Education Commons^™

It Makes You Nervous When You Start Talking About Racism": Shining Light On Teacher Educators’ Experiences Of Anti-Racist Pedagogy In Australian Teacher Education, Sasha Janes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Teacher educators have a significant responsibility in promoting anti-racist pedagogy and guiding preservice teachers to engage in critical self-examination regarding dominant narratives. However, many teacher education programmes fall short of adequately equipping aspiring teachers for diverse classrooms as they often perpetuate a predominantly white system and curricula. Informed by Critical Pedagogy and underpinned by a lens of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies, this paper discusses the experiences of teacher educators facilitating anti-racist pedagogy within teacher education programmes at Australian universities. Semi-structured interviews were held with 23 experienced teacher educators employed at universities across Australia. Data reveal teacher educators’ efforts to promote anti-racist …

Disability, Race, And Origin Intersectionality In The Doctoral Program: Ableism In Higher Education, Theodoto W. Ressa, Scot Danforth

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This paper explores the experiences of a doctoral disabled student at a university to examine how ableist structures in graduate programs affect access to higher education and post-degree outcomes. Guided by the DisCrit framework and autoethnography approach, the article illuminates systems and processes that disadvantage graduate disabled students. Through intersectional analyses of disability, race, and origin, the article makes visible manifestations of disability microaggressions and systemic ableism, racism, and xenophobia. It interrogates the perpetuation and normalization of academic transgressions, including exclusionary practices that degrade and oppress graduate disabled students and hinder them from seeking success. Finally, the argument is made …

White Privilege And Teacher Perceptions Of Teacher-Child Relationship Quality, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Colin M. Mcginnis, Sheng-Lun Cheng, Dwayne Ray Cormier, Natalie A. Koziol

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

In this study, we investigated differences in teachers’ perceptions of the teacher-child relationship from kindergarten through second grade as a function of child race and gender from the perspective of critical race theory and the cultural synchrony hypothesis. Given the extensive evidence of White privilege and anti-Black racism in the US education system, we expected that teachers, particularly White teachers, would perceive their relationships with White children more positively than with Black children. Controlling for family SES and child gender, results supported this hypothesis. Black boys had the highest risk of being perceived by teachers as having poor relationships with …

Indoctrination Into Hate: The Development Of Racial Neuroses Resulting From Racist Socialization Under White Supremacy, Aliya Kathryn Benabderrazak

Haslam Scholars Projects

Racial-ethnic socialization is critical to our unique and individual conceptualization of reality. This socialization occurs explicitly and implicitly across the lifespan and has significant implications for one’s behavior, social relationships, and ideological beliefs. Two of the most notable and impactful spheres in which racial-ethnic socialization occurs are within the family unit and schooling contexts. The treatment and teachings within these two spaces shape our social and psychological development. The first part of my project considers the neurosis of Whiteness as a psychological consequence of racist socialization within school settings and primarily White communities—as a macro example of the family unit—to …

Revisiting The Complexity Of Racial Understandings And Subjective Experiences Of Race Among Students Of Color In Stem Higher Education: Toward A Racial Reappraisal Framework, Elvira Abrica

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Despite significant investment in expanding post-secondary access and success for racially minori­tized populations within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, persistent educational disparities remain. While the literature has importantly identified and described the myri­ad ways in which students of color experience exclusion within STEM fields on the basis of race (and, perhaps, other social identity statuses), this area of scholarship is not always theoretically grounded in an understanding of racial hierarchies, processes of racialization, or theories of race and racism. That is, despite the abundant literature on students of color in STEM, there is comparatively limited theo­retical attention to …

Students' Evaluations Of Black Faculty At Historically White Institutions: A Causal- Comparative Study, Kathleen Carter Gentry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With a call for greater accountability, institutions of higher education have focused upon student evaluations to measure teacher effectiveness to ensure that students are learning. Education researchers have revealed that Black faculty reported negative experiences within academe such as microaggressions, insults, and not being regarded as credible scholars by students and other faculty. Very little research examines the role that race plays in students’ evaluations of Black faculty from the viewpoints of students. This quantitative, nonexperimental, causal-comparative dissertation investigates 210 students’ evaluation scores of actual university faculty as measured by academic competence, sensitivity to students, instructional effectiveness, and their viewpoints …

Black Lives Matter In Teaching English As A Second Language!, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

The Winter 2020 issue of theIllinois Reading Council Journal published a special issue focusing on “action for equity,” with thoughtful articles and abundant family and classroom resources. This issue of the “wELLcome”column, which is dedicated to topics regarding English language learners (ELLs), continues in that same vein. In this issue, we place the spotlight on ELLs of African descent, their teachers, and their schools.

Divining Structural Factors Related To Intervention Success Or Failure: Cultural Sexism Versus Other Macro-Level Factors, Blair T. Johnson, Christine M. Curley

CHIP Documents

This article provides commentary on a spatial meta-analysis published by Price and colleagues (2021); it provides valuable preliminary evidence that a dimension of cultural sexism can countervail efforts for psychotherapy to succeed in samples that focus on girls aged four to 18. Our own study reveals cultural sexism to be markedly associated with at least three macro-level factors: cultural tightness, historical slaveholding (and by implication racism), and sex education inclusiveness. The fact that cultural sexism can be so well predicted by these factors is additional evidence that cultural sexism is real, yet it also suggests caution in interpreting these effects …

Umaine Office For Diversity And Inclusion Stop Aapi Hate. Reject White Supremacy Email, University Of Maine Office For Diversity And Inclusion

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Email from the UMaine Office for Diversity and Inclusion with various details of the Office's work and violent and discriminatory acts leveled against Asian people in America.

The Atlantic Black Box: Reckoning With New England’S Complicity In The Slave Trade Event, University Of Maine Clement And Linda Mcgillicuddy Humanities Center

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Screenshot of a webpage for the event "The Atlantic Black Box: Reckoning with New England’s Complicity in the Slave Trade" which featured a presentation on the Atlantic Black Box, a public history project that empowers communities throughout New England to take up the critical work of researching and reckoning with the region’s complicity in the slave trade and the broader slave economy. The two presenters were Dr. Meadow Dibble and Dr. Kate McMahon.

The Double Standard: Protest Coverage And Racial Bias Webpage, University Of Maine Clement And Linda Mcgillicuddy Humanities Center

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Screenshot of a webpage for the event "The Double Standard: Protest Coverage and Racial Bias" which featured McGillicuddy Humanities Center Fellow Leela Stockley presenting her research on racial bias in the media in relation to recent Black Lives Matter protests as part of Black History Month.

Tarred And Feathered: Umaine’S Hidden Connection To The Red Summer Of 1919 Event, University Of Maine Clement And Linda Mcgillicuddy Humanities Center

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Screenshot of a webpage for the event "Tarred and Feathered: UMaine’s Hidden Connection to the Red Summer of 1919" which featured a talk from Karen Sieber, Humanities Specialist at the McGillicuddy Humanities Center. The event was co-sponsored by the McGillicuddy Humanities Center and the Office for Diversity and Inclusion.

Reopening America's Schools During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Protecting Asian Students From Stigma And Discrimination, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

The COVID-19 outbreak has prompted a rise in stigma and discrimination against people of Asian descent in many areas in the world, including the United States1. Anti-Asian hate incidents, which have ranged from verbal attacks, refusal of service to physical assault, continue to transpire in the U.S., and they put psychological and physical well-being of Asian children at increased risk. Discussions toward reopening of U.S. schools thus far, however, seem to have exclusively included the infection-related concerns and pedagogical consequences of continued disruptions in face-to-face instructions. Hence, educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders need to have plans in place …

Editorial: The Humanity Of Marginalized Communities Is Not Up For Political Debate, Nate Poole

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, one of the three Louisville police officers that shot and killed Breonna Taylor while raiding her apartment in March was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment of Taylor’s neighbors, but not the shooting of Taylor herself. The grand jury decision quickly reignited Black Lives Matter protests and outrage in Louisville and across the U.S., and rightfully so. Kentucky law describes the charge against Officer Brett Hankinson as “extreme indifference to the value of human life.” Woefully misplaced as it is, Officer Hankinson should not be the only recipient of this indictment. Rather, the entire …

Discussion Questions For Teaching While Black, Pamela Lewis

Education

These discussion questions accompany Teaching While Black: A New Voice on Race and Education in New York City.

Lecturer Discusses 'White Privilege', Angela Flandaca

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Article from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus on University of Maine lecturer Tim Wise's thoughts on 'white privilege'.

In Our Own Words: Institutional Betrayals, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt

Faculty Publications

When Dr. Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, professor of English at Linfield College, asked a large group of underrepresented faculty members why they left their higher education institutions, they told her the real reasons for their departures — those that climate surveys don't capture.

This essay originally appeared as part of Conditionally Accepted, a career advice blog for Inside Higher Ed providing news, information, personal stories, and resources for scholars who are, at best, conditionally accepted in academe. Conditionally Accepted is an anti-racist, pro-feminist, pro-queer, anti-transphobic, anti-fatphobic, anti-ableist, anti-ageist, anti-classist, and anti-xenophobic online community.

Editorial: Diversifying Hollywood Is In The Hands Of The Consumers, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

“Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films," Bong Joon-Ho said, calling out the cultural shortsightedness that plagues Hollywood, in his 2020 Golden Globe acceptance speech for his film "Parasite." His words rang true for minorities everywhere, who sat through yet another award show celebrating predominantly white men.

Navigating The Silences: Social Worker Discourses Around Race, Cherie Bridges Patrick

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This thesis explored social worker discourses to learn what they could reveal about professional workplace practices and experiences with race and racism. The study traced the subtle and elusive racism often found in everyday professional conversations that are not considered racist by dominant consensus. Using tools of thematic and critical discourse analysis (CDA), and van Dijk’s (1993, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011) general theory of racism and denial (1992, 2008), data from 14 semistructured interviews and one focus group with a racially diverse group of social workers was analyzed in two ways. First, thematic analysis offered a horizontal or flat exploration …

A New Paradigm For Improving Race Relations, Teresa Reed

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Racial Considerations In The Language Used Around Mass Shootings Are Vital, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The Gun Violence Archive has logged 385 mass shootings across the U.S. as of Dec. 1, 2019. Just ��ve days later, on the morning of Dec. 6, another shooting was added to that list, when three were fatally shot and eight injured in the shooting at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida.

End Racism Protest' Is Held On The Umaine Mall, Charles Cramer

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Students, faculty and community members from across the Orono area gathered on Monday to protest online comments made three weeks earlier about Columbus Day and Indigenous American peoples by members of the University of Maine College Republicans (UMCR). The comments in question were initially uploaded to the UMCR’s Facebook page on Oct. 5 and were addressed in an email on Oct. 7 by both UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Robert Dana. The email from Ferrini-Mundy and Dana denied that the posts were representative of UMaine’s values, but chose to maintain their …

Hateful Rhetoric And Online Platforms Foster Environments Where Hate Can Grow In The United States, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has released a report that the number of hate groups in the United States has risen for the fourth year in a row. The United States is now home to 1,020 hate groups, including neo-Nazis, white supremacists, black nationalists, neo-confederates and the Ku Klux Klan. Proliferation of racist, xenophobic and generally violent political rhetoric from specific leaders of our country and the ability to recruit members, organize events and raise money on online platforms have contributed to the violent attitudes of the United States that fail to reject and even fosters the rise of …

Editorial : Desensitization To Tragedy, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Amidst the midterm elections, the never-ending battle between the president and the press, and the raging wildfires in California, the tragedy that repeatedly strikes our nation has found its way back into our headlines once again. Mass shootings at the Pittsburg synagogue, Florida yoga studio and Thousand Oaks all happened in the span of 11 days. Despite the horrific levels of these tragedies, the cycle remains the same: they occur, we talk about them for a week and then we move on.

Tragedy In Pittsburgh Brings Community Together, Emily Turner

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Many members of the local community came together throughout the week to show support for members of the Jewish community in light of the shooting that took place at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Oct. 27, 2018. On Oct. 29 there was a candlelight vigil held on the steps of the Raymond H. Fogler Library at the University of Maine in remembrance of the 11 victims who lost their lives. Professor Amy Fried spoke of her family’s experience of anti-Semitism in Europe and how historically America has been welcoming to the Jewish community. Because of this …

Can Tenure Be Abused?, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

In any higher education establishment, academic freedom is of great importance. The security provided to professors by academic tenure ensures that faculty are protected from termination because of their speech, research findings or political reasons. Without this security, academic progress could be stifled. But can this privilege and security be abused?

Racism In Our Backyard, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Maine can be quiet. Humble. Secluded. Lost in the upper northern woods of New England, the large state can feel separated from the rest of the nation. Problems and politics are diluted by the rocky shores of Acadia, the dense enclosures of forests and the strong sense of community. This is “Vacationland” after all. So when a small, rural Maine community is thrust under the bright light of the national media spotlight, it tends to burn. Jackman, Maine is one of those small communities. Recently featured on media outlets including The Washington Post, CNN and USA Today, the story of …

Are You Supporting White Supremacy?, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt

Faculty Publications

Dr. Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, professor of English at Linfield College, provides an opinion piece in the form of a checklist of 15 “troubles” she has identified to help others in academe recognize (un)conscious contributions to white supremacy.

This essay originally appeared as part of Conditionally Accepted, a career advice blog for Inside Higher Ed providing news, information, personal stories, and resources for scholars who are, at best, conditionally accepted in academe. Conditionally Accepted is an anti-racist, pro-feminist, pro-queer, anti-transphobic, anti-fatphobic, anti-ableist, anti-ageist, anti-classist, and anti-xenophobic online community.

Doug Allen Talks About Trump, One Year Later, Jack Barber

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

On Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017, the Socialist and Marxist Studies Series held a lecture titled, “The Election of Trump: One Year Later,” in the Bangor room in the Memorial Union. The lecturers included Doug Allen, a University of Maine professor of philosophy; Kimberly Hammill of the Bangor Racial and Economic Justice Coalition; and Maia Dendinger, the statewide officer for the Socialist Party of Maine.

Do Not Silence People; Debate And Engage Them, Jonathan Petrie

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

During the protests of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, you may have seen Richard Spencer — notable alt-right, white nationalist leader — get punched in the face during an interview. In response, a lot of people shared the video praising the actions of the violent perpetrator, citing Spencer’s racist ideology as a means to justify violence. Here’s the issue. No matter how much you disagree with someone, you do not get to punch them. Violence does not solve this debate.