Measuring Race

The United States demography is changing rapidly. How are we capturing these shifts? Do the racial categories that exist accurately represent the individuals who fall into them? Have long-standing categories hindered our understanding of racial inequality? These questions are particularly significant in education, where a precise view of students—who achieves and who requires greater resources—is critical. This volume brings together the expertise of scholars from a range of disciplines to explore the current state of racial heterogeneity, data practice, and educational inequality. They offer recommendations to guide future research, practice, and policy with the goal of better understanding and meeting the needs of our diverse student population in the years to come.

Book Features:

• Contributes both conceptual and practical knowledge toward understanding the relevance of data practices that impact racial inequality—important for both researchers and practitioners.
• Highlights the relevance of racial heterogeneity broadly, but also its significance for particular racial groups—for example, Pacific Islanders and mixed-race/multiracial students—who are largely understudied.
• Offers recommendations that include the importance of promoting collaboration between researchers, advocates, practitioners, and policymakers.

Robert T. Teranishi is professor of education and codirector of the Institute for Immigration, Globalization, and Education at UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies. Bach Mai Dolly Nguyen is an assistant professor of education at Oregon State University. Cynthia M. Alcantar is an assistant professor of higher education leadership at the University of Nevada, Reno. Edward R. Curammeng is assistant professor of teacher education at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

“Based on the inspirational work from the Racial Heterogeneity Project, Measuring Race brings together leading race scholars to argue for a more complex understanding of race difference within groups. Using state of the art theories, data, and methodologies, this impressive collection reminds us of diversity’s importance at the heart of progressive education precisely at the historical moment when it is threatened or derided by conservative forces. Undergraduate and graduate courses looking for a comprehensive book on race and the politics of difference cannot afford to overlook this important volume.”
—Zeus Leonardo, professor and associate dean of education, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Race Frameworks

“This landmark compendium offers us a rare opportunity for a deeper dive into understanding the intersection of race, ethnicity, diversity, equity, and inclusion on our nation’s students, institutions, and communities. At this critical time in our history, when how we understand race in America is needed now more than ever, this book is a must-read for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in new ways to critically analyze evidence-based strategies that remove racial and ethnic barriers to achieving greater equity and equality, and strengthen social and community cohesion.”
—Martha Kanter, executive director, College Promise Campaign, U.S. Under Secretary of Education

Contents

Series Foreword vii
James A. Banks

Preface: Race: American Education’s Inescapable Conundrum xiii
Walter R. Allen

1. Introduction 1
Bach Mai Dolly Nguyen and Robert T. Teranishi

Part I: Conceptual Considerations of Racial Heterogeneity

2. Who’s Black?  Hybridity, Complexity, and Fluidity in 21st-Century Racial Identity 15
Gloria Ladson-Billings

3. Latinos in the American Racial Hierarchy:  The Complexities of Identity and Group Formation 29
Luis Ricardo Fraga and Nicole Perez

4. Panethnicity and Ethnic Heterogeneity:  The Politics of Lumping and Disaggregating Asian Americans  and Pacific Islanders in Educational Policy 46
Michael Omi, Mike Hoa Nguyen, and Jason Chan

5. The ”Invisible” Minority: Finding a Sense of Belonging After  Imperialism, Colonialism, and (Im)migration for Native Hawaiian  and Pacific Islanders in the United States 67
‘Inoke Hafoka, Kēhaulani Vaughn, Iosefa Aina, and Cynthia M. Alcantar

6. Draw Your Own Box? Further Complicating Racial Data  for Multiracial/Two or More Races College Students 84
Marc P. Johnston-Guerrero and Karly Sarita Ford

Part II: Unmasking Educational Inequality Through Disaggregated Data

7. Similar, But Not the Same: Considering the Intersections of  Race, Ethnicity, and Immigrant Status in the Lives of Black Students 103
Kimberly A. Griffin and Chrystal A. George Mwangi

8. Beyond Reservations: Exploring Diverse Backgrounds and  Tribal Citizenship Among Native College Students 119
Heather J. Shotton

9. The Mismeasure of Native American Students:  Using Data Disaggregation to Promote Identity Safety 131
Laura M. Brady, Zoe Higheagle Strong, and Stephanie A. Fryberg

10. More Than Nuance: Recognizing and Serving  the Diversity of the Latinx Community 154
Desiree D. Zerquera, Jasmine Haywood, and MartÍn De Mucha

11. Data Quality in the Evaluation of Latino Student Success 170
Stella M. Flores, Brian Holzman, and Leticia Oseguera

Conclusion 195
Robert T. Teranishi

About the Editors and Contributors 202

Index 207