The Intersection of Gender, Race, and Class in Educational Access and Achievement: A Critical Analysis of Structural Inequalities in Urban Schools (Published)
Academic access and attainment in urban schools are inextricably linked to more general social structures that reinscribe inequality along lines of gender, race, and class. This paper critically analyzes how these intersecting identities inform students’ educational paths within settings characterized by structural disadvantage. Employing critical theory and intersectionality approaches, the research challenges institutional practices, policy regimes, and socio-cultural norms that reinscribe unequal outcomes. Using an ethical mixed-method approach combining secondary data analysis with document analysis and qualitative interviews, the research puts marginalized students’ lives in the center while maintaining high standards of consent, confidentiality, and reflexivity. Findings show deeply embedded inequalities in resource allocations, teacher expectations, discipline policies, and inclusion in the curriculum—each piling iteratively upon systemic barriers to achievement and inclusion. The study emphasizes that education inequalities cannot be addressed through fragmented reforms but can be obtained by pedagogy- and policy-reform-based structural transformation that is grounded in justice. Lastly, the paper contributes to the growing literature on social justice in education by illuminating how gender, race, and class continue to set the limits and possibilities of schooling in cities.
Keywords: Critical Pedagogy, Social Justice, educational access, intersectionality, structural inequality, urban education
The Practical and Theoretical Underpinning of Inclusion for College Students amidst Diverse Intersectionality (Published)
American higher education is facing another major transition with escalating costs, an influx of diverse students, and an over all question about the return on investment for higher education. Within these complexities, this essay will consider the practical history and theoretical underpinning which inform the experience for students with complex intersectionality. After reflecting on the higher education legal issues and Duboisian theory, the essay will provide recommendations for students and higher education personnel
Keywords: Higher Education, intersectionality, race