Not White Saviors, but Critical Scholars

Gifted Black and Brown students are not voiceless; their voices are suffocated under the knee of systemic racism and white supremacy. This chapter proposes that the field of gifted education advocates for needed structural and systemic change through the discourse of critical race theory. A model of gifted critical race studies (GTCrit) is presented and described as both a way to understand race and racism in gifted education and to drive social change. GTCrit theorizes about the ways in which race, racism, ability, potentiality, and deficit ideology are built into daily interactions and discourses, informal and formal policies and procedures, and systems and structures of education, which disproportionately impact students of color qualitatively differently than white students.

A interseccionalidade dos povos bantu e suas afroperspectivas no chão da escola, na disciplina de filosofia

Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar reflexões da Filosofia Africana (LOPES e SIMAS, 2020) acerca da ancestralidade, da história, cultura e linguística dos Povos Bantu (LWANGA-LUNYIIGO, e VANSINA, 2010) e a necessidade da implementação da Lei Federal 10.639/2003, bem como do compromisso para que se consolide a sua efetivação no Ensino de Filosofia (NOGUEIRA, 2011). Para o sucesso desta proposta, trabalhamos os valores morais e norteadores da Ética e as questões ligadas ao Respeito com uma turma do 1º Ano do Ensino Médio, composta por Alunados de jovens Pretos (as), Pardos (as) e Brancos (as) inseridos em uma instituição privada de educação na Baixada Fluminense, cidade metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro, onde evidenciamos uma Pedagogia Antirracista (GOMES, 2017) e Decolonial (WALSH, 2013) a partir das pesquisas de Filósofos e Filosofas Afro-americanos, Africanos (ASANTE, 2009) e Afro-brasileiros, que produziram pensamentos filosóficos amparados na afroperspectiva. A metodologia utilizada foi gerada a partir de Oficinas, Rodas de Diálogos, Exposições de Livros de Literaturas Africanas, Indígenas e Afro-Brasileiros, apresentações sensibilizadoras de vídeos, textos e slides afrocentrados, onde serviram de subsídio para propor as discussões na Luta contra o Racismo. Graças a estas dinâmicas, foi possível descolonizar olhares eurocêntricos, racistas, xenofóbicos, machistas, homofóbicos entre outros, além de aumentar as estimas de Alunos Negros, proporcionar e construindo estratégias sólidas para a contribuição da valorização e a construção das identidades negras em prol da redução do Racismo. This article aims to present reflections on African Philosophy (LOPES and SIMAS, 2020) about the ancestry, history, culture and linguistics of the Bantu People (LWANGA-LUNYIIGO, and VANSINA, 2010) and the need to implement the Federal Law 10.639/2003, as well as the commitment to consolidate its effectiveness in the Teaching of Philosophy (NOGUEIRA, 2011). For the success of this proposal, we work on the moral and guiding values ​​of Ethics and issues related to Respect with a class of the 1st Year of High School, made up of Black, Brown and White students. in a private educational institution in Baixada Fluminense, a metropolitan city of Rio de Janeiro, where we evidenced an Anti-racist (GOMES, 2017) and Decolonial (WALSH, 2013) Pedagogy from the research of African-American and African Philosophers (ASANTE, 2009) and Afro-Brazilians, who produced philosophical thoughts supported by an Afro-perspective. The methodology used was generated from Workshops, Rounds of Dialogs, Exhibitions of African, Indigenous and Afro-Brazilian Literature Books, sensitizing presentations of Afro-centered videos, texts and slides, which served as a subsidy to propose discussions in the Fight against Racism. Thanks to these dynamics, it was possible to decolonize Eurocentric, racist, xenophobic, sexist, homophobic views, among others, in addition to increasing the esteem of Black Students, providing and building solid strategies for the contribution of valorization and the construction of black identities in favor of reduction of Racism.

School deferred: When bias affects school leaders

In the classroom, Black students are disciplined more frequently and more severely for the same misbehaviors as White students. Though teachers have influence over disciplinary actions, the final decisions for exclusionary discipline (i.e., suspensions and expulsions) are principals’ responsibility. We test how principals make disciplinary decisions in a preregistered experiment. Principals endorsed more severe discipline for Black students compared with White students across two time points. Further, this discipline severity was explained through Black students being more likely to be labeled a troublemaker than White students. Future efforts should focus on principals in order to mitigate the negative impacts of the school-to-prison pipeline.

The voice of students from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background

The Open University is a large, distance-learning university, serving all four nations of the United Kingdom (UK) and provides education for most of its students through open entry, meaning that no prior qualifications are necessary. At the OU, we have a low percentage of students who come from a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background, ranging from 4% to 13% depending on their programme of study. However, due to the high student population at the Open University, that low percentage amounts to thousands of students. We were keen to hear from our BAME students, as we are aware of a challenging awarding gap between these students and white students. We ran three focus groups with a total of ten students from a BAME background, and asked about issues such as being valued, inclusion, a sense of belonging and feeling represented. This was the first time that BAME students had been asked about their views in this way. We found that although there were positive insights, students were uncomfortable engaging in forums, lacked a sense of belonging and did not feel represented in the curriculum. By encouraging these students to give voice to their concerns, we heard, for the first time, some of the issues they are dealing with that need to be addressed.

How do we talk about race…and mental health?

This paper reports research undertaken with Access students at the UK Open University which sought to address the Black awarding gap through an intersectional approach. Noting Black students were less likely than White students to declare a mental health disability (for which institutional support would be triggered), the authors explored Black students' reasons for non-disclosure using an ethically sensitive methodology. A self-selecting sample of Black students were interviewed by Black tutors, resulting in deep insights into the lived experiences of Black students. Due to the challenging personal stories elicited, these were presented as five composite personas. Institutional recommendations around the need for enhanced cultural competence amongst staff, and more inclusive language in policy implementation may also address issues across the sector.

Trajectories of K-12 Schools and Demographic Differences: Evidence From 2017 Life History Mail Survey

Besides information about the highest degree, little information about early-life education is available in most population surveys. This study identified the trajectories of K-12 education history among older adults in the Health and Retirement Study born between 1930 and 1960, and examined the associations with demographic variables. Drawing on 2017 Spring and Fall Life History Mail Survey (LHMS; n = 3,206), we used sequence analysis to determine and classify trajectories of school types across the education history. We identified five trajectories: 1) always private school with White students, 2) always public school with White students, 3) always public school with Non-White students, 4) mostly private school with Non-White students, and 5) no report of school types. The trajectories showed that changes in school type (i.e. private to public) often happened in grade 9. Changes rarely happened across race/ethnicity groups (i.e. mostly White to mostly non-White). We used multinomial logistic regression to examine the relationship between demographic variables and education trajectories. We found that compared to Black participants, White participants were significantly less likely to be in mostly Non-White schools (public and private schools, p<0.001). The 1940s and 1950s cohort were more likely to join mostly White private schools than the 1930s cohort (odds ratio: 1.70 for 1940s and 1.62 for 1950s separately, p<0.005). Our findings illustrate a novel application of sequence analysis with life history data, as well as new evidence on recial segregation in early-life education within the last century.

Technological Advocacy and Crime Reporting in an HBCU Setting: Addressing the Prospect of Legal Cynicism in the Ebony Tower

In comparison to white students, the study of Black student attitudes toward crime reporting on college campuses is deficient, especially in historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Using approximately 100 completed student questionnaires, statistical results suggest that the majority of students express a willingness to report a campus-related crime to campus police. The highest reported explanation for refusing to report a crime is based upon the prospect of being labeled in a negative manner. The highest reported explanation for reporting a crime is based upon the receipt of a financial reward and anonymity. Bivariate calculations indicate that age, gender, and residential status are significantly associated with crime reporting decisions. Policy implications, areas of further research, and limitations are provided.

Research Note: School Reopenings During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Implications for Gender and Racial Equity

In the fall of 2020, school districts across the country reopened under a variety of instructional modes. Some districts returned to in-person instruction and some operated remotely. Others reopened under hybrid models, wherein students alternated times, days, or weeks of in-person instruction. To capture this variation, we developed the Elementary School Operating Status (ESOS) database. ESOS provides data on elementary school districts' primary operating status in the first grading period of the 2020–2021 school year, covering 24 million students in more than 9,000 school districts in all states. In this research note, we introduce these data and offer two analytical examples. We show that school districts with greater representation of Black and Hispanic students were less likely to offer in-person instruction than were districts with greater representation of White students. These racial disparities remained after accounting for geographic locale and COVID-19 prevalence. We also show that the number of in-person elementary school instruction days was associated with mothers' labor force participation relative to fathers and to women without children—that is, the fewer days of instruction, the less likely that mothers were employed. ESOS is a critical data source for evaluating the mid- and long-term implications for students who experienced reduced in-person learning and for mothers who exited employment in the absence of in-person instruction and care.

Determinants of Ethnic Differences in School Modality Choices During the COVID-19 Crisis

A growing body of research and popular reporting shows racial differences in school modality choices during the COVID-19 crisis, with White students more likely to attend school in person in the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021. This in-person learning gap raises serious equity concerns. We use unique panel survey data to explore possible explanations. We find that a combination of factors may explain these differences. School districts’ offerings, political partisanship, perceived risk from the pandemic, and local COVID-19 outbreaks are all meaningfully associated with and plausibly explain the in-person learning racial gap. Our results illustrate how not only policy decisions but also political leanings and individuals’ beliefs could contribute to inequality in access to learning and illustrate the need for a better understanding of the factors behind observed racial inequalities in education.