A Necessary Pairing: Using Academic Outcomes and Critical Consciousness to Dismantle Curriculum as the Property of Whiteness in K-12 Ethnic Studies

ABSTRACT

Using Critical Race Theory, the authors explore how K-12 Ethnic Studies attempts to dismantle curriculum as the property of Whiteness by replacing it with a social justice education curriculum that centers the lived experiences and epistemologies of people of color. The authors assert that when Ethnic Studies programs cultivate a dual focus on developing critical consciousness and academic skills, these programs can de-center Whiteness and better serve the educational needs of students of color. Using Harris’ four property functions of Whiteness, the authors explain how class assignments that include both critical consciousness and academic skills displace Whiteness as the center of the curriculum. The authors contend that, in the age of Ethnic Studies expansion, targeted and aligned curriculum, which supports the social and academic needs of students of color, is necessary to contest curriculum as the property of Whiteness and to forward the racial justice project, increasing access and equity in education for students of color.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thandeka K. Chapman

Thandeka K. Chapman is a professor in the Education Studies Department at the University of California, San Diego. Her scholarship includes research on African American College Access, charter school reform, student outcomes in racially desegregated schools, and multicultural education for social justice curricular initiatives in urban school settings.

Makeba Jones

Makeba Jones is an associate teaching professor in the Education Studies Department at University of California, San Diego. Her research and expertise includes educational equity, urban school reform, student engagement/youth voice, teacher professional development, school-community-university partnerships, and youth transitions to college.

Ramon Stephens

Ramon Stephens is a PhD student in the Education Studies Department at University of California, San Diego.

Dolores Lopez

Dolores Lopez is an Education Studies doctoral student at the University of California, San Diego and previously was a dual-immersion teacher. Her research interests include culturally responsive pedagogy, dual language curriculum, and the ways K-8 Latinx youth make sense of their linguistic and cultural identities as a result of their schooling experiences.

Kirk D. Rogers

Kirk D. Rogers, Jr. is from Atlanta, GA and taught middle school math and science for six years before starting his PhD in Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego. His research interests include equity in STEM education and STEM identity development for Black students.

James Crawford

James Crawford is a PhD student in the Education Studies Department at University of California, San Diego. He has extensive experience in educational consulting and capacity-building to center the voices and experiences of students of color. His research interests include critical race theory, critical media literacy, and culturally sustaining pedagogy and curricula.