The racial mismatch between the overwhelmingly white teaching force and an increasingly heterogeneous student population continues to widen (Boucher, M. (2016). "Urban Education," 51(1), 82-107.) with pernicious implications for BIPOC students "who are systematically marginalized by the institution of schooling" (Kinloch, V.,…

In recent decades, school choice has become a characteristic feature of urban school systems and, like students, teachers must choose among schools with various characteristics. Such decisions become new sites for teachers to enact their professional identity. This study uses qualitative data to explore the identity negotiations of 26 teachers…

Empirical research demonstrates that Chicanx students thrive in an educational setting where Western histories are de-centered, and the core objectives of the curricula are the student's own self-exploration, the discovery of their subjectivity, social change, and learning (Cabrera et al. in Urban Rev 45:7-22, 2013). This critical pedagogical…

In this paper, the authors utilize critical reflection and autobiographical narratives as a pedagogical tool for aspiring school leaders to examine beliefs and assumptions on equity and social justice in an educational leadership preparation program. Comparative themes related to their developing social justice and equity orientations included:…

There are complexities in how care in schools is perceived by students and how achieving culturally relevant caring necessitates a deeper level of engagement. This case study delves into the perspectives of thirteen Black and Latiné students attending a justice-themed high school, focusing on their perceptions of caring orientations within the…

Systemic and seismic changes across multiple dimensions of schooling are needed to create equitable schools. We highlight a promising set of intentional and illustrative practices at one university that illustrate how equity can be highlighted across educational systems. While our efforts are ongoing, we explore a commitment to equity and social…

In this paper, the author draws on a qualitative case study of a place-based food justice project (FJP) at an urban public charter high school to examine the role of community-school partnerships (CSPs) in the FJP and marginalized students' experiences of these partnerships. Observations and interviews with students, teachers, and community…

I center the experiences of four Latina educators working in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to learn about their activism amidst the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a storying methodological approach (San Pedro, Res Teach Engl 50(2):132-153, 2015; San Pedro & Kinloch, Am Educ Res J 54(15):373S-394S, 2017), this project is guided…

The creation of trauma-sensitive schools has become an increasingly central focus of school reform and urban school reform in particular. While these initiatives have been framed as social justice imperatives, this framing warrants critique. This critical analysis surveys the history, models, and documented outcomes of trauma-sensitive approaches…

Recent research on the school-to-prison pipeline has exposed the disciplining and punishment of Black and Brown youth in today's school system. Given the convergence of racism and capitalism in the prison system, various marginalized community groups have called for its abolishment. Using teacher practitioner inquiry, this article asserts prison…

This qualitative study examined the building of a beloved community in a seventh grade life science classroom while teaching and learning in a constricting institutional context (U.S. public school). Guided by a Critical Race Praxis for Educational Research lens (CRP-Ed), the findings demonstrated how building a beloved community while situated…

Research on the inequities present within dual language (DL) programs demonstrates that these programs are not immune from the racial stratification prevalent in the United States. Despite intentions to center justice for minoritized students in DL programs, unexamined ideologies among educators can inadvertently perpetuate the existing status…

The scholarly paper explores how racial justice and college credentials have become conflated despite the higher education system being a site of anti-Blackness. The argument is advanced through analyzing critiques of higher education--stratification, lack of support, un(der)employment, and consumerism--on Kanye West's first album "The…

Trauma-informed Care (TIC), Restorative Justice (RJ), and Multicultural Education (MCE) are three approaches to school reform widely being discussed and promoted within schools. The authors of this paper, representing the fields of psychology, social work, and education, present an integrated framework that acknowledges the commonalities these…

This article uses Lefebvre's concept of right to the city to frame the practices of a Kindergarten teacher and her ability to create a more racially equitable classroom space. It explains how the teacher and researcher collaboratively engaged in racial spaces analysis and critical race theory to develop greater racial spatial awareness. The…