Race In Education Research Articles

Teaching Racial Literacy: Challenges and Contributions of Multiculturalism

Building on a critical post-colonial multicultural perspective and on whiteness studies that go beyond recognising cultural diversity towards challenging narratives that construct and exclude the other, the present article outlines impacts and challenges of the enactment of a recent Brazilian government educational law to combat racism in education, which makes it compulsory for schools to include black African history and culture in the curriculum. It analyses the underpinnings and the challenges within that policy. The article suggests that contradictory discourses, such as racial blindness, essentialisation of race identities, and the use of miscegenation as ‘evidence’ of racial democracy, are powerful lenses and cultural signifiers that have deeply polarised the way race has been addressed in Brazil. The study is relevant comparatively in that it provides illustrations of an official national anti-racist pedagogic experience taken as a case study, in the context of a highly inter-racial society, suggesting that anti-racist pedagogies are more likely to have positive impacts when they take into account cultural hybridisations and the provisionary nature of identity constructions.

The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and Racism in Education

The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and Racism in Education

Power, politics, and critical race pedagogy: a critical race analysis of Black male teachers’ pedagogy

In this article, the authors explore the analytic connections between the scholarship on Black teachers and the development of the concept of critical pedagogy. In particular, the authors conduct a detailed analysis of both of these discourses and then explore the work of two African‐American male teachers in an urban school in Los Angeles. The findings reveal that the links between critical pedagogy and the scholarship on Black teachers is stronger than the existing literature would suggest. Additionally, it is suggested that Black male teachers in urban communities embody qualities outlined in both critical pedagogy and the scholarship on Black teachers.

Is Racism in Education an Accident?

Is Racism in Education an Accident?

The “Equity Waltz” in Canada: Whiteness and the informal realities of racism in education

Canada has long perceived itself to be a country in which multiculturalism, and a concomitant respect for diversity, is a unique and defining feature of its identity. Although Canada is a de facto multicultural country, owing to its rapidly evolving demography and the explicit notion of multiculturalism enshrined in its Constitution, there remains a plethora of problems and issues related to equity, diversity and human rights. This paper explores the context and impact of racism in education within a framework that acknowledges and critically positions the predominance of Whiteness. The salience of identity, therefore, is a primary consideration to understanding how marginalized groups face systemic barriers in education. The concluding analysis sheds light on the educational policy process, and focuses on the notion of accountability for anti-racism and social justice in education within a time of neoliberal reforms. The paper is critical of the lack of attention, resources and comprehensive plans in place to ensure that all students benefit from a more holistic education that includes a focus on social justice.

The “Equity Waltz” in Canada: Whiteness and the informal realities of racism in education

Canada has long perceived itself to be a country in which multiculturalism, and a concomitant respect for diversity, is a unique and defining feature of its identity. Although Canada is a de facto multicultural country, owing to its rapidly evolving demography and the explicit notion of multiculturalism enshrined in its Constitution, there remains a plethora of problems and issues related to equity, diversity and human rights. This paper explores the context and impact of racism in education within a framework that acknowledges and critically positions the predominance of Whiteness. The salience of identity, therefore, is a primary consideration to understanding how marginalized groups face systemic barriers in education. The concluding analysis sheds light on the educational policy process, and focuses on the notion of accountability for anti-racism and social justice in education within a time of neoliberal reforms. The paper is critical of the lack of attention, resources and comprehensive plans in place to ensure that all students benefit from a more holistic education that includes a focus on social justice.

Beyond all reason indeed: the pedagogical promise of critical race testimony

Critical race testimony is the act of bearing witness – from a critical perspective – to the ways in which racism is inflicted on and inflected in one’s life experiences. In this article, the author begins her process of theorizing within the context of a classroom dilemma, which compels her to expand on the meaning and value of critical race testimony to a socially just pedagogy of race. She provide a brief historical analysis of critical race testimony, locating it within the Black autobiographical tradition, and most notably within the work of W.E.B. DuBois, who insinuated throughout his body of work that a ‘purely’ rational approach to race was an incomplete and thus to some extent ineffective approach to redressing notions of race and practices of racism. This tradition, the author suggests, has been revived and reasserted within the context of critical race theory’s use of the Black (Latino, Native, Asian, and European) autobiographical voice through counter‐storytelling – not as an alternative extant of reasoning, but as epistemological and pedagogical intervention, working to reveal the socially constructed and contextually dependent nature of reasoning itself. She concludes by returning to her classroom dilemma to suggest that the pedagogical promise of critical race testimony lies in its ability to move beyond Reason as we have come to know it, to reveal the ways in which rationality (unchecked) itself reinforces racist attitudes and practices.

“Why Are You Shoving This Stuff Down Our Throats?”: Preparing Intercultural Educators to Challenge Performances of White Racism

In general, white students respond intensely to explorations of racism. Intercultural educators are often unprepared for the challenges white students assert during conversations about racism and are unsure how to reply appropriately. Herein, we offer examples of student responses to critical race pedagogy in order to assist teachers in addressing similar stories told in their own classrooms. Based on data collected from over 300 student assignments collected between fall 2003 and fall 2006, we present a typology that categorizes patterns of white student resistance, including acknowledgement of racism, white self-preservation, diversion from structural power, and investment in white supremacy.

The lessons of slavery: Discourses of slavery, mestizaje, and blanqueamiento in an elementary school in Puerto Rico

ABSTRACTOn the basis of ethnographic research conducted in an elementary public school in Puerto Rico, we maintain in this article that subduing and narrowing the history of slavery is instrumental in the reproduction of national ideologies of mestizaje in Afro‐Latin America. We explore how school texts and practices silence, trivialize, and simplify the history of slavery and conclude that these maneuvers distance blackness from Puerto Rican identity and silence racism while upholding racial democracy and blanqueamiento as a social value. [slavery, racism in education, Puerto Rico, blanqueamiento, mestizaje, blackness, public history]

Critical Race Pedagogy: Teaching About Race and Racism through Legal Learning Strategies

Student resistance to learning about race and racism is pervasive and well-documented. Scholars have noted an array of direct and indirect resistance tactics. These range from withdrawal from class discussion or course withdrawal; questioning professorial authority in classrooms; and verbal and physical harassment and assault (Painter 2000; Tatum 2001; Tusmith and Reddy 2002; Lee and Johnson-Bailey 2004). In response, scholars have developed a variety of pedagogical approaches and techniques for confronting student resistance and/or providing the optimal context for teaching on race and other sensitive subjects. These responses to resistance to learning about race and racism include, but are not limited to: “frontloading” (i.e., providing a substantial amount of data establishing the reality of social inequality at the beginning of the course, and telling students ahead of time that they will be engaging in difficult subjects, and to expect discomfort) (Samuels, Fervber, and Herrera 2003); setting ground rules for discussion to ensure respect in the classroom (Allen, Floyd-Thomas, and Gillman 2001); assigning privilege inventories and/or other exercises, such as journaling, that encourage self-examination (Allen, Floyd-Thomas, and Gillman 2001; Sue 2003); and creating opportunities for self-generated knowledge (e.g., assigning interviews on racial topics) (Tatum 2001). Thanks to my two anonymous reviewers, Gena Chandler, and Emily Satterwhite for their helpful comments on the manuscript. Also, this work was presented as a faculty development workshop in 2004 sponsored by Virginia Tech's Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and at a panel on teaching and learning at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the APSA.

Performing Identities in the Classroom

Teaching about intersecting, fluid and historically contingent identities has been taken up extensively within the sociology of race, class and gender and women's studies. Oddly, the case of Jewish women has been virtually left out of this robust literature. This article explores the challenges raised through teaching the course “Jewish Women in Contemporary America,” and links these challenges to the pedagogy of race, class and gender more broadly. Using the classroom as a research site, the authors conducted post-course interviews with students and kept detailed field notes on class sessions. The authors use Judith Butler's theorization of performativity to analyze classroom dynamics. After redesigning and teaching the course a second time, the authors conclude that the relationship between “experience” and “theory” must be constantly interrogated by both instructor and students; that personal narratives merit space within the classroom, but must be problematized; and a critical Jewish Women's Studies, based on illuminating the socially constructed and hybrid character of contemporary Jewish American women's identities, can help to expose the tendency to methodological essentialism still prevalent in much of the feminist race, class, and gender literature.

Race, Narrative Inquiry, and Self-Study in Curriculum and Teacher Education

Narrative inquiry and self-study are used as analytic and conceptual lenses to examine the author's teacher education course where he attempted to introduce the relevance and centrality of race and racism in society and thus education. Implications of the study point to the important role of personal experiences in curriculum development and implementation. The narrative can prove effective in breaking down barriers of resistance around muted and what seem to be taboo topics—race and racism in education. In addition, self-study is critical to the learning of teacher educators and should be used to help build and expand our knowledge in the teaching of race and racism in teacher education for the benefit of all students in P-12 classrooms, particularly those in urban contexts.

Addressing Racism: Facilitating Cultural Competence in Mental Health and Educational Settings

Preface. Contributors. Part I: What Do We Know about Racism? 1 RacisminMental Health and Education Settings: A Brief Overview (Madonna G. Constantine). 2 The Invisible Whiteness of Being: Whiteness, White Supremacy, White Privilege, and Racism (Derald Wing Sue). Part II: Racism in Mental Health Contexts. 3 Institutional Racism against African Americans: Physical and Mental Health Implications (Madonna G. Constantine). 4 The Intersection of Racism and Immigration: Implications for Educational and Counseling Practice (Eric C. Chen and Jennie Park-Taylor). 5 Linking Poverty, Classism, and Racism in Mental Health: Overcoming Barriers to Multicultural Competency (William Ming Liu, Jovan Hernandez, Amina Mahmood, and Ren Stinson). 6 Intersections of Sexism and Heterosexism with Racism: Therapeutic Implications (Marie L. Miville and Angela D. Ferguson). 7 Healing Collective Wounds from Racism: The Community Forum Model (Barbara C. Wallace). Part III: Racism in Educational Settings. 8 The Impact of Racialized Schools and Racist (Mis)Education on African American Students' Academic Identity (Kevin Cokley). 9 Nice Kids, the N-Word, and Signs of Respect: Culturally Relevant Knowledge of Urban Youth (Wendy Luttrell, James C. Holland, and Janie Ward). 10 Racism and Racial Harassment in Schools (R. Murray Thomas). 11 Eliminating Deficit Orientations: Creating Classrooms and Curricula for Gifted Students from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds (Donna Y. Ford, James L. Moore III, and Gilman W. Whiting). 12 Tracing Institutional Racism in Higher Education: Academic Practices of Latino Male Undergraduates (Julie Lopez Figueroa and Eugene E. Garcia). 13 Guidelines for Evaluating the Racial and Cultural Environment of Graduate Training Programs in Professional Psychology (Shawn O. Utsey, Christina Grange, and Renee Allyne). Part IV: Eradicating Racism: Future Directions. 14 Five Antiracism Strategies (Paul Pedersen). 15 In Liberty and Justice for All: A Comprehensive Approach to Ameliorating the Complex Problems of White Racism and White Superiority in the United States (Michael D'Andrea). 16 The Pursuit of Social Justice and the Elimination of Racism (Elizabeth M. Vera, Larisa Buhin, and Richard Q. Shin). Author Index. Subject Index.

Critical Race Studies in Education: Examining a Decade of Research on U.S. Schools

In this article, the authors critically synthesize how Critical Race Theory (CRT) as an emerging field of inquiry has been used as a tool of critique and analysis in K-12 education research. The authors point out that CRT has been used as a framework for examining: persistent racial inequities in education, qualitative research methods, pedagogy and practice, the schooling experiences of marginalized students of color, and the efficacy of race-conscious education policy. The authors explore how these studies have changed the nature of education research and stress the need for further research that critically interrogates race and racism in education.

Some Challenges in Researching Racism in Education

The Schooling and Identity of Asian Girls represents one of the latest studies within what has now become a rich tradition of ethnographic research on ‘race’ and education published within the United Kingdom (UK) over the last 25 years (see, for example, Fuller, 1980; Brah & Minhas, 1985; Wright, 1986, 1992; Mac an Ghaill, 1988; Gillborn, 1990; Mirza, 1992; Troyna & Hatcher 1992; Connolly, 1998; Haw, 1998; Bhatti, 1999; Gillborn & Youdell, 2000). What the book shares with its predecessors is a concern with problematising racism in the lives of minority ethnic students and with foregrounding their own experiences and perspectives of schooling. In doing so, Farzana Shain provides an important critique of popular conceptions of Asian girls as a homogenous group who are passive ‘victims’ of a backward and static culture. In its place she offers a much more complex and nuanced account of Asian girls’ lives; one that recognises the diversity that exists as a consequence of the differing ways in which culture, religion, social class and gender articulate in their lives and also one that clearly demonstrates the active role that the girls play in making sense of and responding to the particular contexts within which they find themselves. Being located within this broader tradition of ethnographic research on ‘race’ and education, it is useful to use this present review of Shain’s book as a way of reflecting more generally on some of the challenges facing researchers in this area. In this sense there are three key challenges that will be considered in turn, namely: the issue of racism and how it is conceptualised and understood; approaches taken to understanding minority ethnic students’ agency and the development of their schooling identities; and the relationship between research and policy and practice in this area.

And we are still not saved: critical race theory in education ten years later

In 1995, Teachers College Record published an article by Gloria Ladson‐Billings and William Tate entitled ‘Toward a critical race theory of education’. In this article, the authors proposed that critical race theory (CRT), a framework developed by legal scholars, could be employed to examine the role of race and racism in education. Within a few years of the publication of the article by Ladson‐Billings and Tate, several scholars in education had begun to describe their work as reflecting a CRT framework. In this article, we review the literature on CRT in education that has been published over the past ten years. We also assess how far we have come with respect to CRT in education and suggest where we might go from here.

Education policy as an act of white supremacy: whiteness, critical race theory and education reform

The paper presents an empirical analysis of education policy in England that is informed by recent developments in US critical theory. In particular, I draw on ‘whiteness studies’ and the application of critical race theory (CRT). These perspectives offer a new and radical way of conceptualizing the role of racism in education. Although the US literature has paid little or no regard to issues outside North America, I argue that a similar understanding of racism (as a multifaceted, deeply embedded, often taken‐for‐granted aspect of power relations) lies at the heart of recent attempts to understand institutional racism in the UK. Having set out the conceptual terrain in the first half of the paper, I then apply this approach to recent changes in the English education system to reveal the central role accorded the defence (and extension) of race inequity. Finally, the paper touches on the question of racism and intentionality: although race inequity may not be a planned and deliberate goal of education policy neither is it accidental. The patterning of racial advantage and inequity is structured in domination and its continuation represents a form of tacit intentionality on the part of white powerholders and policy‐makers. It is in this sense that education policy is an act of white supremacy. Following others in the CRT tradition, therefore, the paper’s analysis concludes that the most dangerous form of ‘white supremacy’ is not the obvious and extreme fascistic posturing of small neo‐nazi groups, but rather the taken‐for‐granted routine privileging of white interests that goes unremarked in the political mainstream.

Redneck and Hillbilly Discourse in the Writing Classroom: Classifying Critical Pedagogies of Whiteness

Challenging views of working-class white students that either displace all white racism onto them or, at best, see them as having exchanged class consciousness for race privilege, the author argues for a critical race pedagogy that includes a more complex image of poor and working-class whites. She argues for both deconstructive pedagogies that can expose the role of language in maintaining racist and classist structures and reconstructive pedagogies that can provide students with the rhetorical tools for employing language transformatively.

“So When It Comes Out, They Aren’t That Surprised That It Is There”: Using Critical Race Theory as a Tool of Analysis of Race and Racism in Education

J asmine,' an African-American 9thexamining the educational experiences of cluding areas that can be considered upper grade student, described the racial and African-American students. Critical Race class, middle class, and less affluent areas. cultural climate at Wells Academy, an Theory (CRT) is a useful perspective from Most of the African American students, elite, predominately White, independent which to explore such phenomena. In this however, are considered middle class.2 school. She stated, Everybody knows that article, we will illustrate how CRT can be Two such African-American students racism exists and that people are racist. So used to examine the experiences of were Malcolm and Barbara. Malcolm was when it comes out, they [faculty and stuAfrican-American students. We will use a 17-year-old senior from a middle-class dents] aren't that surprised that it is there. the counterstories of African-American family. He was very active in school leadAs Jasmine asserted, racism is prevalent in students at Wells Academy, an elite, preership activities and was an athlete. Barall aspects of society, with schools not dominately White, independent school. bara was an 18-year-old recent graduate being an exception. However, what is Wells Academy from a prominent, upper-class family. She most interesting about her statement is was also very active in school leadership thatWells Academy is located in a major city activities. Both students were very proud monplace within the school walls that in an affluent, predominately White area of their African-American heritage and monplace within the school walls that in the southeastern United States. Propoften participated in the African-Ameriwhen it appears, e erty values in this community range from can cultural activities at Wells. has already begun to understand the per$450,000 to over $3 million. Wells has Because of Malcolm's and Barbara's

Racism in education?

Racism in education?