Critical Race Theory and Interest Convergence as Analytic Tools in Teacher Education Policies and Practices

Abstract

In The Report of the AERA Panel on Research and Teacher Education, Cochran-Smith and Zeichner's (2005) review of studies in the field of teacher education revealed that many studies lacked theoretical and conceptual grounding. The author argues that Derrick Bell's (1980) interest convergence, a principle of critical race theory, can be used as an analytic, explanatory, and conceptual tool in the study and analyses of policies and practices in teacher education. In particular, the author outlines interest convergence as a tenet of critical race theory, conceptualizes some broad themes of "raced" interests in teacher education, applies the interest-convergence principle to teacher education, and introduces an evolving theory of disruptive movement in teacher education to fight against racism in teacher education policies and practices.

Disrupting Equilibrium: Working for Equity and Social Justice in Education for English Learners

“…A majoritarian perspective is privileged and often provides a skewed and stereotypical view of culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Finally, I use Le Chatelier's Principle (Last & Slade, 2007) and the theory of interest convergence (Bell, 1980(Bell, , 2004Driver, 2011;Milner, 2008) to interpret the data and show how acceptance or denial of the recommendations was directly related to the interest and benefit of the dominant group's desire to maintain equilibrium.…”

“…It is not the needs of the minority group that are considered primary for a change to occur; in fact, the minority group's needs will only be met if the dominant group's needs can also be accommodated in the negotiation (Bell, 1980;Driver, 2011;Milner, 2008). While Bell's theoretical foci provide a lens on how Black interests are subordinated to White interests (Bell, 1980(Bell, , 2004, I use an extrapolation of the theory and apply it to mean that the interests of minority groups are subordinate to that of Whites or the dominant group.…”

RicanStruction Sites: Race, Space, and Place in the Education of DiaspoRican Youth

“…First developed and applied within legal studies, Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latina/o Critical Race (LatCrit) theory have increasingly gained traction within educational research as scholars have sought to better understand the role of race, racism, and racialization in the educational experiences and outcomes for communities of color (Dixson & Rousseau, 2006;Irizarry, 2011;Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995;Lynn, 1999;Milner, 2008;Solórzano, 1998). CRT challenges hegemonic epistemologies and ideologies such as notions of meritocracy, objectivity, and neutrality and seeks to expose the ways in which racialized power relations shape the experiences of people of color (Chapman, 2007).…”

"Let His Voice Be Heard": A Community's Response to Inclusion of an Indigenous Counter-Narrative in the District Curriculum

“…Previous research demonstrates that such resources have-at besttypically supported the contributions and additive approaches to multicultural education. To advance the transformation level of Banks' model, scholars emphasize the need for counter-narratives that transform Eurocentric curricula through integration of the voices of people of color (Ladson-Billings, 1999;Milner, 2008).…”