Interest Convergence and the New York City High-Stakes Test "Opt Out" Movement

• In Event: 41.063 - Disrupting Whiteness in the Practice of Leadership for Social Justice

Abstract

This paper analyzes the (un)intended consequences of the NYS Opt-Out movement through the theoretical frame Critical Race Theory, with specific emphasis on interest convergence. In the proposed paper, I provide an overview of the history of opt-out movement in New York State, and then analyze the (un)intended consequences through the framework of interest convergence, one of the key tenets of Critical Race Theory (Bell, 1992). In keeping with the AERA conference theme this year, the paper aims to engage the opt-out movement in considering how its (in)actions are shaped by racism, a deeply entrenched element in our society, and pushes the movement to take a more liberatory stance for all children.

Author

• Rosa L. Rivera-McCutchen, Lehman College - CUNY