The Serious Nonthreat of Critical Race Theory in Education: A Present-Day Manufactured Crisis

• In Event: Social Context of District Decision Making

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to examine the spoken comments of board members and educational stakeholders at a local school board meeting in California. This study frames the CRT discussion in a formal setting and the actions taken by the district in terms of the application of policy instruments and its relations to school board policy resolutions. The findings indicate that the public comment speakers exerted power by aligning themselves with the anti-CRT board majority and then pushing the narrative that CRT was a threat to American values. This study reveals how racism today persists in education, in plain sight, disguised in the rhetoric of institutions that claim commitments to diversity and equity.

Authors

• Daniel Sung-Yeol Choi, California State University - Fullerton
  Presenting Author

• Sally Jarvis-Lubbe, California State University - Fullerton
  Presenting Author