Allow me to reintroduce myself, I’m Dr. O, an Instructional Transformation Coach.
Now, I realize I may be a little late to the CRT party, but I am still perplexed by the legislative attacks on Critical Race Theory (CRT).
I have a PhD in Urban Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies. My dissertation utilized CRT as a foundational framework, yet I had never encountered it before my doctoral research—not during my undergraduate years, my master's program in education, or at any point in my K-12 education.
My confusion around CRT attacks has been so perplexing that initially I wondered if the attacks were mistakenly targeting Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT), which focuses on integrating students' backgrounds, families, and communities into their learning. Unfortunately, the target is indeed Critical Race Theory.
To understand what's happening with CRT in your state, click this link. (Note: I do not endorse the authors of this site, but found their tool helpful and informative.)
Here’s a synopsis of the common concern and a reality check:
Common Concern: CRT is purportedly being taught in K-12 schools, allegedly teaching children that they are inherently racist or perpetual victims of racism.
Reality Check: CRT is a sophisticated legal and academic framework from the 1970s, not a part of the K-12 curriculum.
Despite extensive searches, I've found no evidence of CRT being taught in K-12 schools. Have you? Please share any links in the comments so we can further our understanding together.
My personal discovery of CRT as a doctoral student was illuminating.
Have you ever experienced wanting to describe how something feels, but not have the words, the precise vocabulary? We often experience this challenge due to our limited feelings-vocabulary (see Feelings Wheel). Similar to the feelings wheel, CRT provided the precise language my dissertation needed to describe why it's crucial to center discussions of race and specifically anti-Black racism when addressing the persistent race-based academic achievement gap.
CRT offers a lens through which to view the systemic anti-Black racism founded, grounded and embedded in institutions, policies, and systems across the United States, including Education.
K-12 Education
Prior to school desegregation (Brown v. Board, 1954), Black students rarely had white teachers, and despite funding (and other) challenges faced by many “Black schools”, Black students thrived, socially and academically.
Fast forward 70 years.
In predominantly Black communities, Black children rarely see or are taught by Black teachers.
More than 80% of teachers in the United States are white women.
And the academic, opportunity and equity gap has been immune to decades of reform.
Thus, the current and historical failures in K-12 classrooms must be analyzed with anti-Black racism as the central hypothesis. Critical Race Theory helps explain not only why academic achievement disparities exist but also the harm being done to ALL of our children by not addressing the far reaching impact head on.
Normalized Failure
In K-12 education, we face a stubborn problem: the systematic and systemic failure to educate Black students, Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students who's families are living in poverty. This failure is often explained away, justified and normalized in euphemistic references to poverty, family socio-econimic status, under-qualified teachers, and budget deficits, but these are just symptoms of a deeper problem: the indoctrination of anti-Black racism.
Therefore, it is deeply concerning that there are efforts to ban CRT not only in K-12 education (where it doesn’t exist) but also at the college level. This push against CRT aims to keep folks in the dark and uninformed about the far reaching impact of anti-Black racism on every aspect of life in the U.S., including public education.
Keep the dialogue around CRT alive
With decades of failed education reforms, it is crucial to maintain and intensify the conversation around CRT to better understand how to reverse the harm being done in classrooms. Critical Race Theory does not just highlight these issues; it seeks to understand the issues through the lens of those most affected and to work towards genuine, lasting solutions.
As we continue to challenge and reshape educational practices, I invite you to join me. Whether through team workshops or individual coaching sessions I am here to facilitate transformative learning experiences that prioritize equity and effectiveness in the classroom.
Interested in transforming your instructional practices? Let's connect! Leave a comment, send me a message, or visit our company website at apa-education.org.
In partnership,
Dr. O
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