The role of racial literacy in US K-12 education research: a review of the literature

Oto, Ryan; Rombalski, Abigail; Grinage, Justin

doi:10.1080/13613324.2022.2047635

Cited by 18 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Oto et al (2022) inquired whether racial literacy disrupts racial liberalism in K-12 schools and classrooms.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Summarizing, the excluding criteria and including criteria of this integrative review of racial literacies scholarship were based on history, theory, and examination of some existing literature reviews of “racial literacy” (e.g., Chávez-Moreno, 2022; Lammert, 2022; Laughter et al, 2021; Nash et al, 2018; Oto et al, 2022). This process also involved defining terms used in this promising body of scholarship.…”

Section: Processes Involved With Key Examplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Review and Scholarly Syntheses as Anti-Racist Action

Compton‐Lilly

Croom

McVee

et al. 2023

Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice

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At the final session of the 2022 Literacy Research Association Conference, Catherine Compton-Lilly, Marcus Croom, Mary McVee, and Allison Skerrett presented critical work related to equity, representation, and race in literacy scholarship. Panelists shared concerns and pursued a shared goal. Specifically, as literacy scholars, they recognized that like the empirical research conducted in classrooms and communities, review scholarship—scholarship that aspires to make sense of large bodies of available research—is always subject to systemic biases, privileging, and racism. In this panel session, we intentionally sought to dismantle biases through four review-oriented projects that—each in its own way—attempts to counter the systemic whitewashing that has characterized review scholarship in literacy. The collective synthetic, counter-narrative that we presented is significant to literacy education. As we explained, the historical omission of scholarly reviews conducted by Scholars of Color requires a reclaiming of the field. Significantly, the omission is not a minor oversight. Scholarly reviews have long-term effects on scholarly communities; reviews provide novice and established scholars with macro views of the literacy field; in short, reviews identify what is important and worthy of scholarly attention and it is with this history in mind that the Integrative Review Panel for LRA 2022—and this current set of articles—were organized. Across our papers, we explore silences and obfuscations relative to the voices of Scholars of Color, the experiences of Communities of Color, and the education of all children. We view our public presentation of these syntheses as intentionally anti-racist acts designed to name, describe, and recognize the contributions of BIPOC (an acronym for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) scholars and communities. We are confident that the LRA community will continue to find this work impressive, inspiring, and important.

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“…Oto et al (2022) inquired whether racial literacy disrupts racial liberalism in K-12 schools and classrooms.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Processes Involved With Key Examplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review and Scholarly Syntheses as Anti-Racist Action

Compton‐Lilly

Croom

McVee

et al. 2023

Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice

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“…Racial literacy as tool for disrupting whiteness Oto et al (2022) also found that racial literacy could be a tool to disrupt Whiteness in educational settings. Studies demonstrate teachers of color using the racial literacies framework to re-envision practices and curriculum in K-12 schooling (Allen, 2019).…”

Section: Racial Literacy As Processmentioning

confidence: 97%

Attempts at anti-racist teaching by white English teachers of black students

Schuman

Reynolds

2023

ETPC

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Purpose Research has documented how white teachers often fall short of their anti-racist intentions. However, much of this research is done with preservice teachers or teachers across disciplines. The authors investigate stories in which white English teachers who teach substantial proportions of black students and who self-reported anti-racist goals nevertheless fell short of those goals. The purpose of the study is to understand the tensions between racial liberalism and racial literacy in their pedagogy. Design/methodology/approach The authors snowball sampled 12 veteran white high school English teachers (3–27 years’ experience) who taught in schools with substantial proportions of black students. The authors used a two-stage interview process to narrow the sample to 7 teachers who confirmed their anti-racist intentions and who wrote narratives of moments when they tried to be anti-racist, but the lesson failed in some way. The authors used a three-stage narrative analysis to analyze how racial liberalism and racial literacy were reflected in the narratives. Findings The veteran English teachers, despite their anti-racist intentions, told narratives that reflected racial liberalism, portraying racism as an individual and interpersonal phenomenon. Some narratives showed teachers who had taken steps toward racial literacy, but no narratives showed a fully developed sense of racial literacy, portraying the layers of institutional and structural racism in English education. Originality/value The sample suggests that veteran white English teachers are subject to similar limited racial literacies as novice teachers. While the authors found glimmers of racial literacy, they still note the work necessary to equip veteran English teachers with the racial literacies necessary for anti-racist instruction. The authors propose directions for teacher education, systemic support and professional development.

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“…Our examination of youths’ participation in TYVP is informed by theories of racial literacy and critical arts-based literacies. We present our thinking with and enacting of these theories and approaches with intentionality, as scholars have noted the varying definitions and dilution of these terms (Chisholm & Whitmore, 2021; Laughter et al, 2021; Oto et al, 2022; Pandya et al, 2021).…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, while exploring the relationship between race and power is integral to racial literacy, racial literacy also “interrogates the dynamic relationship among race, class, geography, gender, and other explanatory variables” (p. 115). Guinier's (2004) conceptualizing of racial literacy involves intersectional analysis (Laughter et al, 2021; Oto et al, 2022), inviting youth participants and adult collaborators to embrace the nuance present in everyday lives. Further, we consider racial literacy development as iterative, resisting oversimplified approaches that frame critical consciousness as fixed and achievable even when acknowledging the fluidity of our lives and worlds (Bell et al, 2022; Guinier, 2004; Rogers & Mosley, 2008; Skerrett, 2011).…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Our Voice and Dreams Matter”: Supporting Youths’ Racial Literacy

Marciano

Johnson

Beymer

2023

Journal of Literacy Research

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This qualitative study examines how youth participants in an ongoing community-based literacy initiative sought to increase awareness of racial justice among residents of their subsidized housing community in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in summer 2020 and throughout the 2020–2021 academic year. We utilize theories of racial literacy and critical arts-based literacy to examine youths’ engagement in 44 weekly two-hour-long Zoom sessions of the literacy initiative held between June 2020 and June 2021. Specifically, we examine how youths designed, facilitated, and participated in critical arts-based literacy projects related to children's and young adult literature they chose to read focused on racial justice. Findings contribute new insights into youths’ enactments of racial literacy, possibilities for art-making to support youths’ racial literacy, and the urgent need for literacy instruction responsive to youths’ voices and dreams, particularly during times of crisis.

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The role of racial literacy in US K-12 education research: a review of the literature

Cited by 18 publications

References 47 publications

Review and Scholarly Syntheses as Anti-Racist Action

Review and Scholarly Syntheses as Anti-Racist Action

Attempts at anti-racist teaching by white English teachers of black students

“Our Voice and Dreams Matter”: Supporting Youths’ Racial Literacy

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