Purpose-This study aims to examine how teacher candidates of Color (TCoCs) experienced and percei... more Purpose-This study aims to examine how teacher candidates of Color (TCoCs) experienced and perceived culturally responsive teaching across three teacher education programs at a predominately White institution in the USA. At the time of the study, the campus was reeling from a series of racist incidents on-and off-campus, and the teacher education programs were attempting to recruit more TCoCs. Design/methodology/approach-Drawing on a critical race theory counternarrative approach and qualitative research focus-group interviews, the authors centered the voices of seven TCoCs and their experiences with culturally responsive teaching in their coursework. Findings-The TCoCs experienced and perceived culturally responsive teaching as promising yet fleeting, missing the mark, and a misuse of culture and language that resulted in harm. The TCoCs urge teacher education to hire racially-ethnically-linguistically diverse faculty, provide affirming spaces for TCoCs, and curricular transformation. Originality/value-Study findings contribute to recent calls for teacher education programs to attend to the lived experiences, concerns and expectations of future teachers of color.
While the value of culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies in education is largely accept... more While the value of culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies in education is largely accepted, how to equip educators to integrate these pedagogies in their practice is far less understood. In this chapter, the authors discuss how teacher education faculty's understanding and implementation of culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies were strengthened through an iterative and co-constructed process of tenet and rubric development, scaffolded implementation, peer feedback, and collaborative reflection. Drawing from four years of faculty inquiry group work in ongoing professional learning settings, the authors discuss the importance of a localized, evolving central framework which both informed practice and was grounded in praxis. The authors argue for the importance of systematic approaches, including both self-work and engagement with structural inequities, using shared understandings to affect enduring, multi-layered transformation across a large and diverse set of teacher education programs.
With the advent of COVID-19 and classes moving online, future educa- tors of Color (FEoC) in teac... more With the advent of COVID-19 and classes moving online, future educa- tors of Color (FEoC) in teacher education programs are susceptible to the same disparities in outcomes and retention that college students of Color experience. As a teacher educator of Color, I drew from abolitionist teaching, restorative practices, and engaged pedagogy to redesign and teach an online course for FEoC during the pandemic and racial justice uprising. I centered wellness and fostered interconnectedness through the use of restorative circles to process the pandemic and anti-Black violence and scheduled one-on-one meetings with FEoC to listen and respond to their needs. I emerged from the experience both humbled and hopeful that intentionally designing online coursework can support FEoC and inspire collective social action.
2 Background/Context: An ongoing challenge for scholars who examine the educational experiences o... more 2 Background/Context: An ongoing challenge for scholars who examine the educational experiences of young men of color, particularly Black and Latino males, is to illustrate the complex nature of their experiences and to call into question the dichotomous narrative that these students are either successful or unsuccessful. There is a responsibility for scholars to present a balanced, more nuanced analysis and to highlight that, while a significant number of these young men are underperforming compared to their peers from other backgrounds, there are many students who are doing quite well in school. While interrogating the notion of success can be a complex task, one of the concerns in the professional literature has been that the definition is frequently limited to narrow or conventional standards (i.e., high GPA, high test scores, etc.). While these examples of success are indeed important, we maintain that they do not capture the full spectrum of favorable educational and social outcomes of Black and Latino male students both inside and outside of schools. Purpose/Objective: This study operates from the standpoint that many Black and Latino males are thriving, yet their stories are rarely told, especially by the young men themselves. The objective of the study is to challenge conventional depictions of Black and Latino males by better understanding how these young men perceive themselves, as well as how they conceptualize success. Thus,
This study investigated the factors that pushed and pulled social justice educators out of urban ... more This study investigated the factors that pushed and pulled social justice educators out of urban elementary and secondary (K-12) schools and into teacher education. The authors utilized an autoethnography and counternarrative methodology to examine the systemic and distinct factors that impacted four social justice educators' decisions to leave K-12 schools. Two central categories emerged: neo-liberal K-12 push factors and pull factors that lured educators into academia. The
Since the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), neoliberal policies, such as st... more Since the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), neoliberal policies, such as standardized curriculum, high-stakes tests, accountability measures, school choice, charter schools, value-added models and school privatization have pushed social justice teaching to the margins. As a result, many educators endure demoralization, teach in a state of fear and are driven out of the classroom. This article examined of how educators sus- tained and enhanced their ability to teach for social justice through a teacher inquiry group (TIG) that was founded by a teacher activist organization in Los Angeles, California, USA. Conducting a qualitative case study methodology and critical inquiry group design, data were collected over the course of an academic year through observations and document analysis with 25 teacher participants and semi-structured interviews with six core teacher participants across the teaching experience spectrum. Findings reveal that TIG members engaged in a collective and individual social justice process described here as a community of transformative praxis. Through a community of transformative praxis, participants pursued pedagogical goals, became students of their praxis and practiced social justice teaching, which led to being validated and inspired to teach for social justice. The article provides implications for research and practice that considers social justice teacher retention, teacher professional development, and re-imaging the purpose and possibilities of public education.
As the nation's schools become increasingly diverse along ethnic and racial lines, examining and ... more As the nation's schools become increasingly diverse along ethnic and racial lines, examining and understanding the racial complexities in the United States is more germane now than ever in the nation's history. To that end, critical race theory (CRT) has been a transformative conceptual, methodological, and theoretical construct that has assisted researchers in problematizing race in education. As we reflect on 20 years of CRT, it is essential to examine in what ways, if any, CRT is influencing school practice and policy. Given the disparate educational outcomes for students of color, researchers have to inquire about the influence of CRT on the lived experiences of students in schools. In this article, the authors lay out the historical trajectory of CRT, discuss its influence on educational research, and then evaluate to what extent, if any CRT has had on school policy and practice. The article will conclude with research, practice, and policy implications that may influence CRT's development over the next 20-year period. Race and education have always been an essential element in the way opportunities for learning have manifested in U.S. schools. Throughout the last several centuries, there has been an ongoing quest for educational inclusion
Purpose-This study aims to examine how teacher candidates of Color (TCoCs) experienced and percei... more Purpose-This study aims to examine how teacher candidates of Color (TCoCs) experienced and perceived culturally responsive teaching across three teacher education programs at a predominately White institution in the USA. At the time of the study, the campus was reeling from a series of racist incidents on-and off-campus, and the teacher education programs were attempting to recruit more TCoCs. Design/methodology/approach-Drawing on a critical race theory counternarrative approach and qualitative research focus-group interviews, the authors centered the voices of seven TCoCs and their experiences with culturally responsive teaching in their coursework. Findings-The TCoCs experienced and perceived culturally responsive teaching as promising yet fleeting, missing the mark, and a misuse of culture and language that resulted in harm. The TCoCs urge teacher education to hire racially-ethnically-linguistically diverse faculty, provide affirming spaces for TCoCs, and curricular transformation. Originality/value-Study findings contribute to recent calls for teacher education programs to attend to the lived experiences, concerns and expectations of future teachers of color.
While the value of culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies in education is largely accept... more While the value of culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies in education is largely accepted, how to equip educators to integrate these pedagogies in their practice is far less understood. In this chapter, the authors discuss how teacher education faculty's understanding and implementation of culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies were strengthened through an iterative and co-constructed process of tenet and rubric development, scaffolded implementation, peer feedback, and collaborative reflection. Drawing from four years of faculty inquiry group work in ongoing professional learning settings, the authors discuss the importance of a localized, evolving central framework which both informed practice and was grounded in praxis. The authors argue for the importance of systematic approaches, including both self-work and engagement with structural inequities, using shared understandings to affect enduring, multi-layered transformation across a large and diverse set of teacher education programs.
With the advent of COVID-19 and classes moving online, future educa- tors of Color (FEoC) in teac... more With the advent of COVID-19 and classes moving online, future educa- tors of Color (FEoC) in teacher education programs are susceptible to the same disparities in outcomes and retention that college students of Color experience. As a teacher educator of Color, I drew from abolitionist teaching, restorative practices, and engaged pedagogy to redesign and teach an online course for FEoC during the pandemic and racial justice uprising. I centered wellness and fostered interconnectedness through the use of restorative circles to process the pandemic and anti-Black violence and scheduled one-on-one meetings with FEoC to listen and respond to their needs. I emerged from the experience both humbled and hopeful that intentionally designing online coursework can support FEoC and inspire collective social action.
2 Background/Context: An ongoing challenge for scholars who examine the educational experiences o... more 2 Background/Context: An ongoing challenge for scholars who examine the educational experiences of young men of color, particularly Black and Latino males, is to illustrate the complex nature of their experiences and to call into question the dichotomous narrative that these students are either successful or unsuccessful. There is a responsibility for scholars to present a balanced, more nuanced analysis and to highlight that, while a significant number of these young men are underperforming compared to their peers from other backgrounds, there are many students who are doing quite well in school. While interrogating the notion of success can be a complex task, one of the concerns in the professional literature has been that the definition is frequently limited to narrow or conventional standards (i.e., high GPA, high test scores, etc.). While these examples of success are indeed important, we maintain that they do not capture the full spectrum of favorable educational and social outcomes of Black and Latino male students both inside and outside of schools. Purpose/Objective: This study operates from the standpoint that many Black and Latino males are thriving, yet their stories are rarely told, especially by the young men themselves. The objective of the study is to challenge conventional depictions of Black and Latino males by better understanding how these young men perceive themselves, as well as how they conceptualize success. Thus,
This study investigated the factors that pushed and pulled social justice educators out of urban ... more This study investigated the factors that pushed and pulled social justice educators out of urban elementary and secondary (K-12) schools and into teacher education. The authors utilized an autoethnography and counternarrative methodology to examine the systemic and distinct factors that impacted four social justice educators' decisions to leave K-12 schools. Two central categories emerged: neo-liberal K-12 push factors and pull factors that lured educators into academia. The
Since the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), neoliberal policies, such as st... more Since the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), neoliberal policies, such as standardized curriculum, high-stakes tests, accountability measures, school choice, charter schools, value-added models and school privatization have pushed social justice teaching to the margins. As a result, many educators endure demoralization, teach in a state of fear and are driven out of the classroom. This article examined of how educators sus- tained and enhanced their ability to teach for social justice through a teacher inquiry group (TIG) that was founded by a teacher activist organization in Los Angeles, California, USA. Conducting a qualitative case study methodology and critical inquiry group design, data were collected over the course of an academic year through observations and document analysis with 25 teacher participants and semi-structured interviews with six core teacher participants across the teaching experience spectrum. Findings reveal that TIG members engaged in a collective and individual social justice process described here as a community of transformative praxis. Through a community of transformative praxis, participants pursued pedagogical goals, became students of their praxis and practiced social justice teaching, which led to being validated and inspired to teach for social justice. The article provides implications for research and practice that considers social justice teacher retention, teacher professional development, and re-imaging the purpose and possibilities of public education.
As the nation's schools become increasingly diverse along ethnic and racial lines, examining and ... more As the nation's schools become increasingly diverse along ethnic and racial lines, examining and understanding the racial complexities in the United States is more germane now than ever in the nation's history. To that end, critical race theory (CRT) has been a transformative conceptual, methodological, and theoretical construct that has assisted researchers in problematizing race in education. As we reflect on 20 years of CRT, it is essential to examine in what ways, if any, CRT is influencing school practice and policy. Given the disparate educational outcomes for students of color, researchers have to inquire about the influence of CRT on the lived experiences of students in schools. In this article, the authors lay out the historical trajectory of CRT, discuss its influence on educational research, and then evaluate to what extent, if any CRT has had on school policy and practice. The article will conclude with research, practice, and policy implications that may influence CRT's development over the next 20-year period. Race and education have always been an essential element in the way opportunities for learning have manifested in U.S. schools. Throughout the last several centuries, there has been an ongoing quest for educational inclusion
Uploads
Papers by Oscar Navarro