16.042 - A Reenvisioned Interest Convergence: Toward a New Racial Equity Framework

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Recent landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases (e.g., Parents Involved, Fisher, Schuette, Shelby) have powerfully influenced the effectiveness of available legal and theoretical frameworks in pursuit of educational justice for students of color in the U.S. In this context, there is a pressing need for educational scholars to re-envision a way of thinking about and arguing for the importance of advancing the civil rights of marginalized communities in education. Building on and extending Bell’s (1980) “interest convergence” theory, this symposium brings together leading scholars of K-12 and postsecondary educational policy who draw upon distinctive disciplinary lenses, including law, sociology, and community-engaged scholarship, to open new possibilities for theorizing, legislating, and fostering racial equity in education through a “re-envisioned interest convergence.”

Sub Unit

• Division L - Educational Policies and Politics / Division L - Section 2: Legal/Judicial Issues for Underserved Populations

Chair

• Liliana M. Garces, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

Papers

• Interest Convergence Across Geography - Mara Casey Tieken, Bates College

• Interest Convergence Across Communities and Universities - Cynthia Gordon da Cruz, Saint Mary's College of California

• "Self-Interest Rightly Understood": Interest Convergence and Collective Agency Across Families, Communities, and Educators - Ann M. Ishimaru, University of Washington; Sola Takahashi, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

• Interest Convergence Across National Boundaries - Amanda J. Taylor, American University

Discussant

• Liliana M. Garces, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park