Jenice L. View

Poetry and Drama as Counter-Narrative

The focus of this study is about what lies at the intersection of critical race theory (CRT) and arts-based educational research (ABER). Our goal is to address the emotional terrain about race in schooling, based on the stories of people of color that we transformed into poetry, drama, and performance. In doing so, we examined the usefulness of ABER in the construction of CRT counter-narratives as is called for by critical race theorists.

Facing the Rising Sun A History of Black Educators in Washington, DC, 1800-2008

Over 50 years after the monumental decision of Brown v. Board of Education, many U.S. schools remain separate and unequal. This includes schools in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. The article discusses how in the two centuries of public education in Washington, D.C., Black educators used a variety of subversive tactics to educate their children. This article chronicles critical milestones in educational policy that affected Black educators working in segregated, all-Black schools in Washington, D.C. The authors demonstrate that, in the face of the oppressive sociopolitical conditions and racist policies, Black educators continued to serve in their own interests by fostering liberatory spaces for their children.

Equity Audit: A Teacher Leadership Tool for Nurturing Teacher Research

Abstract This is a three-part essay featuring six teacher educators and one classroom teacher researcher. Part one describes faculty efforts to build curriculum for teacher research, scaffold the research process, and analyze outcomes. Part two shares one teacher researchers experience using an equity audit tool in several contexts: her teaching practice, in collegial decision making, and as a guide for her teacher research projects. In part three, the authors reflect on the value of the equity audit.

The Playwright Within Fun, Freedom, and Agency Through Playwriting for Urban Elementary Students

The participants in this study are 9-year-olds who demonstrate signs of incipient alienation. Even with an experienced teacher who had a positive relationship with her students, some students describe school as boring. The arts may provide a path away from alienation when learning is embedded in the students’ cultural knowledge and when the artistic process is primary. Our research question was, “What do students learn when engaged in a playwriting experience in school?” The evidence suggests that students discovered fun, freedom, and a sense of agency with language arts as a result of their participation in the program.