RESEARCH PLAN

Research Plan

Critical Race Theory Analysis

Introduction

The topic addresses Critical Race Theory (CRT), which is the theoretical framework used for analysis and interpretation of the data in this study. Race, a central tenet of CRT, maintains race is used to racialize minority groups through stereotypes. It is closely related to racialization which is the notion that each race has its own origins and history, or as it is known in CRT inter sectionality. That is, no individual has a single unitary identity. For instance, a Mexican American woman experiences the world in different ways due to being both a woman and Mexican American. However, gender, as researched by several authors, represents the White college-educated woman, who is depicted as the successful role model for all women. Thus, the experiences of Mexican American women often are ignored, misrepresented, or subsumed under the prototype of the heterosexual African American male. Consequently, Mexican American women are kept out of sight, out of mind, and out of the knowledge of an education. Over the past 15 years, critical race theory (CRT) has been utilized as a tool in the structural analysis of K-16 education in the United States and internationally and a basic construct in curriculum studies. As an interdisciplinary method with the aim of analyzing and addressing issues of race and racism in education, CRT incorporates constructs from the disciplines of ethnic studies, women's studies, legal theory, philosophy, sociology, and history. Although not limited to the aforementioned disciplines, CRT scholars have recently expanded its reach to the fields of urban planning, public health, and medicine. Therefore, all the issues related to Critical Race Theory will be discussed in detail. Overview of Critical Race Theory

Critical Race theorists, e.g., Ladson-Billings, Smith-Maddox and Solórzano & Bernal (2001), contend that current literature on people of colour is flawed by its own theoretical and conceptual limitations. Some of the researchers emphasizes the dimension of race, which has raised other concerns over the inequality of American education, for instance, how education has failed to educate women and minorities. However, it is impossible to understand fully the significance of what it means to be a Mexican American woman without appreciating the way gender intersects with race. Educational scholars generally agree that race is linked to other social dynamics, such as class and gender. Consequently, research has failed to capture fully the realities of the intersection of race, class, and gender (Bell, 1997, 131).

Much research has focused on socioeconomic status, culture, and language as barriers to educational success. More examination and explanation are needed regarding the struggles of students of colour and their access to a quality education. Analyses do not recognize the underlying theme of racism in U.S. public schools for Mexican American women. Moreover, according to the researchers known as Huber, Johnson, and Kohli in 2006, students who experience racism cannot recognize or name racism because the experiences of educational inequalities are internalized within the students themselves. To understand better the racism Mexican American women are faced with every ...