The purpose of this paper is to present an argument for understanding the factors that support or constrain the development of Chicana/o students' academic identities and consequently, their academic resiliency in high school. The article draws on a larger study investigating ways that schooling structures and teacher mind-sets can sustain students' ability to complete high school requirements. A subset of findings from a five-year ethnographic study in a high school in Colorado serves as the basis for a conceptual framework that honors what Chicana/o students identify as critical to their ability to succeed. Using observational data, interviews and an ethnographic perspective the article examines participating adolescents' understandings of key elements that fostered their academic resilience. These key elements are respeto (respect), confianza (mutual trust), consejos (verbal teachings) and buen ejemplos (exemplary models). Findings suggest that teachers who practice a humanizing pedagogy are instrumental in fostering healthy educational orientations among Chicana/o adolescents, which in turn results in their academic resiliency against all odds.

I went to school with all of my treasures, including my Spanish language, Mexican culture, familia (family), and ways of knowing. I abandoned my treasures at the classroom door in exchange for English and the U.S. culture; consequently, my assimilation into U.S. society was agonizing. One of my earliest memories is of wishing away my dark skin; I wanted desperately to be White, and I abhorred being la morena, the dark-skinned girl. I came to associate whiteness with success and brownness with failure. I was overwhelmed with feelings of shame over the most essential elements of my humanness. As a result, my experience in the U.S. educational system was marked by endless struggles to preserve my humanity.-María del Carmen Salazar

This article argues that teacher-education programs often promote surface conceptions of inclusivity that limit preservice teachers' ability to understand and build upon the lived experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse youth. Conventional wisdom implies that teachers of color are native informants of these lived experiences; however, teacher educators should create opportunities for all teacher candidates to challenge prevalent myths about communities of color. Using critical race theory (CRT) and Latino critical race theory (LatCrit) the authors discuss a framework whereby teacher educators invite their students to construct counterstories through practices such as eliciting autonarratives, providing opportunities for reflective writing assignments, and coaching for equity.

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This article frames teacher evaluation from a critical race theory (CRT) perspective to unveil whiteness as the normative center of frameworks for teaching, and the marginalization of Communities of Color. The author places CRT on the ground by proposing a culturally responsive alternative, the Framework for Equitable and Excellent Teaching (FEET). The FEET is strategically designed to position the resources of historically marginalized Communities of Color at the center of teacher evaluation. This article describes the development of the FEET through three phases of mixed-methods research. The findings of the research were used to develop and improve the FEET to increase its measurement quality and potential in capturing culturally responsive practice. This article concludes by interrogating the role of teacher evaluation in disrupting or reproducing inequity, and proposing future research opportunities.