In this study, we investigate how a third-grade teacher enacted controversial issues discussion about the use of Indigenous people as sports mascots. We highlight how the teacher supported eight students' sensemaking about the issue during small-group instruction. We provide suggestions for controversial issues teaching in elementary social…

Background: This dissertation examines the pervasive influence of the white and colonial imaginary in shaping educational narratives that promote neoliberal success and capitalism, impacting the minds of successive generations. Contemporary youth perceive these narratives as detrimental, contributing to racial violence, climate-induced…

In this paper we identify, name, and operationalize six borders typically found in school settings that include dual language classrooms: bordered languages, knowledge, content areas, bodies, selves, and teachers. We identify these borders as a point of departure to show an example of how a two-way dual language classroom operated through a form…

While facilitating a data dialogue concerning racial opportunity gaps in an elementary school, Evelyn Nguyen, a preservice principal candidate, overheard a disturbing and racialized dialogue among third-grade teachers. Evelyn had to decide whether to move an uncomfortable and emotional discussion forward or segue to the next item on the agenda to…

Meeting the social-emotional needs of a diverse student body has proven challenging for U.S. school district leaders, leading to considerable research on culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP). Teachers and administrators have noted challenges in implementing CRP in social-emotional learning (SEL) programs within their existing curricula. In this…

In continuing the legacy of community-mindedness, good Black educators today consistently enact emancipatory pedagogies designed to protect Black children's personhood. Cultivating community in the classroom setting is one ritual they use toward affirming young Black children's literate character, presence, and pursuits, and they do so in the…

In this article, we leverage in-depth interview to probe a Third Grade teacher's memories of the 2016-2017 School Year in a Spanish/English Dual Language Immersion (DL/I) school serving one of North Carolina's new Latinx communities. As our analysis will demonstrate, Mariana Castillo's interaction with the events of SY 16-17 combined with her…

Purpose: An analysis of the images in music education textbooks for primary education has shown how the images do not fully reflect the human diversity present in the classroom and, therefore, continue to perpetuate positions that can lead to racism. The purpose of this paper is the analysis of the images to carried out has demonstrated how little…

This study examines the experiences of six K-5 elementary school teachers in professional learning spaces for antiracism. Teachers from two elementary schools established school-university partnerships to begin antiracist work: one on a whole-school level, the other a group of teachers meeting voluntarily with university faculty. Given the paucity…

Third grade is oftentimes the first year standardized literacy assessments are mandated. In turn many policies aimed at improving literacy have focused on third-grade test scores as a key indicator. Yet literacy struggles begin well before third grade, as do racial and socioeconomic disparities in children's literacy skills. Kindergarten readiness…

Regardless of the school community or type of school in the United States, Black students are disproportionately excluded from school at a higher rate than any other student group. These discipline practices are a matter of race that negatively impact educational outcomes for Black students and have a direct correlation with their involvement in…

Black boys often underperform in English Language assessments. Strive for Excellence Academy (SFEA, a pseudonym) was a Title I school serving more than 500 students in Grade 2 and Grade 3 in an urban/suburban city in New York State. The achievement gap for third-grade Black boys was found to originate in their second-grade classrooms. Anecdotal…

Is under-representation of Black, Latinx, English learners (EL), and students from economically challenging communities in gifted programs due to inequality in early academic achievement or bias in the gifted identification process? Using three-level multilevel logistic models, we examine the degree to which the disparities in gifted…

Underrepresentation of African-American males as grade level rises is a major concern in education (Duggins & Acosta, 2017; Howard, 2010; Husband, 2012; Tatum, 2006; Washington, Patton-Terry, & Siedenberg, 2013). Prior studies have placed the blame on African-American males in grades k-12 for their lack of academic progress. In an effort…

Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in autism identification negatively affect educational interventions for students identified with autism. The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to gain insight into educational interventions aiding in eliminating racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities through the implementation…