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Education Sciences
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Navigating the Challenges, Tensions, and Complexities of Political and Legislative...
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Navigating the Challenges, Tensions, and Complexities of Political and Legislative Attacks in Higher Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (3 April 2025) | Viewed by 3879

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Veronica Jones

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Counseling and Higher Education, College of Education, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76205, USA
Interests: inequity in educational policies and practices; critical analysis of discourse and dominant narratives that reproduce racism
Dr. Kaleb Briscoe

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
Interests: campus racial climate and hate crimes; university presidents’ responses to race and racism; challenges to anti-blackness and non-performative rhetoric

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Recently, increasing efforts have been made to villainize strides to remedy past discriminations that excluded marginalized communities in education. Mounting government interventions have aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices, and the Supreme Court has even rejected the value of diversity in admissions and educational outcomes.  Social and political debates on the continued need for DEI efforts in education have created further divides on what diversity entails and why equity continues to matter in educational settings. This Special Issue of Education Sciences will provide an interrogation of these issues, including specific recommendations and implications for practice and policy in education. Through this Special Issue, scholars will offer possibilities to move forward as a community of educators committed to a future that upholds equitable practices that support diverse perspectives. 

We invite authors to submit manuscripts with one or more of the following objectives:

  • Analyses rooted in legal concepts or critical theory that interrogate legislative or governmental attempts to ban DEI in various educational settings;
  • Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method studies that investigate the effects of efforts to limit DEI in educational settings on the job functions of administrators, staff and educators, and their influence on student outcomes;
  • The development of conceptual frameworks built on empirical evidence of the role of diversity in educational practices and/or policies;
  • Examination of the ambiguities surrounding the definitions and functions of diversity, equity and inclusion that limit advancements in educational transformation;
  • Comparative and discourse analyses of the concepts of equity and equality, with an emphasis on historical educational policies that have limited the ability to remedy past discrimination and oppression;
  • Curricular approaches, including pedagogies, technologies and teaching methods, that consider the effects of DEI on students of various social identities. 

The suggested word count range for submissions is 7,000-10,000 words. We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Veronica Jones
Dr. Kaleb Briscoe
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • diversity
  • equity
  • educational policy
  • inclusion
  • social justice

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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27 pages, 315 KiB  
Article
Belonging Among Black Women DEI Leaders Post the 2020 Social Justice Movement
by Naima Hall and Jennifer M. Johnson
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(8), 1002; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15081002 - 6 Aug 2025
Viewed by 294
Abstract
This convergent mixed-methods study explores the lived experiences of Black women DEI leaders at predominantly white institutions within the context of an increasingly contentious national discourse surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education. Conducted prior to the 2024 election, a period [...] Read more.
This convergent mixed-methods study explores the lived experiences of Black women DEI leaders at predominantly white institutions within the context of an increasingly contentious national discourse surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education. Conducted prior to the 2024 election, a period marked by escalating resistance to DEI efforts, this research explores how America’s racial reckoning influenced institutional DEI initiatives and shaped the realities of those leading this work. Data were collected through a climate survey of 20 DEI administrators and semi-structured interviews with three senior-level Black women DEI leaders. The survey findings suggest that institutional commitments to DEI were largely reactive, emerging as crisis responses to national calls for racial justice. These efforts resulted in the short-term elevation of Black women into leadership roles, often without sustained structural support. The interview data revealed that Black women senior DEI leaders routinely encounter discrimination, marginalization, and the paradox of hypervisibility and invisibility within their roles. This study concludes with implications and suggestions for institutional policy and structural reform aimed at fostering more equitable and sustainable DEI leadership environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Navigating the Challenges, Tensions, and Complexities of Political and Legislative Attacks in Higher Education)
22 pages, 277 KiB  
Article
“It’s Still There, but It’s Not the Same”: Black Student Leadership in the Wake of Anti-DEI State Policy
by Cameron C. Beatty, Johnnie Allen, Jr., Lauren White, William Baptist, Jr. and Derrick Woodard
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15070890 - 11 Jul 2025
Viewed by 298
Abstract
This study explores how Black student leaders (BSLs) at public historically white institutions (HWIs) in Florida and Georgia navigate racial battle fatigue (RBF) in the context of anti-DEI legislation. Amid rising political hostility toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, this research examines [...] Read more.
This study explores how Black student leaders (BSLs) at public historically white institutions (HWIs) in Florida and Georgia navigate racial battle fatigue (RBF) in the context of anti-DEI legislation. Amid rising political hostility toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, this research examines the lived experiences of 11 BSLs as they respond to racialized campus climates that are increasingly ambiguous and unsupportive. Using a critical qualitative approach, data were collected through two in-depth interviews per participant and analyzed using inductive and deductive coding. Four major findings emerged: (1) BSLs experience heightened psychological, physiological, and emotional forms if stress linked to their identity and leadership roles; (2) anti-DEI policies contribute to institutional erasure and confusion; (3) students express emotional withdrawal, hypervigilance, and disillusionment with performative leadership; (4) students employ culturally grounded coping strategies centered on self-care, spirituality, and community. This study underscores that BSLs are both empowered and burdened by their leadership, especially under politically restrictive conditions. The findings call for student affairs educators to prioritize engagement and belonging and offer identity-affirming support. Further, scholars with academic freedom are urged to continue documenting racialized student experiences. These insights are critical to protecting Black student leadership and equity-centered educational transformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Navigating the Challenges, Tensions, and Complexities of Political and Legislative Attacks in Higher Education)
21 pages, 539 KiB  
Article
Legislating a Strategic Plan: Anti-2SLGBTQIA+ Discourse and the Political Agenda Reshaping Higher Education in Oklahoma
by Quan Phan and Jenny Sperling
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 851; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15070851 - 3 Jul 2025
Viewed by 565
Abstract
Oklahoma has become a focal point in the national escalation of anti-2SLGBTQIA+ and anti-DEI efforts, emerging as one of the most aggressive states in proposing and advancing bills that undermine queer and trans rights across sectors, including public education, healthcare, free speech, and [...] Read more.
Oklahoma has become a focal point in the national escalation of anti-2SLGBTQIA+ and anti-DEI efforts, emerging as one of the most aggressive states in proposing and advancing bills that undermine queer and trans rights across sectors, including public education, healthcare, free speech, and civil liberties. Although many bills do not pass into law, the volume, language, and momentum constitute a discursive and political terrain that actively regulates 2SLGBTQIA+ lives. This study retools the concept of strategic planning—typically associated with institutions’ mission-setting—as an analytical heuristic to examine how legislative efforts operate as a coordinated political agenda. Drawing on critical policy analysis (CPA) and critical discourse analysis (CDA), the authors map selected legislative texts from 2021 to 2024 to demonstrate how Oklahoma lawmakers are using policy discourse to reshape higher education into an extension of state power, advancing white cisheteronormative logics. By framing these efforts as ideologically coherent rather than isolated, this analysis contributes to the urgent work of identifying and resisting the restructuring of public education against 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Navigating the Challenges, Tensions, and Complexities of Political and Legislative Attacks in Higher Education)
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21 pages, 276 KiB  
Essay
Charting New Imaginaries for DEI: Lessons from a Capabilities Approach to Justice
by Deryl K. Hatch-Tocaimaza and Ruth Oliver Andrew
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(6), 754; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060754 - 16 Jun 2025
Viewed by 643
Abstract
In the face of ongoing debate surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education, this essay examines the limitations of current DEI frameworks by interrogating the theories of justice on which they are implicitly based. While DEI initiatives aim to address both [...] Read more.
In the face of ongoing debate surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education, this essay examines the limitations of current DEI frameworks by interrogating the theories of justice on which they are implicitly based. While DEI initiatives aim to address both the symptoms and structural roots of marginalization, they often fall short of realizing transformative change within entrenched institutional dynamics. This essay contends that the justice paradigms most commonly underpinning DEI—rooted in rights-based and utilitarian traditions prevalent in modern liberal institutions—fail to fully engage the conditions necessary for human freedom, flourishing, and self-determination. In response, it advances a capabilities approach to justice as a more expansive framework for understanding and guiding DEI efforts. Emphasizing individuals’ real freedoms to achieve well-being in context, the capabilities approach foregrounds the relational, material, and institutional dimensions of justice. Reframing DEI through this lens, the essay invites higher education professionals to engage in equity work that is not only compliant or symbolic but rooted in the transformation of the conditions that support human and ecological thriving. Rather than offering a definitive model, this intervention aims to animate new questions and practices that expand the horizon of what justice-oriented DEI work in higher education can become. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Navigating the Challenges, Tensions, and Complexities of Political and Legislative Attacks in Higher Education)
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