Beyond No-Excuses: Wake Work and Antiracist Policies in Urban Charter Schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 12:40 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Challenging Anti-Wokeness, Defacto Segregation, and the Silencing of Black Narratives in U.S. Schools (Table 1)

Abstract

This study explores how Black students and their teachers in an urban charter school engage in "wake work" to navigate the impacts of anti-Black policies and neoliberal forces. Using a critical ethnographic approach, the research examines the transition from punitive “no-excuses” policies to anti-racist frameworks. It analyzes how historical legacies of slavery and systemic racism influence contemporary educational practices. The study reveals how wake work serves as a form of resistance and survival, highlighting the transformative potential of collaborative and abolitionist approaches in creating more equitable educational environments.

Author

• British Reynolds, University of Illinois at Chicago