Publications

Section Overview:

My scholarship advances justice-centered approaches to education by interrogating systemic inequities and co-constructing solutions that promote equity for historically marginalized communities. Across peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports, I integrate frameworks such as CRT, DisCrit, QuantCrit, and UDL with practical applications that inform policy, practice, and teacher preparation. Much of this work is collaborative and interdisciplinary, often co-authored with colleagues and doctoral students, reflecting my dual commitment to rigorous scholarship and mentorship.

The representative publications highlighted below illustrate these themes in practice, showcasing my work across critical theory, policy analysis, collaborative research, and mentorship.

1. All Education Is Political

Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2023). All Education is Political: Critical Race Theory, white Power, and the killing of Black academic freedom. AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, 14(1), 1–10. Read Full Article

Overview: This article critiques legislative bans on critical race theory, situating them within broader histories of racialized surveillance and white power in education.

Contribution & Impact:

• Applies my White Power Theoretical Framework to policy analysis.

• Widely circulated through an open-access national journal.

• Used in graduate seminars to connect theory, policy, and practice.

2. An HBCU Alternative Teaching Certification Program

Page, L., & Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2025). An HBCU alternative teaching certification program: Increasing the educator workforce numbers while recognizing student and program insights. Research Issues in Contemporary Education, 10(1), 109–132. Read Full Article

Overview: An ethnographic case study of Xavier’s Norman C. Francis Teacher Residency Program, focusing on how HBCUs diversify the educator workforce through alternative certification.

Contribution & Impact:

• Collaboration with Xavier colleague Dr. Larkin Page.

• Demonstrates how HBCUs address educator shortages.

• Connects research to workforce needs and teacher prep policy.

3. Reclaiming AI Equity in Special Education

Caldwell Jr., J. R. (in press, 2025). Reclaiming AI equity in special education: Justice in a post-federal era. In Artificial Intelligence for Educational Inclusion and Equity: International Studies and Critiques. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.

Overview: Examines how algorithmic systems in special education reproduce ableist and racist biases. Proposes equity-centered design practices rooted in participatory ethics.

Contribution & Impact:

• Expands my scholarship into emerging interdisciplinary spaces (AI, equity, special education).

• Bridges critical theory with technology policy.

• Positions my work in international conversations about equity and digital justice.

Status: In press with Edward Elgar Publishing.

4. Silencing Wingless Truth

Smith Jr., G., & Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2024). Silencing Wingless Truth: Confronting the Suppression of Academic Freedom and Black liberation in America. AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, 15(1), 1–18. Read Full Article

Overview: Co-authored with Xavier doctoral candidate Gerald Smith II, this article explores how academic freedom is contested terrain for Black scholars and students. It situates legislative and institutional suppression of critical frameworks as an attack on Black intellectual traditions.

Contribution & Impact:

• Demonstrates faculty–student collaboration, with Smith’s participation stemming from a call for papers I shared.

• Expands research on academic freedom as racial justice.

• Serves as a model of doctoral mentorship leading to publication.

5. Identifying Disproportionality

Grant, S., & Caldwell Jr., J. R. (accepted w/revisions). Identifying Disproportionality: The relationship between hypersegregation and discipline disparities. Journal of School Psychology. [Forthcoming]

Overview: This article applies QuantCrit methods to show how traditional risk ratios obscure disciplinary inequities in hypersegregated schools. It proposes a new equity metric grounded in racialized data justice.

Contribution & Impact:

• Collaboration with Dr. Stephanie Grant (Associate Professor Department of Psychology, Xavier).

• Advances quantitative methodology for equity analysis.

• Informs policy debates on disproportionality and equity metrics.
  
  

Status: Accepted with revisions (Revisions in process).

 Complete List of Publications:

Including the above-mentioned representative works, below is a complete list of my peer-reviewed publications,  organized by category.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles:

• Caldwell Jr., J. R. (in press, 2025). Black schools, white interests: The dilemma of HBCUs, academic freedom, and philanthropic influence. AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, 16.

• Page, L., & Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2025). An HBCU alternative teaching certification program: Increasing the educator workforce numbers while recognizing student and program insights. Research Issues in Contemporary Education, 10(1), 109–132.

• Smith Jr., G., & Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2024). Silencing wingless truth: Confronting the suppression of academic freedom and Black liberation in America. AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, 15(1), 1–18.*(Co-authored with Xavier doctoral student)

• Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2023). All education is political: Critical race theory, white power, and the killing of Black academic freedom. AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, 14(1), 1–10.

• Council, I., Caldwell Jr., J. R., & Caldwell, P. (2021). Mississippi Goddam: Water as a conduit for environmental racism and Black death in the Bayou. Imagining America, 7(1).

• Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2021). Black students existing is an act of defiance: Racial microaggressions, racial battle fatigue, and surviving white schools. CRESTSprogram Journal, 1(1).

• Caldwell Jr., J. R., & Curtis, J. A. (2013). Incarceration nation: How educational programs in prisons “lock out” incarcerated juveniles. Journal of Education and Social Justice, 1(1), 51–60.

Articles Under Review / In Progress:

• Grant, S., & Caldwell Jr., J. R. (accepted w/revisions). Identifying disproportionality: The relationship between hypersegregation and discipline disparities. Journal of School Psychology. [Revisions in progress]

• Robinson, S. F., & Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2025). Intersectionality and STEM education: A systematic review of Black girls’ experiences in gender-exclusive learning environments. Journal of Urban Education [Under review] *(Co-authored with Xavier doctoral student)

Book Chapters:

• Caldwell Jr., J. R. (in press, 2025). Reclaiming AI equity in special education: Justice in a post-federal era. In Artificial Intelligence for Educational Inclusion and Equity: International Studies and Critiques. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
  
  

Technical Publications:

• Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2025). Enhancing all students’ learning with positive behavior supports: A guide for all educators (Vol. II). New Mexico Public Education Department, Office of Special Education, Technical Assistance for Excellence for Special Education.
  
  

Book Reviews:

• Caldwell Jr., J. R. (2021). Review of Diantha Watt’s Anti-Racist School Leadership: 10 Anti-Racist Practices for School Leaders. Boston, MA: Alinea Learning Publications.

Public Scholarship

In addition to peer-reviewed publications, I contribute to public scholarship that translates academic research for broader audiences and policy debates. These pieces extend the reach of my work beyond academia and demonstrate my commitment to shaping educational discourse in accessible, practice-facing forums.

• Caldwell Jr., J. R. (submitted). When Fear Trumps Faith: The Real Costs of Education Cuts. Inside Higher Ed (Op-Ed).
   

Overview & Impact: This op-ed responds to federal attempts to cut teacher training grants, including the NOLA SEED partnership at Xavier University. It highlights how such cuts disproportionately harm HBCUs, teacher residency programs, and local communities, while undermining efforts to diversify the educator workforce. The piece frames teacher preparation as a justice project, rooted in equity, mentorship, and the cultivation of educators who reflect and serve their communities.