Unstandardizing Testing: Low-Scoring American Minority Students in the Crosshairs of Conservative Policymakers

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Chedhli Nighaoui
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Standardized Tests ◽  
Feedback Mechanism ◽  
Cultural Bias ◽  
Testing System ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Opt Out

That standardized tests do not accurately assess the true competencies of minority test takers is a widely shared claim among conservative educationists. The opt-out-of-testing community has lately grown unprecedentedly vocal in several states, questioning even more seriously the accountability of the testing system altogether. This paper adopts a Critical Race Theory perspective to investigate the conceptual underpinnings of conservative criticism as well as the interpretations made popular using quantitative methodology. The key premise of this paper is that a colorblind approach to testing understates the importance of a range of unquantifiable variables, mainly the linguitic and cultural backgrounds of the test takers, in determining assessment outcome. It attempts to demonstrate where specifically standardized tests may not be used as a reliable feedback mechanism and suggests that a more flexible assessment paradigm be considered, one that engages learning quality followup to keep cultural bias to a strict minimum.          

White Privilege and Power in the NYS Opt-Out Movement

2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Rosa L. Rivera-Mccutchen
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
White Privilege ◽  
New York State ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Critical Race ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
York State ◽  
Opt Out

Background Part of a special issue on the high-stakes testing opt-out movement, this article focuses its analysis on the movement within New York State, and examines white privilege and power within one specific organization, the NYS Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE). Specifically, I examine how the public-facing work of NYSAPE addressed (or ignored) race and/or racism in their efforts to resist high-stakes testing. I also ask, in what ways do their public stances affirm and reinforce white privilege and power? Purpose I explore the opt-out movement in New York State, and argue that it is a movement that has been largely dominated by white privilege and power. Employing critical race theory as analytical and methodological tools, I briefly examine the development and policy positions of NYSAPE, a coalition of grassroots parent, educator and community organizations. Research Design This qualitative case study focuses on NYSAPE and employs critical race theory as a methodological and analytical framework, with specific emphasis on whiteness as property (power) and interest convergence. Conclusions/Recommendations The paper aims to engage the opt-out movement in considering how its (in)actions are shaped by racism, a deeply entrenched element in our society, and pushes the movement to take a more liberatory stance for all children. Leaders within the opt-out movement, particularly in predominantly white and middle- to upper-class communities, have to examine their complicity in perpetuating racial inequities.

Using QuantCrit to Advance an Anti-Racist Developmental Science: Applications to Mixture Modeling

2021 ◽  
pp. 074355842110282
Author(s):  
Sara Suzuki ◽  
Stacy L. Morris ◽  
Sara K. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Mixture Modeling ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Main Section ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Quantitative Analyses

How researchers use statistical analyses shapes their research toward or away from an anti-racist agenda. In this article, we demonstrate how developmental scientists can use the QuantCrit framework to critically examine the process of conducting quantitative analyses. In particular, we focus on mixture modeling to clearly demonstrate how the integration of QuantCrit can be achieved within a statistical technique. We first summarize the tenets of QuantCrit and how it has turned the lens of critical race theory onto quantitative methodology. Second, we provide a summary of the key concepts of mixture modeling. The main section of the article is organized according to three “moments” that occur in quantitative research: (1) development of the research question(s) and identification of analysis variables; (2) decision-making about the role of race in planned analyses; and (3) interpretation of the results through a theoretical framework. We describe each moment, illustrate how researchers can use QuantCrit principles within it, and offer as examples empirical articles from adolescent research where these strategies have been implemented during mixture modeling. It is our hope that readers will identify moments in their own analyses in which these (and other) principles could be applied.

It’s Deeper Than That!: Restorative Justice and the Challenge of Racial Reflexivity in White-led Schools

2021 ◽  
pp. 004208592199841
Author(s):  
Arthur Romano ◽  
Rochelle Arms Almengor
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Restorative Justice ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
White Privilege ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
White Led ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Systemic Racism

This paper uses critical race theory to analyze several case studies focused on the experiences of two restorative justice coordinators (RJCs), both Black women and how they understood and responded to perceived racial injustices in urban schools with white leadership. These schools were attempting to address unequal disciplinary practices toward students of color through restorative justice and the RJCs adapted their approaches to addressing racialized dynamics while also developing school-wide networks to foster broader critical reflection on race. They navigated the risks of challenging white privilege and systemic racism both of which at times limited their attempts at influencing change.

scholarly journals Pursuing Justice-Driven Inclusive Education Research: Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) in Early Childhood

2021 ◽  
pp. 027112142199083
Author(s):  
Hailey R. Love ◽  
Margaret R. Beneke
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Critical Race ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Children Of Color ◽  
Educational Processes

Multiple scholars have argued that early childhood inclusive education research and practice has often retained racialized, ableist notions of normal development, which can undermine efforts to advance justice and contribute to biased educational processes and practices. Racism and ableism intersect through the positioning of young children of Color as “at risk,” the use of normalizing practices to “fix” disability, and the exclusion of multiply marginalized young children from educational spaces and opportunities. Justice-driven inclusive education research is necessary to challenge such assumptions and reduce exclusionary practices. Disability Critical Race Theory extends inclusive education research by facilitating examinations of the ways racism and ableism interdependently uphold notions of normalcy and centering the perspectives of multiply marginalized children and families. We discuss constructions of normalcy in early childhood, define justice-driven inclusive education research and its potential contributions, and discuss DisCrit’s affordances for justice-driven inclusive education research with and for multiply marginalized young children and families.

Exploring Approaches to Data Literacy Through a Critical Race Theory Perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britney Johnson ◽  
Ben Rydal Shapiro ◽  
Betsy DiSalvo ◽  
Annabel Rothschild ◽  
Carl DiSalvo
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Critical Race ◽  
Race Theory ◽  
Data Literacy

Critical Race Theory for HCI

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihudiya Finda Ogbonnaya-Ogburu ◽  
Angela D.R. Smith ◽  
Alexandra To ◽  
Kentaro Toyama
Keyword(s):  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Critical Race ◽  
Race Theory
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document