ERIC Number: EJ1240044
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1361-3324
EISSN: N/A
Being QuantCritical of U.S. K-12 Demographic Data: Using and Reporting Race/Ethnicity in Florida Heartland Schools
Race, Ethnicity and Education, v23 n2 p180-199 2020
In this study on K-12 schools in the U.S. Florida Heartland, I take a QuantCrit approach to uncover how processes of data transformation, which I call 'racial re-formation', shape the utilization and reporting of racial and ethnic representations of students. To understand actual data use at schools, I apply QuantCrit's principles on how numbers are not neutral and how categories/groups are neither 'natural' nor given. I introduce 'racial re-formation' to identify the mechanisms behind expression of the QuantCrit principles in the data. Analyses of observations demonstrate that definitions of race/ethnicity are malleable, as personnel changed reported definitions of students as they used data in school decisions. Contrast of school records with teacher-created grade-level cards shows mismatch in student race/ethnicity between multiple school measures, while comparison of state vs. school records illustrates how policy affects demographic portraits. These practices led to varying representations, especially for American Indians and other groups, though ways to improve data collection, utilization, and reporting are offered.
Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, School Demography, Race, Ethnicity, Student Diversity, Data Use, Decision Making, Student Characteristics, Student Records, Critical Theory, Racial Identification, Statistical Analysis, Reliability
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Florida
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A