Education Commons^™

Isaac Gottesman's The Critical Turn In Education: From Marxist Critique To Poststructuralist Feminism To Critical Theories Of Race, Aaron A. Baker

Intersections: Critical Issues in Education

Isaac Gottesman's historiography, The Critical Turn in Education: From Marxist Critique to Poststructuralist Feminism to Critical Theories of Race, aspires to Illuminate the historical context in which critical educational theory evolved. To his credit, he seems to achieve that goal, and more: he establishes that the relationship between the history of critical educational theory and society’s reliance on education is a key to social justice. This book review, describes and evaluates each chapter of Gottesman's text, focusing on his successes and challenges.

Using Critical Race Theory To Redefine The Standards Of Professional Practice For Chief Diversity Officers, Brandon C M Allen, Alberto J. Rodriguez, Levon T. Esters,

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

To meet the needs of the evolving student demographics that has seen a 300% increase in URM college going rates, higher education institutions began developing the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) position to govern and lead their mission as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. More than 60 colleges have created a CDO position over the last 20 yeas with many more heading in that direction. However, because CDOs are relatively novel in the higher education space, the leading authority of diversity officer research, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), developed a set of guidelines to …

The Impact Of Teacher Beliefs On Classroom Technology Use: A Case Study On The Interplay Between Teachers’ Beliefs About Students And Technology And Their Classroom Technology Practices With A Primarily Minority Student Population, Tracee Miller

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to assess the intersection of teachers in urban public schools’ digital beliefs and with their technology practices in the classroom, especially in classrooms where most students are students of color. It examines some subtopics of the primary research question, including what beliefs tech-savvy teachers hold about how technology should be used in classrooms, whether teachers use technology to empower students and encourage creativity, whether teachers integrate students’ self-created digital identities in a classroom setting, and how school- or district-level expectations and support regarding technology integration into classroom settings impact teachers’ implementation and students’ experiences. …

Collegiate And Post-Undergraduate Experiences Among African American Stem Alumni At The University Of South Carolina, Baindu Nallo

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to explore the undergraduate and post-undergraduate experiences of African American STEM alumni from the University of South Carolina from a strengths-perspective. The method utilized for this qualitative study was phenomenological analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 African American alumni who graduated between 2010 and 2020 and majored in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). Critical Race Theory and community cultural wealth served as theoretical frameworks for this research. The findings indicate that African American students: 1) want to smoothly transition from high school to college curriculum being equally exposed to collegiate materials at the high …

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 …

Invictus: Race And Emotional Labor Of Faculty Of Color At The Urban Community College, Kerri-Ann M. Smith, Kathleen T. Alves, Irvin Weathersby Jr., John D. Yi

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

This article shares the counter-stories of four junior faculty members of color, whose lived experiences provide concrete examples of what emotional labor sometimes entails in higher education. Grounded in Critical Race Theory and antiracist methodologies, these academics identify specific ways in which they experience emotional labor: guilt, silence, anger, navigating double-consciousness and liminality, and self-regulating physical and mental health. They seek to buttress their experiences with counternarratives and, consequently, recommendations for how community college leaders may help to alleviate the emotional labor associated with junior faculty members of color through promotion, leadership, mentoring, and recognition of diverse perspectives and contributions …

Deverne Calloway: “I Am A Teacher---I Will Teach”, Holly Hick

Dissertations

In 1962, DeVerne Calloway was the first Black woman elected to the Missouri General Assembly and the first Black woman elected to any public office in the state of Missouri. A political activist and educator by nature, a legislator by trade, DeVerne has decades of historically documented critical work within the intersections of race, gender, and class. Her work, though well documented, remains undertheorized. This study seeks to explore DeVerne’s life and work through Black feminist theory and Critical Race Theory’s tenets of intersectionality and interest convergence, ultimately tracing her actions as a public intellectual. Written as an educational biography, …

Change Management, Quality Assurance And Race: Advancing Race-Based Equity In Canadian Higher Education By Leveraging Established Institutional Mechanisms, Nadia Mallay

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Higher education in Canada has been well regarded for decades. Academically rigorous programs and institutions graduate strong students while also attracting top local and global talent as employees to their institutional communities. However, the field of Critical Race Theory, among others, explicates that higher education institutions are not equitable for all bodies. Individuals with intersectionalities inclusive of the Black Diaspora continue to be excluded from academic success and success as employee stakeholders in higher education institutions. Critically, Black bodies continue to struggle with entry to higher education and means to economic success post-graduation, as well as lack of inclusivity to …

The Impacts Of Incarceration On The Wellbeing Of Family Members Of African American Males Who Experience The U.S Prison System: A Phenomenological Study, Tremaine N. Leslie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

African Americans encounter a high rate of imprisonment, and the social, economic, mental and other effects of imprisonment are extended to their families and communities (Roberts, 2004). In addition to separating individuals from their families and communities, incarceration maximizes the probability for fractured relationships, fragmented communities, and encumbers the public service systems (DeHart, Shapiro & Clone, 2018).Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to explore the mental health effects of incarceration on the family members of African American males who experience the U.S prison system.

The theoretical framework utilized for this study was the critical race theory (CRT) immersed …

Using Critical Race Theory To Explore The Experiences Of College Students From Rural Areas, Elise J. Cain, Natesha L. Smith

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

There are several indicators (e.g. lower enrollment rates and lower persistence rates) that rural people are achieving less postsecondary success compared to their urban peers. This is particularly true for people with low socioeconomic statuses and people of color. This article, therefore, utilizes critical race theory in education to explore the experiences of college students from rural areas. The article begins with an overview of critical race theory and a review of relevant literature about rural students organized within a critical race theory framework. This information is then utilized to construct a strategy to guide educators in their critical explorations …

Culturally Relevant Care Through The Lens Of Duoethnography, Jacqueline B. Koonce, Karin A. Lewis

The Qualitative Report

Our study endeavors to explore how culturally relevant care manifests in our teaching at a predominantly Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Through duoethnography and collaborative interpretation of narrative data from our former students, we seek to better understand our own and our students’ learning experiences. Collecting our own and our students’ perspectives and stories about lived experiences with us as professors in narrative form allows for us and our respondents to reflect and express freely--to share views, impressions, interpretations, and experiences in our/their own words. Analysis of narrative reflections provides an opportunity to craft a story, to give voice to those living …

Am I A Systemic Iniquity Interrupter? Understanding The Influence Of Critical Race Educating Through The Narratives Of Alternative Ed. Black Educators, Ayanna Gore

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to illuminate the Critical Influence Black educators from an alternative education certifying program (which will be labeled with the fictional name Lead On throughout this research) through their personal narratives on the successes, struggles, and benefits of teaching Black students. Using CRT methodology (tenant 1 & 2: counter-storytelling and the permanence of racism) to hear and analyze the narratives of Black educators experience around working to have a Critical Influence on their students. Taking an Emic approach, three in-depth story-telling sessions were conducted for each participant. All participants are alum of the alternative certifying education program and …

Using Images And Texts To Increase Students’ Perceptions Of Their Learning Climates, Sara Alves

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Racialized students often perceive a more negative learning climate than their White peers (Salle, Zabek, & Meyers, 2016). According to Statistics Canada (2017), the region that School Board (SB) is part of is drastically growing in the number of people that self-identify as racialized. This is important to recognize because internal board data already highlights that many students within SB currently do not rate their learning climates as positive (SB, 2017). This organizational improvement plan (OIP) uses critical race theory to highlight issues with the unintentional reinscription of White dominance in texts and images within SB, and the effects that …

“Give Them A Firm Handshake, Look Them In The Eye, Try To Make A Connection”: Critical Graduate Perspectives On School Advancement Practices Of De Marillac Academy, Alicia M. Tapia

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation engages graduates of De Marillac Academy, a NativityMiguel school in San Francisco, in critical inquiry regarding school advancement practices. Graduates were asked how they participated in school advancement practices face-to-face with guests and donors, through media, on-campus and off-campus at their Annual Scholarship Benefit. Graduates engaged in photo and video elicitation interviews, in which photos and videos were used to spark commentary regarding their thoughts and experiences in advancement settings. As Catholic school educators, we are called to investigate the effects of a student’s formal and hidden curriculum in all aspects of their educational experience. This study found …

Systemic Racism In Education: Perspectives Of Teachers Of Color, Stephany Vallejo

Education | Master's Theses

Many strides have been made in addressing equity, diversity and social justice in the field of education. However there has remained a gap in the representation of the voices of Teachers of Color. Current literature reveals that there is underlying systemic racism deterring People of Color from pursuing a career in education for a variety of reasons including social, financial, racial and political barriers. Applying Critical Race Theory, critical studies of Whiteness and Microaggressions this study analyzes the experiences of Teachers of Color through their educational career. This research uses a qualitative methods approach with an emphasis on a constructivist …

Building Racial Coalitions: Limitations And New Directions To Teaching “White Privilege”, Eric César Morales

Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice

In this article, I pull from critical race theory, psychology, and philosophy to deconstruct the underlying psychological components that lead to “white fragility,” and I explore the limitations in current pedagogical approaches to teaching privilege. I argue that we adopt a more nuanced and context based understanding of “white privilege,” one that breaks down the concept into its two constituent parts: the “privilege/adversity paradigm” and “colonizer alignment privilege.” In the former, basic human physical or cultural traits are presented to students as capable of being beneficial or detrimental depending on context. In the latter, the ways in which people create …

From Theory To Practice: Establishing The Classroom As The Setting For Race Talk Through The Intentional Analysis And Discussion Of Poems By Authors Of Color, Cree Taylor

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Modern-day racism exists in mostly subtle ways and is often felt most keenly in the classroom. When schools began the legal integration process in 1954, Black teachers were fired, all-Black schools were closed, and Black students were bused to the formerly all-White schools. In this new environment, Black students and all Students of color were forced to accept and adapt to an educational system that favored Whites over all other racial groups. Today, White Supremacy in education affects the establishment of state and national standards, school and district boundaries, and the un-fair disciplinary action taken against Students of Color. In …

Socially Just Artmaking: A Practitioner's Inquiry Of Passionate Teaching For Compassionate Action, Jaime Linn Brown

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The arts serve as a vehicle to activate imagination of students in developing a broaderunderstanding of injustice, its consequences, and the range of alternative possibilities (Bell &Desai, 2011). As more young artists engage in this dialogue, we must investigate how young people themselves make sense of and experience the transformative power of the arts (Dewhurst, 2014). Activist art can communicate ideas about individual and community experiences to a wider audience; it can make public that which has been ignored, silenced, or kept from public conscience (Dewhurst, 2014). Visual expression allows one to increase their understandings beyond the limitations of words …

Public-School Systems Are Criminalizing Our Young People: Giving Voice To The Marganilized, Carrie Stoltzfus

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

A phenomenological qualitative study using Critical Race Theory and counter-storytelling was completed to investigate what K-12 public schools should be doing to keep young people out of the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). This study took place in a large city in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Interviews were completed with former students of the researcher who were previously incarcerated, educational professionals, and justice system professionals. Additionally, observations of the court systems and document reviews were completed in order to triangulate findings. Themes emerged around factors that lead to incarceration and the preferred practices to support young people to avoid …

A Collective Case Study Understanding The Barriers To College Access Facing Low-Income African American Male High School Graduates, Emmanuel Schuller Cherilien

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to understand the barriers to college access facing low-income African American males in the northeastern region of the United States. This study employed a qualitative methodology approach involving 10 low-income African American high school graduates from two states. The theoretical framework that guided this study was critical race theory. The central research question was: What are the barriers to college enrollment for low-income African American male high school graduates? The data collection methods consisted of semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and a focus group. The data analysis process involved open coding, axial coding, …

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 …

Turning White: Co-Opting A Profession Through The Myth Of Progress, An Intersectional Historical Perspective Of Brown V. Board Of Education, Jennifer L. Martin, Jennifer N. Brooks

Educational Considerations

The U.S. is currently experiencing a teacher shortage. Many school districts have been impacted by this issue and want to know: how do we recruit more qualified candidates into the profession, and, more importantly, how do we recruit more Teachers of Color? We may be experiencing a shortage of teachers in general, but there has been a paucity of Teachers of Color, particularly Black teachers, for decades. Looking back to the Brown v. Board decision (1954) to integrate public schools, thousands of Black teachers were pushed out of their jobs in various ways. In this article, we examine how this …

Exploring The Educational Journeys Of African American Honors Alumni(Nae), Sammie Marie Burton

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore and examine the experiences of African American students to and through collegiate honors programs. I aimed to provide another frame for understanding intellectuals by exploring the educational journeys of eight (8) African American, high-achieving alumni(nae). Through qualitative inquiry, this study gives an in-depth understanding to the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that helped students navigate challenging academic settings and evaluate the importance of honors education for students within the Black community. Guided by critical race theory (CRT), findings from this study will provide the research community with entry points to social justice practice …

Experiences Of Southeast Asians At A Community College In The Midwest, Emmanuel Canlas Esperanza Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explored what contributed to Southeast Asian students’ persistence in an urban community college in the Midwest. A qualitative case study was used to reveal how Southeast Asian students perceived personal and educational experiences and how those experiences created an impact on their persistence. This project addressed the lack of research on Southeast Asians and their challenges attaining academic success in higher education. This study is critical, as there is a lack of research on Southeast Asian students’ experiences within higher education institutions, particularly within community college settings. The majority of research has focused on Asian American or international …

Community Cultural Wealth In The Community College: A Systematic Review Of Latinx Student Engagement, Amity Butler, Erik Engstrom, Gena Lusk, Shurla Rogers-Thibou

Educational and Organizational Learning and Leadership Dissertations

This study is a systematic review of existing research literature dealing with Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth model and its influence on practices of student engagement for Latinx community college students in the United States. Inclusion criteria was limited to peer-reviewed studies and doctoral dissertations published between January 2014 and December 2019. A total of 21 studies were discovered, data extracted, and synthesized using methods of qualitative data collection and analysis.

Study findings included two to four practices for each of the six forms of capital in Yosso’s theoretical framework. Practices such as mentoring, goal-setting, program mapping, storytelling/testimonios, and an …

Gifted Identification In Young, Historically Underrepresented Populations: A Phenomenological Study, Meryl A. Faulkner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the implications of the low numbers of identified gifted young, historically underrepresented students. The research questions that guided this study were: what are educators’ experiences of the gifted identification process of young, historically underrepresented students? What are parents’ experiences of the gifted identification process for their young, historically underrepresented child?

Participants were parents of a student from an underrepresented population (American Indian or Alaskan Native, Latinx, Black or African American, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander) identified gifted in second grade or younger or educators who were involved in the …

Re-Storying The Cost Of Higher Education: A Narrative Approach To Addressing The Racial Disparities In Student Loan Debt, Sarah Yaskowski

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This thesis investigates educational debt as a racialized construct resulting from deeply entrenched disparities expounded by the current marketization of higher education. Once hailed as a pathway to the American Dream, pursuing a college education meant access to the middle class which promised greater social capital and socioeconomic mobility. Yet for many students, specifically minority students of color who carry disproportionate amounts of educational debt fueled by this false promise, the realities of this pursuit are far direr. By framing the discussion through the theoretical lens of Critical Race Theory, this research attempts a more critical review of the discriminatory …

Cultural Social Capital Impact For Male Latino Students At The Community College, Lisa Christine Nashua

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to apply Yosso’s community cultural wealth framework to understand the role of cultural social capital on the successful attainment of the higher education goals of Latino male students at the Community College while identifying the best methods to increase engagement including creating a sense of belonging. The researcher conducted 24 semi-structured face to face interviews with 20 Latino male students enrolled full or part time, three tenured faculty members and one staff member at a single community college in southern California. Findings revealed that the important role the development of cultural social capital on …

Exploring The Cultural And Structural Barriers Justice-Involved Individuals Of Color Encounter In Urban Community Colleges, Eddie J. Phillips, Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the cultural and structural barriers justice-involved individuals of color encountered at an urban community college and the construct of stigma as a mechanism for creating cultural and structural barriers. Additionally, this study explores justice-involved individuals’ sense of belonging and self-efficacy as community college students. Findings revealed that all justice-involved individuals participating in the study encountered barriers. Despite the cultural and structural barriers participants encountered, many expressed a positive sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and “gifts” based on their newly discovered purpose as college students. Cultural and structural barriers, as well as a new sense of pride and purpose, …

"It's A Tug Of War" : Reflections And Stories Of Afrolatinx Collegians And Sense Of Belonging At A Diverse Public University, Alfredo Medina Jr

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This qualitative study investigated the racialized experiences of AfroLatinx collegians at a diverse public university. Sixteen (16) self-identified AfroLatinx students participated in semi-structured interviews and a focus group to share their stories in negotiating their ethnoracial identity as it relates to sense of belonging. Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit), the study examined the experiences of AfroLatinx students growing up in traditional Latinx homes and how their neighborhoods and social networks influenced their racialized identity formation. Rendón’s (1994) Theory of Validation and Tucker’s (1999) modified version of Tinto’s (1993) Theory of Student Integration shed light …