Critical Race Theory

Guiding Assumptions of Crt

Critical race theory in education is guided by a set of perspectives and assumptions that have been identified as central defining elements of the framework. A CRT lens in the field of educational leadership includes the following basic assumptions:

• Racism is endemic to American life and most often exists in educational institutions in subtle forms.
• Dominant claims that educational practices, policies, and outcomes are guided by ideals of meritocracy, objectivity, and color blindness are false.
• Analyses of racial inequality must account for the racially stratified, historical evolution of the U.S. educational system.
• The experiential knowledge and perspective of people of color and their communities of origin are a central, analytical dimension of analysis of racial inequality.
• Analyses of racial inequality must draw from multiple disciplines, epistemologies, and methodologies.
• A central purpose for analyses of racial inequality is to dismantle racial oppression as part of the broader goal of ending all forms of oppression.

These defining elements form a framework that is highly applicable to the field of educational leadership, as it can help to further sensitize and inform the work of educational researchers and practitioners about the consequences of institutionalized racist beliefs, policies, and practices.

Crt Methodology

CRT relies on the use of “counterstories” as a central methodology. Counterstories are offered by members of marginalized groups who, by virtue of their marginal status, are able to tell stories that are different from the ones White scholars often tell and hear. These counterstories can be in the forms of dialogues, chronicles, and personal testimonies. In contrast, a “majoritarian story” is made up of presuppositions and shared cultural understandings offered by Whites in discussions of race. A discussion of race in a majoritarian story is often a story by those who have racial privilege, and it becomes a tale where racial privilege seems “natural” and unquestioned because people see it as a “natural” part of everyday life. Thus, the counterstory is a method of telling the stories of those experiences that are not often told by and about those who are marginalized by society.

Critiques of Crt

There are two major critiques of CRT. The first alleges that CRT essentializes the racial/ethnic identity of people of color, while the second major critique challenges the reliability and validity of CRT counterstories.

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