Kenneth Fasching-Varner


Kenneth J. Fasching-Varner is the Shirley B. Barton Endowed Associate Professor of Education at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, whose ideas contribute to education and social reform. Fasching-Varner has proposed a non-developmental theory of white racial identity offering a direct counterpoint to the developmental theories of racial identity. He, along with colleagues Christine Clark and Mark Brimhall-Vargas, have written about the occupation of the academy in higher education to discuss the treatment of diversity in higher education during the Obama era. The edited volume has received praise, being awarded the Duke University Office of Inclusion and Equity's December 2012 book of the month. The volume has also received critique from the neo-conservative Manhattan group, citing that the book does not account for fiscal needs when advocating for diversity.
Fasching-Varner has published articles, books, and book chapters, and has contributed to academic discourse through presentations at academic conferences at international, national, and local contexts.

Early life

Fasching-Varner grew up in Rochester, New York, and attended public schools from K–8. Fasching-Varner had the experience of being taught in K–8 by a significant number of Black female educators, whose teaching style and activism made a significant impact on his own teaching. Fasching-Varner was influenced significantly by negative community narratives about the value of urban inner-city students, of which he was one, and has published about the disconnect between teacher identities and student identities and the contribution of negative perspectives to community narratives about students from underrepresented groups.

Free and reduced pedagogy concept

Fasching-Varner, along with colleague Vanessa Dodo-Seriki, has advanced a critique of under-engaged teaching called "free and reduced pedagogy". Fasching-Varner and Dodo-Seriki discuss free and reduced pedagogy as a non-people first style of teaching that reduces, through a teacher's discourse, the value of the student and the teacher's ability to teach the student based on non-controllable demographics. In his own work, Fasching-Vanrer has found that teachers in high-needs areas tend to look across areas of difference as a means of dismissing a student's potential, and has often found students being referred to as "free and reduced lunch students", helping in coining the term "free and reduced pedagogy".

Culturally responsive pedagogy

Working in the traditions of Gloria Ladson-Billings Fasching-Varner's work reflects and engagement with and interest in culturally relevant perspectives and approaches to education. Fasching-Varner has published in the area of culturally relevant pedagogy Fasching-Varner's most recent book publication "Working Through Whiteness" attempts to, in part, understand how teacher narratives reveal preventative gaps from achieving culturally relevant pedagogy.

Critical race theory and white racial identity

Fasching-Varner has an active research agenda centered in critical race theory. While studying with theorist Adrienne Dixson at The Ohio State University, Fasching-Varner developed an interest in critical race theory with an emphasis and focus on the manifestation of white racial identity in the narratives of pre-service teachers. Fasching-Varner's work links considerations of critical race theory and culturally responsive pedagogy, with an emphasis on the property value of whiteness. Fasching-Varner has proposed a non-developmental model for racial identity which provides a radically different approach from that proposed by Janet Helms, long considered the authority in white racial identity development. Fasching-Varner's work has received praise from several leading authorities in the fields of multiculturalism, whiteness studies, and culturally relevant teaching. Kevin Kumashiro, president of the National Association of Multicultural Educators, suggests that Fasching-Varner has written an "important new book" in this field. Elaine Richardson, professor of language and literacy at The Ohio State University, encourages people to "read this book. be inspired and informed". A leading authority in culturally responsive teaching, Geneva Gay says of Fasching-Varner's work that "This is a must read for White prospective and practicing teachers, as well as teacher educators. Finally, Tim Wise, author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, says of Fasching-Varner's work that "All pre-service teachers should read it, as should anyone who cares about the creation of educational equity in the United States".

School-to-prison and neoliberal critique

Around 2014 Fasching-Varner extended his work to include economic analysis of schools, education, and the prison industrial complexes. Fasching-Varner has extended ideas from critical race theory, particularly racial realism, to work toward explaining the persistent nexus between schools and prisons, articulating that the connection is a natural consequence of neo-liberal economic orientations and policies in the United States. Fasching-Varner has also provided an explicit look at how prisons in Louisiana, namely the Angola prison, operate as modern-day slave plantations and along with schools serve as the misery industries of Louisiana

Publications

Books

Martin, L.L., Fasching-Varner, K.J., Hayward, H. . Race, population studies, and America’s public schools: A critical demography perspective of racial and educational inequity. Lanham, MD: Lexington Press.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Denny, R.K., Montalbetti, M.A., Denny, M.A.. Working toward glocality: Race, ethnicity, and the complexity of study abroad in the 21st century. Rotterdam, NE: Sense Publishers.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Martin, L.L., Mitchell, R.W., Daneshzadeh, A.. Understanding, dismantling, and disrupting the prison-to-school pipeline. Lanham, MD: Lexington Press.
Martin, L.L., Fasching-Varner, K.J., Hartlep, N.D.. Pay to play: Race and the perils of the college sports industrial complex. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Martin, L.L., Fasching-Varner, K.J., Hayward, H. . After the storm: Militarization, occupation, and segregation in post-Katrina America. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Hartlep, N.D., Martin, L.L., Hayes, C., Mitchell, R.W., & *Allen-Mitchell, C.A... The assault on communities of color: Exploring the realities of race based violence. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Albert, K.A., Mitchell, R.W., & Allen, C.A. . Racial battle fatigue in higher education: Exposing the myth of post-racial America. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Reynolds, R., Albert, K.A., & Martin, L.L. . Trayvon Martin, race, and "American justice:" Writing wrong. Rotterdam, NE: Sense Publishers.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Eisworth, H.B., Mencer, T.H, Cho, D.R., Murray, M.C., & Morton, B.C... Student teaching: A journey in narrative. Rotterdam, NE: Sense Publishers.
Fasching-Varner, K. J.. Working through whiteness: Examining white racial identity and profession with pre-service teachers. Lanham, MD: Lexington Press.
Clark, C., Fasching-Varner, K.J., & Brimhall-Vargas, M... Occupying the academy: Just how important is diversity work in higher education? Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

Peer-reviewed articles

Jackson, M., Green, D., Martin, L.L., Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes: A response to “We were there too.” Democracy and Education.
Hayes, C. & Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Racism 2.0 and the death of social and cultural foundations of education: A critical conversation. Journal of Educational Foundations, 28, 113–130.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Mitchell, R.W., Martin, L.L., & Bennett-Haron, K.P.. Beyond school-to prison pipeline and toward an educational and penal realism. Equity and Excellence in Education, 47, 5–24.
Martin, L.L., Fasching-Varner, K., Quinn, M., Jackson, M.. Racism, rodeos, and the misery industries of Louisiana. Journal of Pan African Studies, 7, 60-83.
Fasching-Varner, K.J.. “Uhh you know,” don’t you?: White racial bonding in the narratives of white pre-service teachers. The Journal of Educational Foundations, 27, 21–41.
Lanuax, C., Vice, K., & Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Center learning in a first grade classroom. Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research, 16, 1-10.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., & Mitchell, R.W.. Capturing the moment to debunk the crisis. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 10, 124-127.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., & Bible, C.. What it means to mentor: One student’s non-traditional story. Insight: A Think College Brief on Policy, Research, & Practice, 11, 1–4.
Fasching-Varner, K., & Dodo-Seriki, V.. Moving beyond seeing with our eyes wide shut: A response to “There is no culturally responsive teaching spoken here.” Democracy and Education, 20, 1–6.
Rome, M., Ruiz, M. A., & Fasching-Varner, K. J.. On the road to engagement: Teacher action research and student literacy engagement in socially responsible social studies instruction. Literacy and Social Responsibility, 5, 79–105.
Fasching-Varner, K.J.. No! The team ain’t alright!: The institutional and individual problematics of race. Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation, and Culture, 15, 811–829.
Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Pedagogy of respect: The inter-generational influence of Black women. Midwestern Educational Researcher, 19, 28–35.

Book chapters

Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Crossing back through the river: Honoring the pathway to advance the journey. In A.T. Kemp Dignity of the calling: Educators share the beginnings of their journeys. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Morton, B.C., Jackson, M.J., Frazier, M.M. Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Roadblock in the mirror: Recommendations for overcoming the cultural disability of whiteness in nonwhite educational spaces. In C. Warren and S. Hancock White women’s
work. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Resisting the espirit de corps: White challenging whiteness. In N.D. Hartlep and C. Hayers. Unhooking from whiteness: Resisting the espirit de corps.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Sulentic Dowell, M.-M., Mitchell, R.W., *Lindbom-Cho, D.R.. Elizabeth Ellsworth. In S. Totten and J.E.
Pedersen Educating about social issues in the 20th and 21st Centuries: A critical annotated bibliography, Vol. 4. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishers.
Lindbom-Cho, D.R., Edwards, K.W., Fasching-Varner, K.J., Mitchell, R.W.. Critical feminism. In S. Totten and J.E. Pedersen Educating about social issues in the 20th and 21st Centuries: A critical annotated bibliography, Vol. 4. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishers.
Wooten, S.C., Mitchell, R., Fasching-Varner, K.J., Mitchell, R.W.. Christine Sleeter. In S. Totten and J.E. Pedersen Educating about social issues in the 20th and 21st Centuries: A critical annotated bibliography, Vol. 4. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishers.
Fasching-Varner, K.J.. searching whiteness: New considerations in studying and researching whiteness. In A.D. Dixson Researching race in education: Policy, practice, and qualitative research. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishers.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., & Mitchell, R.. CRT’s challenge to educator’s articulation of abstract liberal perspectives of purpose. In M. Lynn & A. Dixson, Handbook of Critical Race Theory in Education. New York, NY: Routledge.
Stowers, G., Fasching-Varner, K., Brimhall-Vargas, M., & Clark, C.. Through the looking glass to ourselves: Developing the online multicultural and bilingual teacher education classroom. In G. Eby & T. Volkan-Yuzer, Project management approaches for online learning design. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Sulentic Dowell, M.M., Bickmore, D., & Bickmore, S.. Recentering the hook: Auto-ethnographic intersections of whiteness in education. In C. Hayes & N. Hartlep, Unhooking from Whiteness: The Key to Dismantling Racism in the United States. Rotterdam, NL: Sense Publishers.
Brimhall-Vargas, M. Clark, C., Fasching-Varner, K. J.. Preface: Why write this book? The permanence of diversity. In C. Clark, K. Fasching-Varner, & M. Brimhall-Vargas Occupying the academy: Just how important is equity and diversity in higher education?. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefield.
Clark, C., Fasching-Varner, K.J., Brimhall-Vargas, M.. "Occupying academia, reaffirming diversity". In C. Clark, K. J. Fasching-Varner, & M. Brimhall-Vargas, Occupying the academy: Just how important is equity and diversity in higher education?. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefield.
Fasching-Varner, K. J., Brimhall-Vargas, M., Clark, C.. An open letter – A call to occupy. In C. Clark, K. J. Fasching-Varner, & M. Brimhall-Vargas, Occupying the academy: Just how important is equity and diversity in higher education?. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefield.
Fasching-Varner, K. J., Dodo-Seriki, V.. “Just do it!” Tensions between articulated commitments and action at The ACME State University. In C. Clark, K. J. Fasching-Varner, & M. Brimhall-Vargas, Occupying the academy: Just how important is equity and diversity in higher education?. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefield.
Fasching-Varner, K. J.. German language maintenance and shift: The case of Columbus, Ohio. In Q. Lê & T. Lê, Linguistic diversity and cultural identity: A global perspective. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
Fasching-Varner, K. J., Erklenz-Watts, M., Wood, J.. What’s knowledge got to do with it?: Epistemology in diversity and social justice education. In R.D. Davis, A. London, B. Beyerbach, “How do we know they know?:” A conversation about pre-service teachers learning about culture & social justice. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing.
Dixson, A. D., & Fasching-Varner, K. J.. This is how we do it: Helping teachers understand culturally relevant pedagogy in diverse classrooms. In C. Compton-Lilly, Breaking the silence: Recognizing the social and cultural resources students bring to the classroom. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Book reviews

Hucks, D.C., Fasching-Varner, K.J., & Haddix, M.M.. "Teaching Trayvon Martin". Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 58, 608–610.
Fasching-Varner, K. J., & Cho, D.. From roots to shoots: Bridging continents and cultures through the branches of globalized English. Linguistics and Education, 23, 217–218.
Fasching-Varner, K. J.. Talking through shadows of the past in the classrooms of today: Exploring rhetoric and narrative e
ethnographically with middle-school students. Linguistics and Education, 22, 192–193.

Encyclopedia entries

Clark, C.E., & Fasching- Varner, K.J.. Race. In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., & Lindbom, Cho, D.R.. Culturally relevant teaching In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Saal, L., & Lindbom-Cho, D.R.. Apartheid. In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Fasching-Varner, K.J. & Sulentic Dowell, M.M.. Cajun. In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Lindbom-Cho, D.R., & Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Over-represented group. In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Lindbom-Cho, D.R., & Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Under-represented group. In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Morton, B.C., & Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Ebonics. In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Morton, B.C., & Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Equity. In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Morton, B.C., & Fasching-Varner, K.J.. School desegregation. In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Sulentic Dowell, M.M., & Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Creole. In. S. Thompson Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

Editorial introductions

Fasching-Varner, K.J., Mitchell, R.W., Martin, L.L., Bennett-Haron, K.. Guest editor’s introduction. Equity and Excellence in Education, 47, 1-4.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Barrera, E.S.. Editorial introduction. E-Journal of Balanced Literacy Instruction, 2, 1-2.
Barrera, E.S., Fasching-Varner, K.J.. Editorial introduction. E-Journal of Balanced Literacy Instruction, 1, 2.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Barrera, E.S.. Editorial introduction: Omnia mutantur nos et mutamur in illis. E-Journal of Balanced Literacy Instruction, 1, 2-3.
Fasching-Varner, K.J., Sulentic Dowell, M.M., Meidl, T., Meidl, C.. Editorial introduction. Networks, 15, 1-3.