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Curriculum and Instruction

University of South Carolina

Theses/Dissertations

Critical Race Theory

Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Education

Where Race Has No Place: English Teachers’ Efforts To Maintain Space For Diversity In The Ela Classroom, Muzical D. Waite Jul 2023

Where Race Has No Place: English Teachers’ Efforts To Maintain Space For Diversity In The Ela Classroom, Muzical D. Waite

Theses and Dissertations

The anti-critical race theory movement began in 2020, propelled by the fear of topics on race and racism overtaking lesson objectives, course content, and class discussion, and, in turn, making some students feel uncomfortable (Duhaney, 2022). Opposition to critical race theory (CRT) and any initiative considered adjacent to the concept, such as the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion, set in motion legislative proposals in nearly every state and enactment in many (Greene, 2022). Anti- CRT regulation of the content and activities teachers can use comes at a time when American student enrollment has never been more diverse (Carrillo, 2022). …


Stories From North Carolina Teachers Of Color: An Inquiry Of Racialized Experiences In The Workplace., Deborah Stephanie Harrison Apr 2023

Stories From North Carolina Teachers Of Color: An Inquiry Of Racialized Experiences In The Workplace., Deborah Stephanie Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

Growing educational research shows that teachers of color are finding themselves working in racially hostile schools through experiencing racism from their White colleagues in explicit and inexplicit ways. There is a need to further categorize how North Carolina teachers of color are experiencing racism in the workplace and identify how they are affected by it through experiential knowledge and analysis underpinned by critical race theory. Through action research, this study’s goals incorporated the implementation and evaluation of a collaborative book as a method of intervention on the effects of racial trauma. The collaborative book presents full counternarratives of teachers of …


Stories From North Carolina Teachers Of Color: An Inquiry Of Racialized Experiences In The Workplace., Deborah Stephanie Harrisson Apr 2023

Stories From North Carolina Teachers Of Color: An Inquiry Of Racialized Experiences In The Workplace., Deborah Stephanie Harrisson

Theses and Dissertations

Growing educational research shows that teachers of color are finding themselves working in racially hostile schools through experiencing racism from their White colleagues in explicit and inexplicit ways. There is a need to further categorize how North Carolina teachers of color are experiencing racism in the workplace and identify how they are affected by it through experiential knowledge and analysis underpinned by critical race theory. Through action research, this study’s goals incorporated the implementation and evaluation of a collaborative book as a method of intervention on the effects of racial trauma. The collaborative book presents full counternarratives of teachers of …


The Impact Of A Series Of Professional Development Sessions On Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Crp) On The Awareness Level Of Seven Teachers At A Suburban High School, Charity Jo Brady Jan 2023

The Impact Of A Series Of Professional Development Sessions On Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Crp) On The Awareness Level Of Seven Teachers At A Suburban High School, Charity Jo Brady

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aimed to examine the impact that culturally responsive pedagogy had on a suburban high school. Specifically, it focused on the effectiveness of a six-session professional development series in increasing the awareness level of seven teacher-participants at Bayside High School during the Spring 2022 semester. The study utilized pre- and post- questionnaires, weekly journal reflections (written), field notes and observations, and participant interviews for data collection. The findings suggest that the professional development sessions were successful in increasing the awareness level of the teachers, leading to a more culturally responsive classroom environment. This study highlights the importance of ongoing …


White Blindness: An Investigation Into Teacher Whiteness And Racial Ignorance, Mary Katharine Brasche Jul 2022

White Blindness: An Investigation Into Teacher Whiteness And Racial Ignorance, Mary Katharine Brasche

Theses and Dissertations

White supremacy and domination are the backbone foundation of the United States and have been long documented in its history. The prevalence of whiteness and white supremacy is not isolated to social situations or commerce but fundamentally ingrained in the education system. While Brown v. the Board of Education abolished the notion of separate but equal, the education of a diverse American student population remains predominantly at the hands of White, female educators. This action research study, using an investigative mixed-methods design, attempted to address educator whiteness at a small, rural high school in the Southeastern United States. Treatment …


How Can Equity-Focused Inquiry Uncover The Causes For The Opportunity Gaps Our Students Of Color Experience?, Stephanie Becks Oct 2021

How Can Equity-Focused Inquiry Uncover The Causes For The Opportunity Gaps Our Students Of Color Experience?, Stephanie Becks

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how equity-focused inquiry could uncover gaps in opportunity for our students of color and determine root causes for those gaps. Through Inquiry as Stance and Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the driving frameworks, this study used practitioner inquiry to understand what gaps, if any, were present for students of color within our school. If gaps in opportunity were present, this study also aimed to discover what school level factors were contributing to the gaps. Three cycles of inquiry were used to help answer the following questions: (1) What common gaps in opportunity …


Exploring The Relationships Between White Teachers And Black Students: A Qualitative Study On The Impact That Culturally Relevant Pedagogy And Positive Relationships Can Have On Student Success, Lindsay Johnson-Hansen Jul 2021

Exploring The Relationships Between White Teachers And Black Students: A Qualitative Study On The Impact That Culturally Relevant Pedagogy And Positive Relationships Can Have On Student Success, Lindsay Johnson-Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study began as a way to investigate the impact of the relationships that White teachers have on their Black students and what strategies can be implemented to promote success in the absence of a positive relationship. Historical information provides the reader with the basic understanding of why academic deficiencies exist and continue to exist in the Black community and what strategies inside and outside of school can remedy the achievement gap. This qualitative study provides information directly from the students who experienced the inequities as told through interviews and an anonymous survey. The lack of diversity among …


Finding Their Strengths, Dreams And Struggles: A Narrative Inquiry Of High School Students Independent Reading Habits, Tori T. Simmons Oct 2020

Finding Their Strengths, Dreams And Struggles: A Narrative Inquiry Of High School Students Independent Reading Habits, Tori T. Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to read and understand texts are important to student’s success in school and life. However, many secondary students enter without the skills needed to handle the rigor and amount of reading they will meet as they matriculate high school. Yet, this is not the case for those who struggle to read most. Allington (2013) found that students who struggle the most to read are also those who given the least amount of time to reading and the most to worksheets (p. 526). Therefore, this study hopes to better understand the reading histories of three high school students and …


The Cultural Relevance Of Music Education As It Relates To African American Students In South Carolina, Felicia Denise Denise Myers Bulgozdy Apr 2020

The Cultural Relevance Of Music Education As It Relates To African American Students In South Carolina, Felicia Denise Denise Myers Bulgozdy

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, Critical Race Theory is used to examine the current curriculum that preservice music teachers are taught, and are consequently teaching K-12 students, in an effort to illustrate the need for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Documents such as the S.C. All-State Choral rubric, as well as a list of required courses for future music educators at a local university, are studied to show the overwhelming European influence on the curriculum that is being taught in music classes daily across the state, and demonstrate the lack of cultural relevance to the African American students in those classes. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy …


Opening Eyes To What They Don't Know: Talking About Race With White Pre-Service Teachers, Stacy Payne Martin Oct 2019

Opening Eyes To What They Don't Know: Talking About Race With White Pre-Service Teachers, Stacy Payne Martin

Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to determine if a critical element of pre-service teachers' racial socialization lies within an analysis of racial isolation experiences, a lack of understanding White privilege, and how much accurate, historical instruction about racism in America they received from their middle school and high school teachers. The mixed methods action research sought answers to the following two research questions: How do life experiences shape White pre-service teachers' understanding of race? When White pre-service teachers engage in race-based self-examination activities, do they experience a shift in their perceptions and beliefs about race? This critical case study examines White pre-service …


“More Luggage”: The Heavy But Invisible Social Burden Carried By African American Advanced Placement Students, Leslie C. Richard Jul 2019

“More Luggage”: The Heavy But Invisible Social Burden Carried By African American Advanced Placement Students, Leslie C. Richard

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigative action research study was to find new ways to disrupt the inequitable recruitment and enrollment practices in the sequence of AP English courses at a small, urban high school in the southeast United States. Through engagement in practitioner inquiry and guided by Critical Race Theory (CRT), this study sought to gather knowledge from the stories told by African American students about their choice to enroll in AP English and their experiences with their classmates, teachers, and the social environment in the course. Their counternarratives are juxtaposed against the limited perspectives of four White, female AP …