Let’s Face It, the Racial Politics Are Always There - A Critical Race Approach to Policy Implementation in the Wake of Anti-CRT Rhetoric

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

School communities across the United States are facing increasing calls to remove critical race theory (CRT) from curricula even though it is not actually being taught. This anti-CRT movement reflects a broader conservative agenda to prohibit “divisive” topics in public schools, revealing underlying racial politics in education policy implementation. The article analyzes legal efforts to ban CRT and antiracist teaching, using a CRT-informed framework and critical discourse analysis to show recurring patterns of backlash, racism, racial violence, and racial trauma, and it offers critical race praxis as an approach to support anti-racist policy change.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages33

Reading Time1 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Policy context and anti-CRT calls

Analytical framework and legal efforts

Discourse analysis findings

Critical race praxis example

education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal Arizona State University | Volume 31 Number 109 | September 26, 2023 | ISSN 1068-2341 | | --- | --- | --- | Let’s Face It, the Racial Politics Are Always There: A Critical Race Approach to Policy Implementation in the Wake of Anti-CRT Rhetoric Anjalé D. Welton University of Wisconsin-Madison United States Sarah Diem University of Missouri United States & Sarah D. Lent University of Wisconsin-Madison United States Citation: Welton, A. D., Diem, S., & Lent, S. D. (2023) . Let’s face it, the racial politics are always there: A critical race approach to policy implementation in the wake of anti-CRT rhetoric. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 31(109). [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.7694](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.31.7694) Abstract: School communities across the United States are experiencing increasing calls to remove the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) from their curricula despite not actually doing so in practice. This anti-CRT push is part of a larger, conservative agenda to ban teaching “divisive”topics in public schools and exemplifies the underlying racial politics existent in educational policy implementation. In this article, we analyze the legal efforts to ban CRT and anti-racist teaching in Journal website: [http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ ](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ Manuscript)[ Manuscript](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ Manuscript) received: 28/6/2023 Facebook: /EPAAA Revisions received: 22/5/2023 Twitter: @epaa_aape Accepted: 14/7/2023 Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 31 No. 109 2 one state through a framework that situates policy implementation within CRT, which seeks to advance how whiteness, interest convergence, racial realism, and the erasure of people of color are continual to policy implementation. Through a critical discourse analysis of anti-CRT rhetoric, we illustrate how predictable patterns such as white backlash, overt racism, racial violence, and racial trauma are brought to light in policy implementation. We then offer an example of CRT as critical race praxis (CRP) in another state that works to counter racism and create anti-racist change in policy design and implementation. CRP is perhaps one tool school leaders have at their disposal to subvert whiteness and white supremacy in policymaking, especially policy implementation. Keywords: critical discourse analysis; critical race theory; critical race praxis; politics; policy implementation; racism; whiteness Seamos realistas, las políticas raciales siempre están ahí: Un enfoque racial crítico para la implementación de políticas a raíz de la retórica anti-CRT Resumen: Las comunidades escolares de los Estados Unidos están recibiendo cada vez másllamadas para eliminar la enseñanza de la teoría crítica de la raza (CRT) de sus planes de estudio apesar de que en realidad no lo hacen en la práctica. Este impulso anti-CRT es parte de una agenda conservadora más amplia para prohibir la enseñanza de temas “divisivos” en las escuelas públicas yejemplifica la política racial subyacente que existe en la implementación de la política educativa. En este artículo, analizamos los esfuerzos legales para prohibir la CRT y la enseñanza antirracista en un estado a través de un marco que sitúa la implementación de políticas dentro de la CRT, que buscapromover cómo la blancura, la convergencia de intereses, el realismo racial y la eliminación de las personas de color son continuos para la implementación de políticas. A través de un análisis crítico del discurso de la retórica anti-CRT, ilustramos cómo se sacan a la luz patrones predecibles como lareacción violenta de los blancos, el racismo manifiesto, la violencia racial y el trauma racial en la implementación de políticas. Luego ofrecemos un ejemplo de CRT como praxis racial crítica (CRP) en otro estado que trabaja para contrarrestar el racismo y crear un cambio an

FAQs

What does the article argue about anti-CRT efforts in US school communities?

It argues that schools face growing pressure to remove CRT from curricula, even when CRT is not actually taught. It frames this push as part of a wider conservative agenda tied to racial politics in policy implementation.

How does the article analyze legal efforts to ban CRT and antiracist teaching?

It uses a framework that positions policy implementation within CRT. It then applies critical discourse analysis to examine patterns emerging from anti-CRT rhetoric.

What patterns does the article say appear in policy implementation under anti-CRT rhetoric?

It highlights predictable patterns such as white backlash, overt racism, racial violence, and racial trauma. These are presented as recurring features brought to light through the analysis.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca