Race, Class, and Gender in Education Research: Surveying the Political Terrain

Abstract

This article explores the issues of race and prejudice that permeate research. It does so by examining two aspects of educational research on race: conceptual shifts about issues of race, class, and gender, and the politics of citation. Newer, alternative research paradigms help free researchers from the racist, sexist, and class baggage from the traditional, positivist approach. The article concludes with suggestions on how researchers can “right the wrong” of past and current education research on race.

Who is a Good Early Childhood Educator? A Critical Study of Differences within a Universal Professional Identity in Early Childhood Education Preparation Programs

“…Foster (1999) identifies a number of historical and social reasons for this limitation, including the dominance of White university researchers and the marginalization of alternative discourses of education. In a discussion on disengaging from the legacy of the White archetype of "Lady Bountiful" in teacher education classrooms, Meiners (2002) describes the "barriers, complications and consequences" of asking student teachers to consider their perspectives and selfconstructions of Lady Bountiful (p. 86).…”

Rethinking Achievement Gap Talk in Urban Education

“…• Achievement gap explanations can frame White students as the norm from which other racial and ethnic groups of students are to be compared (Foster, 1999). 2 White students can be covertly and tacitly constructed as intellectually and academically superior to others.…”

Losing the Color-Blind Mind in the Urban Classroom

“…Thus, race matters in curriculum development and enactment. Sadly, teachers can sometimes design curriculum and instructional practices, which are grounded in a "White norm" (Foster, 1999) that students of color simply have to accept or just deal with because they may not have the power to counter what is emphasized. Curriculum and instructional practices matter (Eisner, 1994;McCutcheon, 2002) and can make a meaningful difference in how students in urban classrooms experience education.…”