Term of Award

Spring 2025

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading

Committee Chair

Sabrina Ross

Committee Member 1

Edward Muhammad

Committee Member 2

Calvin Walton

Committee Member 3

Anthony Broughton

Abstract

Studies that center Black male teachers often lack nuance and tend to look at them as a monolithic group. This dissertation uses Quare theory (Johnson, 2001), African American Male Theory (AAMT) (Bush & Bush, 2013), along with self-study methodology represented through fictionalized ethno-dramatic scenes to examine the teaching practices of a queer Black male teacher in a rural context and the impact he has on the achievement of his rural Black students. One finding from this study is that breaking through Quare barriers using community, resilience, and cultural awareness leads to success. Another finding is that rural spaces carry educational and social implications that impact those within them, including teachers who are marginalized by their sexuality and students who are marginalized due to their race. Implications regarding the use of Quare theory and AAMT are discussed. Also, implications regarding using self-study mixed with arts-based methods are discussed. The significance of this dissertation concerns how curricula can be seen as racial, gendered, and sexual texts. Further significance speaks to how the Whiteness of rural spaces must be disrupted and how schools must embrace practices that disrupt heteronormativity. A case is also made for practices that increase Black student achievement.

OCLC Number

1521255073

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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