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Intersectionality and Education

Page history last edited by Allie Schumacher 7 years, 10 months ago

Intersectionality is both a theory and an analytical tool that is based off of the idea that a student's experiences with race, gender, ability, age and socio-economic status can intersect in ways that either advantage or disadvantage one’s well-being and opportunity to receive an education. To obtain equality in education, one must address the context of discrimination and disadvantage a student experiences as a result of being a member of a particular group.

 

See also Intersectionality in Education


Intersectionality and Education

 

Intersectionality is related to education, and the sources selected best represent the connection, or lack of connection, between the two. There are a variety of ways to approach the relation between intersectionality and education because it covers aspects such as: federal education policy, teacher training, multiculturalism, higher education, race, culture, and zero tolerance practices. There are few articles that actually research the relationship between intersectionality and education, but all of the selected sources did bring both unique and connected perspectives into play. Some commonalities were the themes of diversity, inequality, and intercultural education.

 

The article, "Access To Intersectionality, Content To Competence: Deconstructing Social Work Education Diversity Standards,” by Jayshree Jani, discusses education pertaining to social work, by examining how the content on diversity is taught, and focuses on the implications for social work theory, practice, and education. The article critically analyzes the historical development of approaches to teaching diversity content in social work education. Intersectionality is explained throughout the article, as a multidimensional concept that refers to how the intersecting experiences of multiple subordinating identities contribute to one’s sense of self, perspectives, and aspirations. Intersectionality influences how the integration of structural issues and critical theory into the discourse of diversity can provide a strong foundation for transformative practice. This source is a good article to start overall research on intersectionality and education because it provides a general understanding by combining the historical development with different approaches to teaching diversity.

 

“The Intersection of Race, Culture, Language, and Disability: Implications for Urban Education” is an article by Wanda Blanchett brings attention to how few researchers have examined the effects of issues of race, culture, language, and disability in education. It touches on a variety of different aspects, including a critique of how little research has been done on the intersectionality of social categories, as it relates to special education identification, special education service delivery, and students of color’s access to an equitable education.  This article attempts to promote the importance of understanding the intersection of race, culture, language, and disability in urban education.

 

“The Need for Equality in Education: An Intersectionality Examination of Labeling and Zero Tolerance Practices” by Wanda Cassidy, is an article that discusses how school administrators employ zero tolerance policies without addressing the root causes of negative behavior.The lack of intersectionality in the approach to education causes rules and school policies to hinder student’s ability to get an educationThe Supreme Court has encouraged an intersectional analysis to be implemented by examining how children who experience discrimination on the basis of race, gender, class, disability, and/or sexual orientation may suffer from a multitude of types of discrimination. Cassidy asserts that most schools are not proactive in handling multiple levels of discrimination because of the lack of intersectional approach to understand the child's social background, which may be related to the types of behaviors observed. The lack of intersectional approach to education is problematic, and integration of intersectionality is necessary to include when analyzing education as a whole.

 

In the article, “Fostering Awareness of Diversity and Multiculturalism in Adult and Higher Education,” by Lisa Baumgartner, her focus is on how multiculturalism and diversity are intersectional and must be discussed together because of their overlap. The focus on diversity and multiculturalism stood out because of it's discussion on practical and educational-centered working definitions of diversity, and multiculturalism through a lens of intersectionality. The main discussion of intersectionality is about how the intersection of other positionalitites also affects the educational dynamic. Race and ethnicity can affect the educational process due to the position of students and teachers in different ethnic or race categories. Baumgartner's critiques on the problems associated with the lack of intersectionality in race and education is a vital aspect that needs more research.

 

“Intersectionality and Race in Education,” by Kalwant Bhopal, discusses how education is a controversial topic that is complicated by a difficult discourse. A major point is how many individuals in the education system experience a multitude of inequalities resulting from race, gender and class discrimination. It is important to not only gain a better understanding of different aspects of intersectionality and education but also different perspectives on certain aspects, to develop a better understanding. The chapter, "Intersectionality and Race in Education: Theorizing Difference," focuses on the connection between education and intersectionality in regards to broadening the understanding of education beyond confines of the education sphere and into a sociological and cultural discourse instead. This article discussed some of the same concepts that were mentioned in the previous article by Baumgartner and it was interesting to compare the different ways in which both articles addressed the race and education.

 

"Intersectionality and Student Outcomes: Sharpening the Struggle against Racism, Sexism, Classism, Ableism, Heterosexism, Nationalism, and Linguistic, Religious, and Geographical Discrimination in Teaching and Learning,” by Carl A. Grant is an article that focuses on how intersectionality can be used as a tool for theorizing, researching, and employing in pre-k through college practice. It builds off of the previous concepts that were discussed. The purpose of this article is to strive for strong leadership in multicultural education in order to counter oppression and privilege experience on the basis of intersecting identity axes at interpersonal and institutional levels. The main argument is that educators should consider the intertwining of these identity axes so that they can better analyze educational issues and engage in teaching and learning that promotes improved outcomes for all students. When an intersectional approach is not taken, then the risk of reproducing patterns of privilege and oppression by perpetuating stereotypes, is heightened. This article discusses all the different aspects of intersectionality and education but also presents specific ways in which intersectionality can be used as a tool.

 

The amount of research specifically on intersectionality and education was limited and there is great difficulty finding sources that addressed the similar concepts. The different perspectives were based on a collection of sources that provided information in regards to policy, teacher training, multiculturalism, higher education, race and culture, and zero tolerance rather than focusing on one of these aspects and finding all of my sources for that one concept. By choosing to address a variety of different parts of intersectionality and education I was able to develop a better understanding of how they interact in certain contexts.

 

  

References

 

Baumgartner, L. M., and Juanita J. B. (2008). Fostering Awareness of Diversity and Multiculturalism in Adult and Higher Education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.120 

Bhopal, K. and John P. (2011). Intersectionality and Race in Education. Routledge Research in Education. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. 7625 Empire Drive, Florence, KY 41042,  

Blanchett, W. J., Klingner J. K., (2009). The Intersection of Race, Culture, Language, and Disability: Implications for Urban Education.Urban Education 44.

Cassidy, W. (2005). The Need For Equality in Education: An Intersectionality Examination of Labeling and Zero Tolerance Practices.

Grant, C. A., and Zwier, E.. (2011). Intersectionality and Student Outcomes: Sharpening the Struggle Against Racism, Sexism, Classism, Ableism, Heterosexism, Nationalism, and Linguistic, Religious, and Geographical Discrimination in Teaching and Learning. Multicultural Perspectives 13.

Jani, J, S.(2011) . "Access To Intersectionality, Content To Competence: Deconstructing Social Work Education Diversity Standards.Journal of Social Work Education 47.

 

 

Annotated Bibliography: Selected Sources on Intersectionality and Education

 

Baumgartner, Lisa M., and Juanita Johnson-Bailey. "Fostering Awareness of Diversity and Multiculturalism in Adult and Higher Education." New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.120 (2008): 45-53. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

This article discusses how multiculturalism and diversity are intersectional and must be discussed together because of their overlap. The main point of the article is to discuss practical and educational-centered working definitions of diversity and multiculturalism through a lens of intersectionality. Race and ethnicity are two identity categories that are discussed in regards to how they can affect the educational process due to positionality of students and teachers. The main discussion of intersectionality is about how the intersection of other positionalitites also affects the educational dynamic.

 

Bhopal, Kalwant, and John Preston. Intersectionality and Race in Education. Routledge Research in Education. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. 7625 Empire Drive, Florence, KY 41042, 2011. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

This book discusses how education is a very controversial topic that is complicated by a difficult discourse. Many individuals in the education system experience a multitude of inequalities; this book focuses on inequalities that are based on race, gender and class. The chapter that I focused on was, Intersectionality and “Race” in Education: Theorizing Difference, which focused on the connection between education and intersectionality in regards to broadening the understanding of education beyond confines of the education sphere and into a sociological and cultural discourse instead.

 

Blanchett, Wanda J., Janette K. Klingner, and Beth Harry. "The Intersection of Race, Culture, Language, and Disability: Implications for Urban Education." Urban Education 44.4 (2009): 389-409. ProQuest. Web. 2 May 2016.

 

This article makes a critique in regards to how few researchers have examined the effects of issues of race, culture, language, and disability. More importantly the critique includes the fact that rarely any research has been done on the intersectionality of the mentioned identity categories as it relates to special education identification, special education service delivery, and students of color’s access to an equitable education.  This article attempts to promote the importance of understanding the intersection of race, culture, language, and disability in urban education.

 

Brueck, Stefan, and Carl A. Grant. “The Obama Administration's Federal Educational Policy, Intersectionality, Citizenship, and Flourishing”. Race, Gender & Class 18.3/4 (2011): 7–27. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

This article analyzes and evaluates federal educational policy in the United States. The main focus was the philosophical matters involving the aims of education and purposes of schooling and the intersectionality lens that should be used in regards to educational policy. The article discusses to main outside sources, Race to the Top and White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, which are both federal education policies. The critique that is presented in this article is that the intersectionality perspective that is discussed is clearly not used in the two mentioned federal education policies; there is limited attention to the intertwining of the multifaceted dimensions that education policy should consider.

 

Cassidy, Wanda. "The Need For Equality in Education: An Intersectionality Examination of Labeling and Zero Tolerance Practices." Pro Quest. N.p., Fall 2005. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

School administrators employ zero tolerance policies without addressing the root causes of negative behavior which has significant effects. The lack of intersectionality in the approach to education causes rules and school policies to hinder student’s ability to get an education. This article discusses how the Supreme Court has encouraged an intersectionality analysis to be undertaken. The main focus is how children who experience discrimination on the basis of race, gender, class, disability, and/or sexual orientation may suffer from a multitude of types of discrimination, and most schools are not proactive in handling multiple levels of discrimination because of the lack of intersectionality knowledge.

 

DeLuca, Christopher, and Chi Yan Lam. "Preparing Teachers for Assessment within Diverse Classrooms: An Analysis of Teacher Candidates' Conceptualizations."Teacher Education Quarterly 41.3 (2014): 3-24. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

The main focus of this article is examining teacher candidates conceptualizations of the intersection between assessment and diversity at the end of their teacher education program.  This study was intended to show how teacher candidates could articulate a professional stance toward the core-teaching competencies, but few teacher education programs provide teacher candidates to operationalize the connections between assessment and educational diversity. These topics are typically taught completely separate from one another which doesn’t allow for an all-inclusive intersectional approach. The main point from this study was that the majority of teacher candidates could only articulate superficial connections between assessment and diversity and do not actually have a true understanding.

 

Grant, Carl A., and Elisabeth Zwier. "Intersectionality and Student Outcomes: Sharpening the Struggle Against Racism, Sexism, Classism, Ableism, Heterosexism, Nationalism, and Linguistic, Religious, and Geographical Discrimination in Teaching and Learning." Multicultural Perspectives 13.4 (2011): 181. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

This article focuses on how intersectionality can be used as a tool for theorizing, researching, and employing in pre-k through college practice. The purpose of this article is to strive for strong leadership in multicultural education that seeks to counter oppression and privilege experience on the basis of intersecting identity axes at interpersonal and institutional levels. The main argument is that educators should consider the intertwining of these identity axes so that they can better analyze educational issues and engage in teaching and learning that promotes improved outcomes for all students. When an intersectional approach is not taken, then the risk is reproducing patterns of privilege and oppression by perpetuating stereotypes.  

 

Hankivsky, Olena, and Renee Cormier. “Intersectionality and Public Policy: Some Lessons from Existing Models”. Political Research Quarterly 64.1 (2011): 217–229. Web. 2 May 2016.

 

This article focuses on how research practices do not incorporate intersectionality and how it is an underdeveloped concept in regards to policy discourse and application. A main point of this article is the complexity of intersectionality and how the newness of this approach only makes things more complicated when trying to incorporate this type of perspective in policy. The thought of policy analysis grounded within an intersectionality framework is under theorized. Throughout this article intersectionality is defined and used to demonstrate the need for this approach in public policy specifically. Another point of discussion in this article was explaining and evaluating three innovative approaches to applying intersectionality to policy development and analysis.

 

Jani, Jayshree S., et al. "Access To Intersectionality, Content To Competence: Deconstructing Social Work Education Diversity Standards." Journal of Social Work Education 47.2 (2011): 283-301.ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

This article discusses social work education in regards to the teaching of content on diversity and focuses on the implications for social work theory, practice, and education. The article critically analyzes the historical development of approaches to teaching diversity content in social work education. Intersectionality is explained throughout this article as a multidimensional concept that refers on one level to how the intersecting experiences of multiple subordinating identities contribute to one’s sense of self, perspectives, and aspirations. The concept of intersectionality is discussed in regards to how the integration of structural issues and critical theory into the discourse of diversity can provide a strong foundation for transformative practice.

 

McCready, Lance T. Making Space for Diverse Masculinities: Difference, Intersectionality, and Engagement in an Urban High School. Adolescent Cultures, School and Society, Volume 50. Peter Lang New York. 29 Broadway 18th Floor, New York, NY 10006, 2010. ProQuest. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

This book focuses on what it is like for Black male students who are openly gay or “gender non-conforming” and how they navigate the social geography of urban schools. The theory of intersectionality is explored through the voices of Black gay male students and their teachers in a Northern California high school. The book challenges the dominance of race-class analyses that don’t account for the influence and importance of gender and sexuality in school reform. Throughout the book you gain a better understanding of the lives of queer youth in the education system today and promotes an intersectional perspective that is mentioned through discussion of masculinity, homosexuality and education.

 

Spring, Joel. The Intersection of Cultures: Multicultural Education in the United States. McGraw-Hill, , P.O. Box 545, Blacklick, OH 43004, 1995. ProQuest. Web. 2 May 2016.

 

This book discusses how the study of multicultural education is designed to conceptualize foundations of multicultural education by discussing differences in cultural perspectives. This book is divided up into two main parts, one of them being the foundation of multicultural education and the other being the perspectives on teaching multicultural education. The intersection of cultures, the intersection of school culture with dominated and immigrant cultures and the intersection of cultures in the global workforce and classroom are the chapters that discussed the intersectionality of multicultural education. Cultural differences are one of the main themes that are consistent throughout the chapters and it is discussed in relation to why an intersectional approach to teaching is necessary.

 

Tennhoff, Wiebke, Julia C. Nentwich, and Franziska Vogt. "Doing Gender and Professionalism: Exploring The Intersectionalities Of Gender And Professionalization In Early Childhood Education." European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 23.3 (2015): 340-350.Education Research Complete. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

This article discusses how men in early childhood education are subjected to different discourses while exploring how male childcare workers create different subject positions by drawing on competing discourses in order to acquire legitimate position as men in a female dominated field. The way in which gender unfolds in regards to education is analyzed very closely in regards to professionalism and masculinity. The intersectionality between gender and education is the main focus of this article because of the male striving for professionalism in a female dominated field it causes men to construct themselves in a way that moves beyond the gender binary.

 

Young, Kathryn S. "How Student Teachers (Don't) Talk About Race: An Intersectional Analysis." Race, Ethnicity and Education 19.1 (2016): 67-95. ERIC. Web. 1 May 2016.

 

This article focuses on an intersectional framework that is based on disability studies, critical race theory, and Latino critical theory and methodologies in order to uncover how student teacher talk reveals oppressive discourses of race, disability and language status. The main point of the article is that there is a need for educational research to employ an intersectionality lens when exploring educational issues related to students identities. Race, ethnicity and education are discussed in regards to how an intersectional approach could be beneficial to most importantly the student, but all aspects involved as well.  

 

This page was created by Allison Schumacher. Please send additions or corrections to  allieschumacher5@gmail.com

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