QuantCrit: An Antiracist Quantitative Approach to Educational Inquiry

Critical race theory (CRT) in education centers, examines and seeks to transform the relationship that undergirds race, racism, and power. CRT scholars have applied a critical race framework to advance research methodologies in the form of qualitative interventions. Informed by this work, this book reconsiders the possibilities of CRT applications to quantitative methodologies through 'QuantCrit'.

This volume posits the question: How can quantitative methods, long critiqued for their inability to capture the nuance of everyday experience, support and further a critical race agenda in educational research? It provides a starting point for how QuantCrit principles are employed by interdisciplinary contributions in race and quantitative studies. The contributors to the book examine the legacy and genealogy of QuantCrit traditions across disciplines to uncover a rich lineage of methodological possibilities for disrupting racism in research. They argue that quantitative approaches cannot be adopted for racial justice aims without an ontological reckoning that considers historical, social, political, and economic power relations. Only then can quantitative approach be re-imagined and rectified.

This book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of Education, Sociology, Social Work, Politics, and Racial and Ethnic Studies. It was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Race Ethnicity and Education.

Nichole Garcia is Assistant Professor of Higher Education at Rutgers. She is a critical race and feminist mixed methodologist who focuses on the differences and similarities between Latinx sub-ethnic groups, students, and families regarding their college readiness, retention, and completion. She received her Ph.D. in Social Science and Comparative Education at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Nancy López is Professor of Sociology and co-founded/directs the Institute for the Study of "Race" and Social Justice at The University of New Mexico. Her inquiry and praxis are guided by intersectionality - the simultaneity of systems of power (oppression/resistance) and the importance of developing contextualized solutions that advance justice.

Verónica N. Vélez is Associate Professor of Secondary Education at Western Washington University. Her research focuses on Latinx migrant mother activism, popular education, and (re)imagining cartographic methods for critical educational inquiry. She is currently collaborating with teachers, administrators, and community members to develop a framework for K-12 Ethnic Studies in Washington State public schools.