Race & Diversity

In this moment of heightened political repression, racial retrenchment, and global anti-Blackness, the urgency of confronting anti-Blackness within, through, and across communities of color has never been greater. As book bans spread, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is vilified, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are dismantled, we must reckon with the reality that anti-Blackness is not an aberration, but an organizing logic of racial formation and global white supremacy. This edited volume brings together scholars, educators, and community organizers to interrogate the ways anti-Blackness is perpetuated within / through / across Latinx and Asian American communities—and the complex, often contradictory practices of complicity, resistance, and solidarity that emerge in response. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from disciplines / professions like education, ethnic studies, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, social work, and gender studies, Asian and Latinx Anti-Blackness in Schools and Communities: Complicated Stories of Complicity and Resistance refuses simplistic narratives that position non-Black communities of color solely as victims or solely as perpetrators. Instead, contributors adopt a both/and framework, naming the ways Latinx and Asian communities have benefited from proximity to whiteness (as it relates to anti-Blackness) while also highlighting the histories, ruptures, and refusals that open / reveal possibilities for coalition and collective liberation. Organized into three sections—Anti-Blackness With/In, Through, and Among Latinx & Asian Communities, Geographies and Spaces; Anti-Blackness in Latinx & Asian Teaching, Pedagogy, and Curriculum; and Anti-Blackness and the Precarity of Racial Categories—the chapters combine empirical research, conceptual essays, narrative, and autoethnographies. Together, they explore topics such as racial formation, racial hierarchy, racial triangulation, the intersections of Blackness, the policing of language and accent, and the lived experiences of multiracial individuals navigating contested racial boundaries. The book situates these discussions within the shifting demographic and political landscape of the United States, where the 2020 Census revealed a decline in the white population alongside an increase in racial diversity, and where Kamala Harris’s historic tenure as the first Black and Asian American Vice President (and presidential candidate) illuminated both the promise of representation and the persistence of racial hierarchy. These contexts underscore a central question animating the volume: How do Latinx and Asian communities—within schools, neighborhoods, and transnational networks—navigate the tensions between inclusion and erasure of Blackness in the broader racial imaginary? Ultimately, this volume is both critique and invitation. It challenges readers to: confront how anti-Blackness is reproduced in everyday practices and institutional structures; to reckon with the privileges and harms tied to racialized positioning; and to imagine relational, historical, and spatial practices of accountability within / through / and among Latinx and Asian communities. By centering the voices of scholars and storytellers committed to racial justice, Asian and Latinx Anti-Blackness in Schools and Communities offers not only a sharper understanding of racial dynamics beyond the Black–white binary, the impact of the binary, but also concrete pathways toward dismantling anti-Blackness and building enduring, justice-oriented solidarity.

Teaching that aims to be inclusive of marginalized communities is under attack in the United States, evidenced, for example, in widespread school book banning efforts, prohibition of Advanced Placement African American history, and a general tenor of fear among educators across the K-12 and higher education spectrum. This fear originates from a variety of pedagogical attempts at teaching content or utilizing practices that do anything other than valorize the dominant narrative and status quo in the United States. Classroom teachers and college instructors ask what can be done to uphold the practices they know to support students from all backgrounds to experience educational success and inclusion that won’t capture the ire of parent groups, school boards, or educational commissions bent on squelching such critical efforts. Against the Current: Inclusive Multicultural Education Practices for Contentious Times addresses these issues by providing examples from K-12 and higher education classrooms where educators’ practices offer a path forward. Each chapter in the book presents an example of ways educators practice multicultural inclusivity and offers insights on how to do so even in hostile environments. Chapters in Part 1 of the book offer re-framings of flashpoint issues, including such topics as anti-Muslim racism and fugitive pedagogical practices. While the chapters in Part 1 offer a grounding in ways educators might rethink the work at hand, the chapters in Part 2 offer innovative tools or practices that educators across grade levels--including higher education--can use, including frameworks for cultivating deep listening when confronting emotionally charged topics in the classroom and curriculum materials for family and community engagement. Finally, Part 3 of the book offers case studies of this work in action, including examples at the individual teacher or instructor level, the classroom level, and the schoolwide level. The volume includes a guide for readers with discussion and reflection questions, extension activities, and additional resources for each chapter. Against the Current is critical reading in a variety of settings. It can be used in professional development programs to better equip teachers. College and university libraries will want it in their collections. As a teaching textbook, its content will apply to a large number of classes in multicultural education, inclusive teaching and learning, and other courses, thus equipping preservice teachers with valuable tools as they prepare to enter schools.Perfect for courses such as: Introduction to Education; Educational Equity; Foundations of Education; Multicultural Education; Social Justice and Education; Teacher Education; Teaching Methods; Educational Practice; Educational Studies

Hidden in Plain Sight: Women Leaders in the Academy is an essential resource that examines the experiences, challenges, and achievements of women leading in higher education. Written for current and aspiring women academic leaders, it provides the tools, insights, and support needed to navigate this complex terrain successfully. Hidden in Plain Sight addresses a striking paradox: while many accomplished women hold academic leadership positions, they often remain invisible within their own institutions. Despite occupying roles of authority, women leaders frequently find themselves overlooked, unrecognized, and unheard. This contradiction exposes the gap between institutional claims that leadership is gender-neutral and the reality women face daily in academic settings. Drawing on demographic data, statistical trends, and evidence-based practices, this textbook offers practical guidance grounded in real experience. Readers will find case studies, personal anecdotes, and actionable strategies for advancing in academic leadership while maintaining personal integrity and well-being. The book explores various leadership approaches and identifies common pitfalls, equipping readers with knowledge to navigate challenges effectively. Hidden in Plain Sight serves as both mirror and map—reflecting the realities women leaders experience while charting pathways forward. It empowers current leaders to advocate for themselves and their institutions while inspiring the next generation to pursue academic leadership with eyes wide open and strategies firmly in hand. This is the guidebook for women determined to lead authentically, effectively, and sustainably in higher education. The book is written about and for women in leadership positions, and for women interested in educational leadership within the academy. It will also be of interest to college, university and public libraries; individuals including scholars in the discipline; and it can serve as a critical textbook in a variety of Leadership classes in undergraduate and graduate programs.Perfect for courses such as: Women and Leadership; Higher Education Administration; Gender Studies in Education; Educational Leadership and Policy; Sociology of Higher Education; Feminist Theory and Practice; Women's Studies Capstone Seminar; Organizational Behavior in Education; Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education; Professional Development for Graduate Students

Muslim families raising children with autism navigate complex intersections of faith, culture, and disability services that remain largely unexamined in special education literature. In a first for that academic literature, Faith, Family, and Neurodiversity: Islamic Approaches to Understanding Autism addresses this critical gap by centering the voices and expertise of Muslim families who have developed sophisticated strategies for supporting their children while maintaining religious identity and cultural values within American educational systems. Drawing on extensive community engagement and research, Dr. Sadia Warsi and Ms. Sophia Memon document how Islamic principles provide conceptual frameworks for understanding autism that align with contemporary special education values while offering additional resources for family resilience. Through composite narratives that protect participant confidentiality, this volume examines how families successfully integrate Islamic wisdom with evidence-based interventions to create comprehensive support programs. The analysis reveals systematic gaps in how educational institutions serve culturally diverse families, while each chapter integrates young adult literature featuring characters with exceptionalities, including autism, as pedagogical tools for building cultural competence. This volume challenges prevailing assumptions about cultural values and evidence-based practice, offering a strengths-based perspective on cultural diversity in special education. Faith, Family, and Neurodiversity provides essential content for special educators, school psychologists, administrators, teacher preparation faculty, and educational researchers committed to creating truly inclusive educational systems. The goal of the book is to become a foundational document in the study of this unique but important phenomenon. It can be adopted in a variety of neurodiversity or cultural studies classes, and it is essential reading for special education teachers, especially those dealing with issues of health in diverse cultures.Perfect for courses such as: Introduction to Special Education; Culturally Responsive Teaching in Special Education; Family Engagement in Special Education; Foundations of Inclusive Education; Autism Spectrum Disorders: Theory and Practice; Multicultural Education; Diversity in Early Childhood Special Education; Critical Perspectives in Disability Studies; Educational Equity and Social Justice; Collaboration with Families and Communities

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is an important addition to a long list of initiatives designed to ensure educational equity for all students. Veteran educators will recognize many MTSS strategies as practices they already use, while others may feel uncertain or overwhelmed by yet another framework. This book bridges that gap—grounding MTSS in authentic classroom experience and practical wisdom.Through vivid, real-life stories, the authors illuminate both the complexity and the humanity of school-based work. Drawing on decades of experience—as a classroom teacher and as a school counselor/psychologist—their narratives span from 1982 to the present day, including insights from K–12 settings and university teaching. Each chapter presents a compelling case study highlighting student and classroom engagement across grade levels. These stories invite reflection and dialogue around research-based best practices and educational theory, with each chapter concluding in a transparent explanation of the authors’ professional thinking.Readers will trace the evolution of educational practice over time—from an era when Culturally Responsive Pedagogy was rarely discussed to today’s emphasis on inclusive, socially-constructed learning environments. The book chronicles the profession’s broader shift from behaviorism to social constructivism and demonstrates how that journey informs effective MTSS implementation.The case studies illustrate how culturally responsive practices, data-informed decision making, and authentic relationships with students create the conditions where academic growth, positive behavior, and social-emotional wellness intersect. Universal (Tier I), Targeted (Tier II), and Intensive (Tier III) supports—across academics, behavior, and social-emotional learning—are woven seamlessly throughout.Ideal as an introduction to both the theory and practical application of MTSS, this book offers clarity, compassion, and hard-earned insight. It is designed to spark meaningful discussion in teacher preparation programs, professional learning communities, school buildings, and district leadership teams.Perfect for courses such as: Positive Behavior Supports; Role and Function of a School Psychologist: Positive Behavior Supports (Practicum); Crisis, Trauma Response, and Interventions; Academic Assessment & Intervention; Community, Family, and School Collaboration; Curriculum and Inquiry in Public Schools; Fundamentals of Teaching; Access to Learning in a Pluralistic Society; Teaching Emergent Bilingual Students and Students with Disabilities

Transforming Education for Social Justice: Empirical Insights from Leadership, Equity, and Research in Action is a powerful anthology that brings together a collection of articles originally published in the Journal of Leadership, Equity, and Research (JLER). These chapters reflect a shared commitment to confronting systemic inequities and transforming PreK–12 and higher education through critical scholarship, equity-minded leadership, and community collaboration. As part of the Myers Education Press Ethnic Studies Revival Series, this volume is organized around three central themes:the role of educational leadership and transformative research for education reform and student empowerment,countering inequitable disciplinary practices through alternative and transformative approaches,the importance of student voice and activism for promoting equity and social justice.Together, these themes offer a framework for reimagining schools as spaces of resistance, healing, and liberation. In an era marked by heightened attacks on ethnic studies and diversity initiatives, Transforming Education for Social Justice offers timely empirical insights that support inclusive, justice-centered educational practices. The chapters draw on culturally responsive pedagogy, restorative justice, critical race theory, and decolonial frameworks to provide both a critique of existing structures and a vision for what is possible. This volume is an essential resource for scholars, educators, and policymakers committed to equity and social transformation. It is especially well-suited for use in Ethnic Studies, Educational Leadership, Teacher Preparation, and Social Justice Education courses.

In metropolitan areas across the United States, city and suburban public school students receive grossly unequal funding. Since funding is critical to student success, this means the primarily Black, Latinx, and low-income students attending city schools are being denied an equal education. So entrenched is this system, that it can feel normal, or too big to undo. Yet recent student activism in the form of an innovative, cross-community school partnership offers new hope. The Metropolitan Community: Partnering for Equality Across the Educational Divide tells the story of two Chicago-area schools—one suburban, one urban—whose students come together to examine the disparities between their schools and advocate for change. It follows these students over a year as they meet, tour each other’s schools, wrestle with how to discuss unfairness, and ultimately commit to fighting together for a more equal education. In-depth interviews and detailed observations chronicle the students’ advocacy, which unfolds in conversation with teachers and administrators and eventually brings them to the table with legislators, from whom they demand better policies. Through the examples set by students, readers are invited to develop their own “metro outlook,” to see how our seemingly separate worlds are connected by the educational system we hold in common and must work together to reshape. The first book to depict sustained allyship between city and suburban students, The Metropolitan Community offers an invigorating pedagogical approach, organizational model, and political strategy for achieving educational justice through youth-led partnerships and collaboration.Perfect for courses such as: School and Society; Curriculum and Instruction; Diversity and Equity in Education; Socio-cultural Foundations; Educational Policy; Culturally Relevant Pedagogy; Sociology of Education; Urban Education; Social Studies Methods; Multicultural Education; Anthropology of Education; School Counseling; School Psychology; and School Social WorkAuthor Website: cynthiataines.com Recent Op-Ed: Bringing different school districts together can bridge social divides and inspire change Podcast Appearances: Leading Equity (audio, video), State of Ed (audio, video), and Teachers' Lounge/WNIJ (audio)

Recognizing the "diversity crisis" in regards to the cultural dissonance between educators and their diverse students, Diversifying the Educator Pipeline provides a critical examination of the mistakes we have made in our efforts to bolster the presence of Black educators. Grounded with the historical context of Black educators in America, Shaylyn Marks weaves research, practice and personal accounts to critically examine why efforts to diversify the educator pipeline have not yielded the desired results. With an analytical lens, the recruitment, preparation, and retention of Black educators is examined while offering alternative practices to strengthen these efforts. Acknowledging the cyclical nature of potential trauma and harm that occurs in educational spaces, insights and recommendations are provided for all stakeholders as a means to cultivate a diverse educator workforce that better supports and reflects diverse classrooms of students. Diversifying the Educator Pipeline illuminates issues pertaining to the ways in which Black students and educators are disenfranchised, and serves as a call to action for the education community.Perfect for courses such as: Socio-Cultural Foundations of Education; Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice; Cultural Perspectives in Education; Afrofuturism: in Search of the Black Fantastic; Black Feminist and Womanist Perspectives; Educational Leadership; Curriculum Development and Transformation; Advanced Topics in Education; Critical Thinking and contemporary Social Problem; Race and Ethnic Relations; The African American Experience in the United States; Cultural Diversity in U.S. Schools; and Sociology of Education

Centering Multilingual Learners in School Curriculum through Community Asset Mapping is written for educators working with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds. It presents and explores Community Asset Mapping (CAM) as a transformative pedagogical approach that values students’ lived experiences, cultural wealth, and linguistic repertoires as essential components of learning. It speaks to teachers who seek to integrate students’ strengths and assets into the curriculum while challenging hierarchical structures of knowledge and language within the education system. Written by two multilingual language education professionals who draw upon their own educational journeys and rich, multifaceted experience working with multilingual learners, this book is also grounded in a post-qualitative research approach. It weaves together culturally responsive teaching, translanguaging, and community asset mapping as a co-learning practice, alongside a diverse range of critical theories and pedagogical approaches. This resource extends beyond academic scholarship; it engages with community-based initiatives, social entrepreneurship, and lived experiences to offer both a holistic perspective and a practical, action-oriented approach. Through this lens, the authors aim to equip educators with the tools to transform classrooms into more equitable and justice-driven learning spaces. Throughout the book, numerous examples and practical resources are offered to bring these ideas to life, demonstrating how CAM can be implemented in the classroom as a powerful and enriching teaching strategy. More than just a resource, this book is a call to action—an invitation for educators to embark on a collaborative journey. It embraces vulnerability, emphasizes co-learning, and celebrates the communities that shape the work of language education professionals. Through this shared effort, the authors invite educators to join them in critically reimagining education and advocating for more equitable, asset-based practices that truly honor the voices and experiences of their students.Perfect for courses such as: Multicultural and multilingual Education; Sociolinguistics; Methods and Materials in TESOL Education; Curriculum Design in Education or TESOL; Language, Culture and Society; Urban Education; Family Engagement in Education

Moments & Movements: Counterstories for Critical Asian American+ Studies in Education is a collection of counterstories born from community and shared commitments to challenge the ways diverse diasporas and experiences of people from the Asian continent and the Pacific Ocean are largely made invisible, silenced, and erased. By defying reductionist narratives, the collection highlights stories built upon generations of struggle, resistance, advocacy, and joy, that impart wisdom for the current moment and for Asian American+ movements in the future, particularly movements based in education. The book’s topics, located at the nexus of multiple and interconnected fields, such as education, race/ethnic studies, policy and community studies, have broad appeal to a cross-section of university academics; P-12 teachers and leaders; and community educators and activists. Using the framing of Critical Asian American+ Studies, the chapters in this volume emphasize criticality as central to the work of educators committed to more just futures. The plus (+) symbol in “Asian American+” highlights the volume’s efforts at diverse inclusion and openness to various groups under a broad umbrella geographic category, including voices of various Pasifika, Arab and Middle Eastern communities, without eliding their distinct histories, cultures, politics, and experiences or erasing the tensions within and across the broader category of Asian American studies. The book is organized thematically into four sections that reflect key moments in an ongoing movement. This organization acknowledges that readers may be at different points in their journeys towards developing more critical perspectives or knowledge of Asian American, Arab/Middle Eastern American, and Pasifika peoples’ experiences in education. The first section, "The Moment We Begin", focuses on foundational beginnings, telling stories of how the authors made important first steps in creating the change they wished to see in their educational spheres. The second section, "Building an Inclusive Movement", examines how educators sustain and deepen their work within and outside of classrooms. The third section, "Extending the Movement", then looks at Critical Asian American+ Studies outside of classrooms and schools by attending to educational leadership, families and teacher identities, policy arenas, and educational, cultural, and community activism. Finally, in the fourth section, "Envisioning New Worlds", chapters attend to what justice-focused, future-oriented movements might look like for Critical Asian American+ Studies. All too often, critical community-grounded work can feel daunting. This collection pushes beyond prescribed borders that separate our communities and separate us into our own educational spheres (e.g. P-12, higher education, teacher education) and roles (professor, teacher, principal, student). As one of the few edited collections with such diverse perspectives, this collection provides multiple paths forward in Asian American, Arab/Middle Eastern American, and Pasifika Studies, inspires with its counterstories of struggle and success, and challenges readers to consider their own next steps.Perfect for courses such as: Asian Americans in Education; Critical Studies in Education; Multicultural Education/Sociocultural Foundations in Education; Ethnic Studies/Asian American Studies; Social Justice in Education; Critical Pedagogy and Education; Urban Education; Race, Ethnicity, and Education; Introduction to Education; School and Society