A Critical Examination of K-12 Ethnic Studies: Transforming and Liberating Praxis

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is twofold: (a) to use the theoretical framework of Critical Race Theory (CRT) to highlight and understand the vision, process, and practice of creating an Ethnic Studies program in an urban public school district; and (b) to inform social justice praxis by producing counter-hegemonic knowledge about K-12 Ethnic Studies programs. By focusing on K-12 Ethnic Studies, this paper seeks to show how everyday social justice praxis interrupts “race-neutral” or colorblind ma ster narratives and White cultural hegemony in traditional social studies (Apple 2004; Bonilla-Silva, 2006; Hursh & Ross, 2000; Ross, 2001).