movement within New York State, and examines white privilege and power within one specific organization, the NYS Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE). Specifically, I examine how the public-facing work of NYSAPE addressed (or ignored) race and/or racism in their efforts to resist high-stakes testing. I also ask, in what ways do their public stances affirm and reinforce white privilege and power? Purpose: I explore the opt-out movement in New York State, and argue that it is a movement that has been largely dominated by white privilege and power. Employing critical race theory (CRT; Bell, 1980, 1992) as analytical and methodological tools (DeCuir & Dixson, 2004; Yosso & Sol√≥rzano, 2002), I briefly examine the development and policy positions of NYSAPE, a coalition of grassroots parent, educator and community organizations. Research Design: This qualitative… [Direct]