Before and After

My journey in this course was an overall positive one.  If I was asked to summarize my experience I would say it provided me with the opportunity to be reflective of all the evidence that demonstrates how capitalism is the driving force behind the disparities embodied in our education system.  Initially I was reluctant to register for the course - I felt that knowledge of critical social theory wasn't something I was lacking.  Each of the courses in this program are designed to apply a critical lens to specific examples in education that are pertinent to to the content of the course.  For example, in the quantitative analysis course, the professor would usually analyze data sets through specific categories of race, ethnicity, SES, etc. for her lessons.  She would then model how the application of a particular statistical procedures can demonstrate how educational outcomes are consistently different between the Black and White students and the wealthy and poor.  The disparities are clear.  These numbers show consistent widening gaps between the performance of White affluent students and students of color or from low SES backgrounds.  With this experience I will always make the connection between statistical analysis as a great way to show how social injustices are clear in the numbers too.
So back to this course.  The most significant topic I learned about was Karl Marx's neoliberalism theories.  Specifically on how a capitalist society such as ours is the force that ultimately creates social classes.  Depending the the social class you belong to will determine the type of social, educational and financial benefits you receive.   This outcome is known as social reproduction theory.  This means that if you are financially affluent you will be able to afford a good education in a comfortable and safe neighborhood for your child.  Whereas poor families have no choice but to enroll their children in their local, low-achieving public schools.  It basically means that your success in academics, finances, career is commensurate with your level of affluence.  The idea is that these social boundaries are maintained by further enriching the affluent and criminalizing the behavior of those in the lower social realm.
Throughout the course I have thought of the theoretical framework for my study.  I believe this will help me to determine what I  really want to reveal based on my interests.  What are the social disparities behind the structure and recruitment procedures of dual language programs?  I feel like I have a better grasp on critical social theories and how they relate to injustices in education.

Critical Race Theory

"So When It Comes Out, They Aren't That Surprised That It Is There": Using Critical Race Theory as a Tool of Analysis of Race and Racism in Education

By: Jessica T. DeCuir and Adrienne D. Dixson

Today I read all about how Critical Race Theory (CRT) can be applied as an analytical tool to address systematic racism in American schools.  The components of CRT are designed to highlight the educational structures that drive the racial disparities against Black students. This includes how students develop a voice toward social action.  They're voices are validated by giving them the opportunity for self-expression and how their reflections can be turned around and used as a tool to confront deterrent structures. Black students are often characterized as "other" by their White counterparts and school staff - they are constantly competing against the standards of having to be "normal" imposed by the dominant social classes.   CRT principles are driven by 5 main components.  For effective analysis, all 5 components must be applied for consistency in understanding and confronting disparaging structures in education.  These are: counterstorytelling; the permanence of racism; Whiteness as property; interest convergence; the critique of liberalism. 

An elite, predominantly White private high school is used as the context for how the 5 tenets of CRT can be applied to define the struggles two Black students face on a daily basis.   Barbara and Malcolm are Black students who represent the small proportion of racial minorities at this school,  and their experiences are examined as students in a school that attempts to promote "diversity".  Each of the 5 components of CRT are applied and analyzed based on how they describe their lived experiences within the school.  Specific situations are highlighted and examined through the lens of CRT.   Through this process, these students build an awareness of the reasons why they are isolated from other students.  Their sense of "otherness" is now in the forefront and they can feel the injustices.  Their voices are converted into power used to destabilize these oppressive actions against them.

Counterstorytelling
Counterstorytelling is telling a story that "aims to cast doubt on the validity of accepted premises or myths, especially ones held by the majority".  Through this process students can learn to express racist actions against them and how they can have voice as a marginalized group.  They challenge the idea of "otherness" attributed to their racial stereotypes and how the status quo attributes of Whites are held at a higher standard.   Barbara and Malcolm describe how they are still treated as "others" in a school that promotes racial integration and celebrates diversity.

Permanence of Racism
Racism is active and alive within all structures of society and it's important to recognize it's persistence.  Racism exist in maintaining the hierarchical structures in society and how marginalized groups, through race and social class, are not seen as equals since they do not possess the same qualities as Whites.  Their culture, race, and social class are considered inferior since they do not match those characteristics of the dominant White culture, which is what is considered as "normal".  Malcolm describes a disciplinary action against one of his fellow White students after this wrote a threat to assault and kill a particular Black student outside of school.  Malcolm as a member of the discipline council recommended the student be expelled for his comments, but school administration disagreed with this recommendation, instead suspending the student for his actions.  CRT examines how the White student felt comfortable expressing defamatory and violent sentiments against a Black student from the school because racist expressions like these occur all the time.  In addition, how the severity and consequences of his actions is diminished as a result of his privileged race.

Whiteness as Property
Whiteness is compared to the same rights one would attribute to property.  Whites have specific rights or entitlements that have been devoted to them.  Enrichment programs and rigorous curriculum is something designed and exclusively enjoyed by Whites.  This design assures the success of Whites and not that of racial minorities.  To address the notion of Whiteness as property, Barbara describes the restrictions imposed on an African-American student at the school.  The student wanted to represent her African culture in her graduation ceremony by wearing a head cover normally worn by women in her native country.  The school demanded that all students wear white color attire for graduation, therefore opposing this idea.  In order to conform to this rule, she was limited to wearing an all white head cover which counters her desire to represent her colorful culture in this milestone event.  The rules were established by the dominant White leaders at her school and wearing head attire is not something White students would normally engage in as part of their culture.  It is culturally or racially unique, and that is not acceptable.

Interest Convergence
As a result of the Civil Rights movement and Brown vs. Board of Education, students of color were given equal ("superficial") rights that had been enjoyed by Whites for centuries.  These rights now practiced by Blacks converged with the interests of Whites. They were not at all adapted to the needs of diversity.  Malcolm shares an experience that highlights just this.  On his first day as a freshman, students and faculty focused on the stereotype as Blacks being good athletes.  They asked him about his assumed performance as a track and football athlete.  They were interested in these traits because he could represent the school as an accomplished athlete and assist them in winning championships.  They were solely interested in his physical abilities not academic attainment during his tenure at the school.  This is an example of interest convergence, how the Black student has special abilities that will enhance the image of the White, elite school in sports.

Critique of Liberalism
The notion of colorblindness attributed to educational policies and practices is a tactic used to demonstrate that all racial classifications are treated equally.  Although  this ideology seems to embrace congeniality, it doesn't.  Race and racial differences should be spoken about, not hidden behind this idea that educational policies are designed to meet the needs of all students.  But students of color have very different needs than their White counterparts.  If the aim is for all students to excel, race needs to be at the forefront.  Different demographic groups have varying needs and those should be adapted to meet the challenges they face.  In addition,  adaptations or resources that are meant to support marginalized students are vaguely implemented or in incremental amounts.  They exist to show that special supports are in place for this population to demonstrate that all social classes and racial groups are included and considered, when in fact they are poorly implemented.  For example, Barbara expresses that the school has one staff member who is responsible for implementing all programs around topics of diversity.  This includes conducting multicultural professional development for all staff, diversity education for students, and all other activities on diversity.  Although the school does have diversity awareness in place it is limited to one staff member, a heavy load for one person.  This is representative of the limited, incremental implementation of issues that are meant to support marginalized communities.

Students Should be Assets, Not "Waste"

"Change that cannot happen when the privileges of some are built on the dispersed waste of so many others." (Kratz, 2010).

This quote basically summarizes the article: "Accumulation, excess, childhood: Toward a countertopography of risk and waste" by Cindi Katz.  Here she expands her theoretical framework based on Marx's theories of how global forces behind capitalist interests fosters social reproduction practices.  What drives capitalism are primarily -  financial investments, production, labor, and trade.  The US has established itself as the global economic powerhouse as a result of aggressive capitalist interests.  The rise of the industrial revolution most notably marked the beginning of this national prestige with the advancement of production machines, transportation, and an abundant labor force composed of racial minorities and immigrants working hard to satisfy their American dream.  The priorities for these laborers was to work, to produce, and definitely not geared toward educational advancement.  Laborers do not need to be educated, all they needed was to be physically capable to produce as much as possible.  They were indispensable in producing the masses of products which gave rise to the capitalist nation we are today.  The poor, uneducated and disadvantaged workers needed to stay at the bottom of the social hierarchy for the purposes of labor in order for those at the top to remain in their positions of power at the cost of their workers' sacrifices.

During the deindustrialization periods of the 1980's and 1990's, most of the affected workers were  laborers who mostly worked in manufacturing.  This displaced labor force was comprised of immigrant and Black workers with limited education for future employment opportunities.  They ended up living in concentrated areas of subsidized housing, in neighborhoods with squalid conditions and schools that perpetuated poverty, criminalization of youth, and academic underperformance.  For this population of urban youth, Katz uses the analogy as them being "waste".  In a capitalist mentality urban and disenfranchised youth are not contributing to our economy in any way and their potential skills are negligible.  The treatment of urban youth focuses on restricting their academic advancement through an unsupportive educational system with underprepared teachers, deficit thinking for students' underperformance on standardized tests, criminalizing their behavior, and on and on.  This entire population is thought of as "waste" since they are not provided with the means for academic success toward future career opportunities.

As a dual-language teacher in an urban district, I see the disparities between the opportunities provided to the affluent families compared to those who are less educated and poor.  The students from affluent backgrounds are seeking dual-language education for their children as an added enrichment.  Not necessarily because they need this type of setting for academic and linguistic success.  Student who are recent immigrants typically come from poverty stricken backgrounds and require special support in acquiring English as their second language.  Dual-language programs are ideal settings for these students in specific.  Students feel "safe" working with other children like themselves and staff who are open-minded to their culture and challenges.  It's an asset based environment where students' native language is viewed as an asset in the classroom rather than as a  deficit.  Those who are native speakers of the other language, lets say Spanish, can assist other students with less Spanish proficiency such as monolingual English speakers.  Our student population has become increasingly more affluent over the past several years as a result of families seeking dual-language education as an enrichment and the future educational and employment opportunities they will secure for being bilingual.  So the affluent are being further enriched while they are displacing immigrant and poor students from having this opportunity which in many ways can better benefit them.  This is what I hope to discover in my study.  What is causing this imbalance of demographic characteristics of our students in order to address equal access in dual-language education.

Read more about the benefits of asset orientation: 

Toward an Asset Orientation in the Study of U.S. Latina/o Youth:Biculturalism, EthnicIdentity, and PositiveYouth Development 

Approaching Marginalized Populations from an Asset Rather Than a Deficit Model of Education

Celebrating our Students’ Assets and Intentionally Targeting their Needs

Jonathan Kozol on Kids Who Survive Inner City

An NPR interview with one my favorite authors.  His book "Savage Inequalities", was my initial eye opener as to the social disparities plaguing our poor, inner-city schools.  The descriptions of the inequalities between the education the poor and rich receive are clear and how our political and social structures uphold this are well described.

Criminalizing Urban Youth

In the chapter titled: "Critical Social Theory and the Study of Urban School Discipline", Kathleen Nolan presents the results of her study examining how dominant social forces, those in positions of financial and political power, have created a system which intentionally suppresses any potential for success of Black and Latino urban youth.  She analyzes her findings with the support of two critical theoretical frameworks.  The first is known as the theory of punishment in society.  This theory suggests that punishment for certain actions and behaviors are warranted in order to maintain social control.  These practices, however, are unfairly enforced on urban Blacks and Latinos compared to their White or wealthier counterparts.  This clearly demonstrates that those belonging to lower social class communities are disproportionately targeted as engaging in criminal behavior and classified as delinquents.   Mainstream culture supports this practice because it has been normalized or viewed as common sense. One should face consequences as a result of his/her social infractions - if you commit a crime, or conduct yourself in a way that goes against the values established by mainstream culture, you should be punished for that behavior.   As these disenfranchised youth have vast cultural and demographic differences that set them apart from the dominant, mainstream culture, their insubordinate actions are criminalized.  The larger social context for such behavior is not taken into account.  These practices are meant to control lower-class, marginalized  communities by instilling fear.The second is the theory of social reproduction.  Schools in low socioeconomic communities are engaging in disciplinary practices that closely resemble those in prisons, thus reproducing a criminalized social class.  Students are not treated as learners but rather as criminals in schools, with armed security staff who are prepared to arrest and detain for any breach of school policy. This exacerbates their chances of ending up in prison at a young age.  The opportunity for academic success in this hyper punitive environment is so limited since learning has not been a priority made available to them.  Due to poor academic performance they will most likely drop out of school, never attend college and eventually engage in criminal activity that will lead to incarceration.

This is a well written chapter that counters mainstream ideology of how punishment is applied.  Here, the author clearly delineates the social context of marginalized urban youth and how they are unjustly targeted as criminals for behaviors that would most likely be disregarded if exhibited by a White student or by one belonging to a higher social class.  The results of this study has a great potential to elevate emancipatory practices in breaking the cycle of injustice experienced in the daily lives of urban youth.

The School to Prison Pipeline

The dissertation proposal presented by Kathleen Nolan, titled "Disciplining Urban Youth:  An ethnographic study of the relationship between schools and prisons" suggests a need to disturb the structure of power that supports the school to prison pipeline sustained by our government systems.  The study will examine the relationship of dominant external forces (macro) and the lived, school and community experiences of urban youth (micro). She examines how the "zero tolerance" disciplinary policies governing NYC schools mirror those of the penal system to further project that Black and Latino youth are a problem as a result of their individual actions in order to obscure the structure of social control maintained by those in positions of power.

Purpose

The data she collects from this study will be examined through the lens of critical social theories to highlight the connection between the subjugation of economically and racially marginalized groups by policies created to maintain control over lower class population. Control over racially marginalized groups is conducted through a form of punishment or fear. Provoking fear is common practice in our justice system and the researcher's goal is to gather rich ethnographic data that supports the use of similar, punitive disciplinary actions in this school. These are common practices supported by theories of punishment derived from social theorists such as Michel Foucault and David Garland. The results can be used to highlight these disparities and recommended action to disrupt this system.

Research Questions

Dominant social forces that make the link between similar punitive and controlling practices in schools and prisons. It will also extend to the lived experiences of these students within their larger communities and examine their interactions with law enforcement to offer a complete view of the oppressive experiences students face in their daily lives.

Literature Review

A historical context is well established to describe the actions that influenced hyper-segregation of predominantly poor Black and Latino communities. Deindustrialization during the 1960's and 1970's heavily impacted working class communities, largely affecting Blacks and Latinos. This led to steep unemployment rates and subsequent eligibility for public assistance and subsidized housing. With this high influx of financial need, entire subsidized neighborhoods were now established. With these established enclaves of poor Black and Latino residents, they are strategically segregated from more privileged communities. They are economically isolated with limited financial and educational opportunities that restrict upward social mobility.

Methodology

This is an ethnographic study. It is designed to directly observe disciplinary occurrences within the school, and community. Although many conclusions can be determined from observations within the school in terms of the execution of disciplinary policies, it is also crucial to understand the types of law and order interactions students are experiencing in their surrounding communities. Similar patterns within these two settings can emerge, solidifying the argument that these punitive practices are created by structures of power and domination to control and suppress racially and economically disenfranchised communities.

Methods

The site for this ethnographical study will be a high school in the Bronx with high rates of disciplinary referrals. It was classified as "high risk" by the department of education and a contender for a zero-tolerance policy which has the capacity to summons students for typical infractions, such as disobedience toward figures of authority. Student enrollment is composed of 96% Black and Latino students with 1% classified as White. This is an ideal setting to highlight the unjust disciplinary actions imposed by this policy and how these compare to the disciplinary methods in correctional facilities. The student participants will not only be observed inside of school but also in their neighborhoods, and how their experiences with discipline and law enforcement is consistent in both settings.

Analysis

Once the ethnographical data is collected from interviews and observations, recurring themes will be identified. These recurring patterns in the data will be identified and how these connect with the specified critical theories of how structures of power intentionally suppress these marginalized communities through all facets of their daily experiences.

Prominent elements of critical social theory are consistently applied throughout each section of the dissertation proposal. The theories highlight and link with the assumption that punitive and discriminatory practices routinely target poor, Black and Latino communities. The social, economic and cultural differences of this population are not considered when developing these restrictive and punitive educational policies. The results of this study are meant to highlight these injustices and to disturb this system.

Bilingual education in the US has confronted several reform efforts in the past 50 years.  The primary purpose of offering bilingual programs was to support emergent bilingual students in their native language while scaffolding their English language acquisition.  The argument was that if students have a strong literacy foundation in their native language, this will better facilitate their academic engagement in English.  These were widely known as transitional bilingual programs.  Presently, these transitional programs that were introduced to support emergent bilinguals have been vigorously replaced by dual-language (DL) programs.  There are various models of DL, but the idea is that classrooms with equal proportions of native speakers of the two languages of instruction (normally Spanish and English) and equal proportions of instructional time in those languages, students will become fully bilingual when they exit the program.  DL programs are gaining a lot of attention and are rapidly growing across the country.  While teaching in a DL school, I have observed sharp demographic shifts of the students enrolled in our school.  They come from more privileged backgrounds.  The cause of this trend is is exactly what I'm interested in examining.  This shift could be caused by the increased awareness of the benefits of bilingual education from those parents who are more educated and/or privileged, thus seeking this type of education for their children.  Another possible cause could be how school leadership manage and promulgate the program to favor financially and politically resourceful families.  I hope the results of this study can be used to spread awareness of the disparities facing DL education and to help create policies around equal access in education.