Using intersectionality as a theoretical framework to explore social justice in education

Thelma Ramsey-Bryant

Chapter 3 in Handbook of Social Justice in Education, 2026, pp 34-48 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Education in the US has long been regarded as a tool for achieving equality, yet marginalized students continue to face systemic barriers that hinder academic success. Students often possess intersecting identities—such as race, gender, socio-economic status, and disability—that compound their educational challenges. This chapter explores how intersectionality provides a framework for understanding and addressing these overlapping systems of oppression. Traditional reform models tend to individualize failure and emphasize measurable interventions, often positioning marginalized children as problems to be fixed. In contrast, an intersectional approach demands structural change and a rethinking of how inequality is conceptualized and addressed in educational policy and practice. The chapter advocates for new research agendas that prioritize the complex realities of marginalized students, with an emphasis on the US context while recognizing global parallels. These agendas seek to foster equity and social justice through systemic transformation.

Keywords: Race; Intersectionality Marginalization; School Reform; Social Justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035318445
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