AN AFROCENTRIC PUBLIC POLICY INQUIRY: Reducing Patriarchy and Hierarchy in K-12 Education

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the problem of African American K-12 miseducation and its institutional pathways in carceral and employment agency reduction. Merging cultural and public policy frameworks, it creates a novel theoretical paradigm altogether. Culturally, it anchors in three Diopan concepts: cultural unity, historical continuity and cradles theory. Through this cultural lens it reimagines the current gold standard in public policy analysis, the problem solving methodology. Pursuing expansive cultural-policy holism, the new framework establishes broad, systemic categories conjoining multiple values for who commits three hierarchical behaviors within an institutional triumvirate—all united historically in when, and culturally by why and how they miseducate African descended children. Using the mixed methods of qualitative, multi-institutional cultural observation and quantitative public policy empiricism, the author, thus, derives a series of novel joint categories and cultural-policy concepts within each category. Hierarchical racism, patriarchy and classism form one combined western cultural behavioral phenomenon. Institutional geographies of school, prison and work constitute the same analytical sequence. Cultural purpose, similarly, unifies western men, women and corporate actors. As importantly, these multi-actor, behavior and institution unities form cross-associations among each other. Ultimately, Afrocentric recentering necessitates African Womanist, Manist and community based Maatic cultural policy correctives. Key terms: K-12, miseducation, cultural unity, historical continuity, criminal injustice, economic injustice, institutional analysis, Afrocentricity, Diopism, Maat, location, racism, patriarchy, classism, public policy