Race-Conscious Practitioner Research

• In Event: Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Social Justice Education Through Human Rights Education Praxis

Abstract

Purpose of the Study
This study examined the process of a white educator developing a curriculum unit on the Black Panther Party (BPP). The practitioner research model, defined as “research carried out by practitioners for the purpose of advancing their own practice,” guided the development and implementation of the unit (McLeod, 1998). Implemented in a second grade classroom in a diverse, urban, public elementary school, the instructional goal of this unit was to make the history, significance, and legacy of the BPP accessible to young children. The practitioner research goal was to improve human rights education (HRE) practice in a race conscious way.
Theoretical Framework and Significance
Delpit (1988) describes the “culture of power” that affects student/teacher interactions in the classroom. The specific codes and rules of this culture are a reflection of the rules that govern the larger culture, as defined by those in power. As defined by Delpit, explicitly teaching the culture of power, is at the core of HRE and enables students to acquire power themselves. White educators must recognize the culture of power and their place in it, and work to make the dynamics of power in the classroom both plain and equitable. Pollock, Deckman, Mira, and Shalaby (2009), delineate three barriers to this task.
According to Pollock, Deckman, Mira, and Shalaby (2009), white educators face the following challenges when teaching race and the culture of power: 1) a lack of curriculum models for conveying structural inequality, 2) the difficulty of teaching race-based structural inequality within a system crippled by it, and 3) a lack of continuing professional and personal development that allows educators time to reflect on their practice. This unit of study was an attempt to address these issues.
Methodology and Data Sources
This study was completed in a second grade classroom at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in the San Francisco Unified School District. Data sources include individual student’s work, documentation from whole-class activities, and observations from my own experience and the reflections of the classroom teacher.
Findings
The regular classroom teacher in this study found the unit a useful addition to her civil rights curriculum. She appreciated the many content areas embedded in the unit and the fact that the BPP modeled a local example of human rights activism and organizing. The classroom teacher also observed that several of her focus students, one African American girl and one African American boy receiving special education services, were particularly engaged in the unit. These and other findings from this practitioner research study address challenges white educators face when designing, implementing, and evaluating HRE curriculum for multicultural classrooms.

Author

• Jessica Blundell, University of San Francisco