Abstract
Critical Race Theory (CRT) and its potential contributions to K–12 public education is under scrutiny by lawmakers and parent groups across the United States. Banning the tenets of CRT will produce even less equitable outcomes for our most vulnerable student populations. Interdisciplinary collaboration is critical for behavior analysts working alongside educators in public schools. This paper will unite educators and behavior analysts in a scholarly discussion of the origins, definition, and opposition to CRT; highlight current inequities and disparities in educational systems; outline the effectiveness of culturally relevant pedagogical practices; and propose a call to action for behavior analysts to collaborate with educators to improve equitable student outcomes.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.
References
Baer, D. M., Wolf, M. M., & Risley, T. R. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(1), 91–97. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1968.1-91
Baer, D. M., Wolf, M. M., & Risley, T. R. (1987). Some still-current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 20(4), 313–327. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1987.20-313
Barrett, B., Beck, R., Binder, C., Cook, D. A., Engelmann, S., Greer, R. D., Kryklund, S. J., Johnson, K. R., Maloney, M., McCorkle, N., Vargas, J. S., & Watkins, C. L. (1991). The right to effective education. The Behavior Analyst, 14(1), 79–82. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392556
Biglan, A. (2015). The nurture effect: How the science of human behavior can improve our lives and our world. New Harbinger Publications.
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ethics-Code-for-Behavior-Analysts2102010.pdf
Caldwell, V. F. (1996). Critical race theory: The key writings that formed the movement. Columbia Law Review, 96(5), 1363–1374. https://doi.org/10.2307/1123408
Epstein, T., Mayorga, E., & Nelson, J. (2011). Teaching about race in an urban history class: The effects of culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Social Studies Research, 35(1), 2–21.
Fawcett, S. B. (1991). Some values guiding community research and action. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 24(4), 621–636. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1991.24-621
Fawcett, S. B. (2021). A reflection on community research and action as an evolving practice. Behavior and Social Issues, 30, 535–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-021-00083-x
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed ((30th anniversary ed.)). Continuum.
Garcia-Navarro, L. & Sprunt, B. (2021). Understanding the republican opposition to Critical Race Theory: Weekend Edition Sunday. [Radio Broadcast]. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/20/1008449181/understanding-the-republican-opposition-to-critical-race-theory
George, J. (2021). A lesson on critical race theory. American Bar Association. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/civil-rights-reimagining-policing/a-lesson-on-critical-race-theory/
Glenn, S. S., & Malagodi, E. F. (1991). Process and content in behavioral and cultural phenomena. Behavior and Social Issues, 1(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5210/bsi.v1i2.163
Goldiamond, I. (1978). The professional as a double-agent. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11(1), 178–184. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1978.11-178
Goldiamond, I. (1984). Training parent trainers and ethicists in nonlinear analysis of behavior. In R. F. Dangel & R. A. Polster (Eds.), Parent training: Foundations of research and practice (pp. 504–546). The Guilford Press.
Gutierrez, K. D., Asato, J., Santos, M., & Gotanda, N. (2002). Backlash Pedagogy: Language and culture and the politics of reform. Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 24(4), 335–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/10714410214744
TN (2021). H.B. 580, 2021 Public Chapter No. 493, 2021 Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 49. https://legiscan.com/TN/bill/HB0580/2021
Holland, J. G. (1978). Behaviorism: Part of the problem or part of the solution? Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11(1), 163–174. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1978.11-163
Hollins, N. A., Morris, C., & Li, A. (2023). Integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion readings within coursework: Suggestions for instructors teaching behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00781-5
Howard, T. C., & Navarro, O. (2016). Critical race theory 20 years later: Where do we go from here? Urban Education, 51(3), 253–273. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085915622541
Howard, T., & Rodriguez-Minkoff. (2017). Culturally relevant pedagogy 20 years later: Progress or pontificating? What have we learned, and where do we go? Teachers College Record, 119(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811711900104
Jordan, W. J. (2010). Defining equity: Multiple perspectives to analyzing the performance of diverse learners. Review of Research in Education, 34(1), 142–178. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X09352898
Ladson-Billings, G. J. (1995). But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory Into Practice, 34(3), 159–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849509543675
Ladson-Billings, G. J., & Tate, W. F. (1995). Towards a theory of Critical Race Theory of education. Teachers College Record, 97(1), 47–68.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2013). Critical race theory—What it is not! In Handbook of critical race theory in education (pp. 54–67). Routledge.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2021). I’m here for the hard re-set: Post pandemic pedagogy to preserve our culture. Equity & Excellence in Education, 54(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2020.1863883
Leonardo, Z., & Boas, E. (2021). Other kids' teachers: What children of color learn from White women and what this says about race, whiteness, and gender. In Handbook of critical race theory in education (pp. 153–165). Routledge.
Love, B. L. (2019). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the pursuit of educational freedom. Beacon Press.
Mattaini, M. A. (2013). Strategic nonviolent power: The science of satyagraha. Athabasca University Press.
Miller, K. L., Cruz, A. R., & Ala’i-Rosales, S. (2019). Inherent tensions and possibilities: Behavior analysis and cultural responsiveness. Behavior and Social Issues, 28, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-019-00013-y
National Center for Education Statistics [NCES] (2022). Racial/Ethnic enrollment in public schools. Condition of education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 28, 2023 from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cge
Pritchett, M., Ala’i-Rosales, S., Cruz, A. R., & Cihon, T. M. (2021). Social justice is the spirit and aim of an applied science of human behavior: Moving from colonial to participatory research practices. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 15(4), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00591-7
Risley, T. R. (2001). Do good, take data. In W. T. O’Donohue, D. A. Henderson, S. C. Hayes, J. E. Fisher, & L. J. Hayes (Eds.), A history of the behavioral therapies: Founders’ personal histories (pp. 267– 287). Context Press.
Sidman, M. (2001). Coercion and its fallout ((2nd ed.). ed.). Authors Cooperative.
Sleeter, C. E. (2011). An agenda to strengthen culturally responsive pedagogy. English teaching: Practice and critique, 10(2), 7–23 http://education.waikato.ac.nz/research/files/etpc/files/2011v10n2art1.pdf
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. (2018). Status and trends in the education of racial and ethnic groups. Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019038.pdf
Wright, P. I. (2019). Cultural humility in the practice of applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(4), 805–809. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00343-8
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Kaerwer, K., Pritchett, M. Critical Race Theory in Education: How Banning its Tenets Undermines our Best Hope for Equity in Education. Behav. Soc. Iss. 32, 300–313 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-023-00130-9
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-023-00130-9