Grounded in critical race theory, this article seeks to frame the ideological positions of success and failure for African American students in urban school settings. First, we revisit national data and research literature that illustrate the ongoing urban Black-White achievement gap. Second, the Matrix of Achievement Paradigms is shared in an attempt to advance the conversation on African American students' achievement. It provides a serviceable organizational tool for framing African American students' success and failure. Finally, we bridge rhetoric with practical ideas for stakeholders by providing recommendations for closing the achievement gap in urban settings.
In this article, Barbara Seidl and Stephen Hancock introduce the concept of a double image, which they argue is central to the development of a mature, antiracist identity for White people. Similar in some ways to Dubois's (1903) concept of double consciousness, a double image is a sensibility or consciousness that gives White people a deeper understanding of how they are seen and raced by others, particularly People of Color. Drawing on eight years as antiracist teacher educators, Seidl and Hancock demonstrate how White preservice teachers in a cross-cultural internship begin to develop a double image, the obstacles they come across, and the pedagogies that can assist them in this process.
Background/Context Teacher education programs are charged with the daunting task of preparing the next generation of teachers. However, the extant literature has documented that teacher education programs have struggled to effectively arm teacher candidates with effective pedagogies to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse student population. Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) is a social justice framework posited to support academic achievement, cultural competence, and critical consciousness for all learners. To this end, this article examines the integration of CRP into teacher education programs. Purpose In this article, we discuss CRP and interrogate teacher education programs in the critical areas of governance and accountability, policies and programs, curriculum and instruction, and teacher educators. Furthermore, this article presents a conceptual framework for the integration of CRP into teacher education programs. Research Design This article is a conceptual paper that builds upon the hallmarks of CRP, which are rooted in a critical race paradigm that centers on exposing and challenging racial policies that maintain the status quo in teacher education programs. We present a critical framework to support the mapping of CRP into teacher education programs through critical reflection, social justice action, and critical questioning. Conclusion/Recommendations A teacher preparation program that does not critically interrogate race, power, and privilege in the context of schools does not maintain a social justice mission and consequently does not meet the tenets of CRP. A critical examination of race and other sociocultural concepts that disenfranchise K–12 students in schools must be an integral and reflective practice for teacher candidates. Requiring teacher candidates to gain skills in critical reflection and critical consciousness in an effort to deconstruct the existing social order is imperative to support culturally relevant pedagogy in teacher education curriculum.
It is evident that many Black women teachers (BWT) are leaving the teaching profession because they neither desire to nor are able to navigate the mental, professional, or curricular pressures of teaching. In this article, we use the story of Alicia to explore the instructional, professional, and emotional stress that many Black women teachers endure. We also provide insight on theoretical constructs and practical applications that impact BWT. In addition, we examine approaches that engage the retention of Black women teachers through a process of personal and professional support systems."Cultural patterns of oppression are not only interrelated, but are bound together and influenced by the intersectional systems of society. " Kimberlé Crenshaw, 1989
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