Critical Race Theory

Critical Race Theory is not a theory that was designed for use in education per se, but as a legal framework founded in radical feminism and abolitionism in the 1970s and 1980s by a group of scholars including Kimberlé Crenshaw. "There are five major components or tenets of CRT: (1) the notion that racism is ordinary and not aberrational; (2) the idea of an interest convergence; (3) the social construction of race; (4) the idea of storytelling and counter-storytelling; and (5) the notion that whites have actually been recipients of civil rights legislation. " (Hartlep, 2009)

Ladson-Billings, Gloria. (1998). Just What is Critical Race Theory and What’s It Doing in a Nice Field Like Education?. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. 11. 7-24. 10.1080/095183998236863.

Critical race theory (CRT) first emerged as a counterlegal scholarship to the positivistand liberal legal discourse of civil rights. This scholarly tradition argues against the slow pace of racial reform in the United States. Critical race theory begins with the notion that racism is normal in American society. It departs from mainstream legal scholarship by sometimes employing storytelling. It critiques liberalism and argues that Whites have been the primary beneficiaries of civil rights legislation.Since schooling in the USA purports to prepare citizens, CRT looks at how citizenship and race might interact. Critical race theory's usefulness in understanding education inequity is in its infancy. It requires a critique of some of the civil rights era's most cherished legal victories and educational reform movements, such as multiculturalism. The paper concludes with words of caution about the use of CRT in education without a more thorough analysis of the legal literature upon which it is based.

Critical Race Theory An Examination of its Past, Present, and Future Implications

Hartlep, N. (2009). Critical Race Theory An Examination of its Past, Present, and Future Implications.

This paper endeavors to evaluate the current body of research conducted on Critical Race Theory (CRT). It fixates on historically marginalized populations within the urban school setting and the larger society. This evaluation is carried out through a literature research synthesis. First, the origins of CRT are articulated. The history of CRT in the United States is discussed. The article lists the five tenets of CRT, providing brief overviews and examples of the tenets. Focus is drawn upon studies done on CRT: Universalistic Paradigms vs. Relativistic Paradigms. The penultimate section of this paper asks, knowing what we know, where do we go from here? Propositions for future research are made. Lastly, implications for further research are cited. It is the author's intent to elaborate and provide insights into an abundantly-written-about topic, CRT, in such a way that both "Crits" and laypeople will have their paradigms and conceptions challenged and expanded. (Contains 2 notes.)