The Color of Neoliberal Reform: A Critical Race Policy Analysis of School District Takeovers in Michigan

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 424-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Wright ◽  
Ronald W. Whitaker ◽  
Muhammad Khalifa ◽  
Felecia Briscoe
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
The State ◽  
State Control ◽  
Critical Race ◽  
Critical Policy Analysis ◽  
Neoliberal Reform ◽  
Critical Case Study ◽  
Critical Policy

This critical case study analyzes Michigan’s implementation of Public Act 4 (PA4), also known as the emergency management (EM) takeover law. PA4 grants the state control of school districts with dire budgetary problems. As most U.S. school districts are citywide, PA4 gives the state direct control over all the (previously locally controlled) schools in Detroit. We use tenets from critical race theory (CRT) and components from critical policy analysis (CPA) and offer a critical race policy analysis (CRPA) to explore racial power and privilege enacted by PA4, imposed upon Detroit.

scholarly journals “The State Pulled a Fast One on Us”: A Critical Policy Analysis of State-Level Policies Affecting English Learners From District-Level Perspectives

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie Sampson
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
English Learners ◽  
State Level ◽  
District Level ◽  
Educational Opportunities ◽  
Critical Policy Analysis ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Critical Policy

States’ increasing involvement in educational policy making can play a significant role in how school districts provide equitable educational opportunities. Guided by critical policy analysis, the purpose of this article is to examine state-level policy pertaining to English learners (ELs) from district-level perspectives. Based on interview and archival data from a multiple case study of three metropolitan school districts in different states, district-level perspectives illustrate how these state-level policies were symbolic, restrictive, or exclusionary toward ELs. The results also demonstrate ways that districts advocated, engaged, resisted, and navigated state-level policies and politics. Based on these findings, I argue that state-level policies and related politics can compromise school districts’ ability to provide ELs with adequate educational opportunities.

scholarly journals A critical policy analysis of Texas’ Closing the Gaps 2015

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Cumings Mansfield ◽  
Stefani Leigh Thachik
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
School Finance ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Critical Policy Analysis ◽  
State Education ◽  
Closing The Gaps ◽  
P 16 ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
Critical Policy

This critical policy analysis uses critical race theory to provide a counter narrative to the P-16 initiative in Texas known as Closing the Gaps 2015. Findings indicate that while these reforms aim to increase educational access and achievement for people of color, they fall short of addressing systemic inequities such as enduring segregation and unconstitutional school finance policy. Using Texas as a case study illumines the ways the growing number of P-16 councils throughout the US might adapt and improve policy development and implementation to more adequately address educational inequities across racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups. The article closes with recommendations for Texas’ reiteration of Closing the Gaps 2015, titled 60x30TX, currently in revision to guide state education goals in 2016-2030.

Applying Critical Race Theory as a Tool for Examining the Literacies of Black Immigrant Youth

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (13) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Kendra Nalubega-Booker ◽  
Arlette Willis
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
Educational Experiences ◽  
Critical Race ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Critical Policy Analysis ◽  
African Immigrant ◽  
Laws And Policies ◽  
Critical Policy

Background/Context There is a growing body of literature about the educational experiences of students who are African immigrants in U.S. schools. This study looks closely at a Ugandan immigrant's educational experiences in the U.S. as well as the laws and policies that preempted her education. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The purpose of this study is to examine the disconnect between the rhetoric and practice of second language/bilingual laws in one school district in a Midwestern state, with regard to the experiences of an African immigrant whose has a diverse linguistic background. Research Design This study is crafted through a critical race theory lens and applies critical policy analysis to understand current practices. Using autoethnography, we provide a first-person reflection on the lived experiences of a young African immigrant student and her family. Then, drawing on critical race theory in concert with critical policy analysis, we examine the implementation and practice of second language/bilingual laws and policies in the state of Illinois. Findings/Results We find that the discourse and rhetoric surrounding second language/ bilingual laws and policies on federal, state, and local levels do not align with actual practices in school districts and classrooms. We describe how the lack of coherence between discourse and practice has contributed to delimiting an African immigrant student's access to mainstream language and linguistic education and other academic opportunities. Conclusions/Recommendations We conclude with recommendations to improve bilingual services to speakers of African languages: acknowledge that some African immigrant students possess a diverse linguistic background; address and challenge the dominant attitudes that deprive African immigrant students of a quality educational experience. We call upon administrators and policymakers to evaluate and correct the disconnect between second language/bilingual laws and policies. We recommend that cultural competence be central to second language/bilingual laws and policies throughout the planning and implementation processes.

scholarly journals A critical policy analysis of Texas’ Closing the Gaps 2015

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Cumings Mansfield ◽  
Stefani Leigh Thachik
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
School Finance ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Critical Policy Analysis ◽  
State Education ◽  
Closing The Gaps ◽  
P 16 ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
Critical Policy

This critical policy analysis uses critical race theory to provide a counter narrative to the P-16 initiative in Texas known as Closing the Gaps 2015. Findings indicate that while these reforms aim to increase educational access and achievement for people of color, they fall short of addressing systemic inequities such as enduring segregation and unconstitutional school finance policy. Using Texas as a case study illumines the ways the growing number of P-16 councils throughout the US might adapt and improve policy development and implementation to more adequately address educational inequities across racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups. The article closes with recommendations for Texas’ reiteration of Closing the Gaps 2015, titled 60x30TX, currently in revision to guide state education goals in 2016-2030.

scholarly journals Diversity for Whom? Gentrification, Demographic Change, and the Politics of School Integration

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Diem ◽  
Jennifer Jellison Holme ◽  
Wesley Edwards ◽  
Madeline Haynes ◽  
Eliza Epstein
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
District Leaders ◽  
Critical Policy Analysis ◽  
School Demographics ◽  
The Face ◽  
Critical Policy

Gentrification and the displacement of low-income residents of color from neighborhoods where they have long resided has accelerated over the last 20 years. In some cities, this process has begun to impact school demographics. Although research shows that school districts experiencing gentrification are responding in ways that fuel segregation and inequality, in some contexts gentrification is viewed by administrators as an opportunity to seek racial and economic integration. In our exploratory comparative case study, we examined districts in gentrifying cities pursuing integration in the face of rapid gentrification. Our critical policy analysis illustrates how district leaders’ diversity efforts can be overshadowed by their desire to appease and attract gentrifying families. Although districts are maintaining or increasing diversity in gentrifying contexts, our study raises broader equity questions that call for further inquiry of within-district equity and the displacement of students.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document