This paper employs critical discourse analysis to interrogate rhetorics of academic deficit subtending institutional neglect of equitable opportunity for students of color at U.S. postsecondary institutions. It further reviews Critical Race Theory literature in education, paying special attention to research that foregrounds social class as a discriminate variable distinguishing truly liberatory pedagogies from the merely critical.

𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: I𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦. (2022). Chandan, H. & Christiansen, B. (Eds.). IGI Global. http://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-3615-8