As part of a larger critical discourse study, I share how engaging with critical texts and discussion was personally and professionally meaningful for participants, despite perceived limitations. To understand how critical pedagogy overlaps and conflicts with contexts of teaching in public schools, I facilitated discussion with teachers in…

In the face of calls for the standardization and professionalization of leadership education, a sub-field in higher education, it is important to understand who leadership educators are and how they come to understand themselves as belonging to this sub-field. Recent critiques have arisen about the overwhelming whiteness that permeates the…

We analyze tweets authored by educators during the COVID-19 pandemic, which Ibram Kendi has called a viral and a racial pandemic, and illustrate how Whiteness feeds the blaming of children and communities of color for trauma. We evaluate tweets that: (1) misused trauma-informed teaching practice in ways characterized by White saviorism; (2) pushed…

In this paper, Matthew Cowley advances a theoretical approach toward higher education drawn from critical race theory (CRT) and Black Marxism. After an overview of CRT and Black Marxism, Cowley builds a working understanding of two recent (re)conceptualizations of race and class analysis that draw from both: (1) "economies of racism" and…

Drum. Guitar. Song. Cue up Brittany Howard's "History Repeats" and notice what happens. For us, something akin to a bluesy-funk hums while reading critical whiteness studies (CWS) through black feminist thought (BFT). Breaking form. Diffractive. Relational. In this essay, we work through prismatic rhythm and consider how Howard's…

This article will situate the development of critical consciousness within practices of leadership and as a conduit for building a commitment to justice. Authors will focus on how this can be developed in those who are situated in privileged positions in systems of power.

The critical race theory concept of 'White supremacy' continues to be a major locus of disagreement between Critical Race Theorists and Marxists regarding both how it operates as a general descriptor of racial power dynamics in the Western world and for its explanatory power in accounting for the multiple forms in which racism manifests.…

As the COVID-19 pandemic invaded our lives in March of 2020, schools were forced to close their doors and urgently transition to remote learning. This action research study is about pre-service elementary teachers (PSTs) in a social justice-focused social studies methods course who used this unprecedented time as valid curricular material. While…

The Black Holiness Pentecostal Christian (BHPC) tradition is a focal point through which I illustrate(ed) multiple excursuses beyond Westerly notions of religion. Just as the word "excursus" is usually defined as an appendix to or digression within a written text, this text is designed to nudge the field of literacy research to extend…

In this paper, I insert the importance of teaching race through Middle Eastern America and Muslim America. By bringing in critical analysis of Middle Eastern America and Muslim America, I offer theoretical insights and pedagogical strategies in the education curriculum to teach race that will deconstruct, destabilize, and interrogate the dominant…

The purpose of this collaborative reflective article is to explore the promises and problems of whites-only anti-racist groups. Throughout the article, the authors analyze such groups by applying three lenses to a set of critiques of whites-only anti-racist groups: (1) critical race theory (CRT); (2) journaled experiences of the first two authors…

Background/Context: Almost 100 years ago, John Dewey advocated for a democratic U.S. educational system, one that echoed the tenets of the U.S. Constitution and achieved an ethical ideal by inviting participation of all students. Yet the U.S. educational system continues to stop short of this goal insofar as students of Color--especially those in…

Critical Consciousness (CC) refers to a critical theory that recognizes oppressive systems and provides those oppressed with a framework to overcome and act against these structures. Although the theory's origin addressed illiterate adults and empowered them to become critically aware, critically reflective, and active agents of change,…

In this article, Louise Taylor responds to commentaries on her article, "Seeking Equality of Educational Outcomes for Black Students: A Personal Account" (EJ1316951), offering her response and further reflections as she continues her efforts towards anti-racist practice. She begins her response by noting that the scale of the challenge…

In this chapter, we explore the research literature on Black college students' success and apply critical theoretical frameworks to reimagine how college student educators and administrators can promote a more holistic approach to student success. Scholars and researchers have focused on identifying how and why Black students succeed or not, and…