This phenomenological study investigated the experiences of 8 Black students enrolled in a master's-level counseling program. Five themes central to participant experiences were identified: (a) isolation as a Black student, (b) tokenization as a Black student, (c) lack of inclusion of Black counselor perspectives within course work, (d)…

This study is a qualitative examination of the perspectives of Black and Latino students, traditionally underrepresented at predominately White institutions, in the environment of the mandatory diversity course at Western University. Students were qualitatively queried regarding their views on how diversity courses shape elements of relational…

Colleges and universities face a variety of challenges in meeting the needs of students, and one of the greatest is their ability to respond to student needs while protecting institutional and academic integrity. For those working with students, a primary example of this challenge is the involvement of students in shared decision-making, a process…

In this qualitative study we address two primary research questions: What are the experiences of women faculty of color (WFOC) who departed the tenure track at predominantly White, research universities? Using the modified lens of the newcomer adjustment framework, what socialization factors may have contributed to the WFOCs' departure?…

Based on qualitative analysis from 22 semistructured interviews, this article explores how Black women principals and assistant principals experience educational administration, with attention to issues of race at work in suburban school settings. Findings suggest that because they may be perceived as race tokens by White educators, Black women…

This study analyzed how Kanter's theory of tokenism and its related concepts of performance pressure, social isolation and role entrapment can be used to understand the socialization of African American students at a small Midwestern college. Sixteen African American students were interviewed in focus groups to examine various aspects of…

This article examines how Black teachers in overwhelmingly White schools evaluate their work experiences as both numerical and racial minorities. I extend Kanter's (1977) theory of tokenism through a look at how ideology shapes the work experiences and evaluations of racial tokens. Kanter developed a framework that outlined 3 general processes…

Multicultural educators have long fought for diversity in the curriculum, equitable representation in text books, and the inclusion of student voices in the learning process. These are important fights, but they are doomed to result only in tokenism if multicultural educators do not incorporate the skills of critical thinking into the…

The schooling of Gypsy children has become a major challenge for the Spanish educational system. After centuries of, first, exclusion and then segregation in separate schools, an egalitarian policy and a sudden enforcement of compulsory schooling have resulted in difficulties and conflicts in numerous Spanish schools. The specificity of the Gypsy…

Intensive open-ended interviews examined professional experiences of seven male and seven female African American teachers who were recruited into suburban schools to satisfy school desegregation mandates. Findings focus on respondents' heightened awareness of group boundaries in the work environment, racial differences in teachers' instructional…

Examines whether stereotypes can threaten in private settings. Results revealed that minority students performed worse than same-gender students in both public and private environments. Finding supports the concept of threatening intellectual environments and shows how far reaching the effects of stereotypes can be. Discusses these findings in…

Explores the extent to which limited institutional support in law school environments cripples the chances of faculty of color in their efforts to succeed, noting mechanisms that scholars of color in law schools have used in an effort to combat racial and gender discrimination (e.g., the creation of parallel institutions in the form of minority…

Examines literature on the power of race to demonstrate how some universities use tenure and promotion committees to show that private universities are more susceptible to the interests of alumni and thus are sometimes less interested in safeguarding the interests of faculty of color involved in controversial research on racial issues. This…

Research on tokenism processes is reviewed and coalesces around two conclusions. First, gender constructs different social contexts for token women and for token men. Second, gender is most usefully conceptualized as a status variable, not something internal to the individual. Gender serves as a status marker such that women's subordinated status…

Addresses challenges faced when working in a multicultural library setting and discusses the need for library administration to create supportive environments. Highlights include fluctuating power dynamics; merging diverse opinions and approaches; overcoming perceived lack of empathy; tokenism; accountability; and transforming challenges into…