Teaching to Close the Opportunity Gap: Four Educators’ Actions to Promote Equity

• In Event: Teacher Advocacy and Social Justice With English Language Learners

Abstract

We used qualitative methods of observation, interview and interpretive analysis to ascertain the meaning of educators’ actions as they sought to promote equity in their classrooms, at their school sites, and for the community. The actions four teachers took to address the challenges in closing the opportunity gap were examined for commonalities and uniqueness of meaning within and across their actions. Three major themes of the meaning of teachers’ actions emerged from the data: (a) the role of stakeholder collectives (b) awareness of underlying social and structural challenges, and (3) degree to which access is addressed in schools. The findings of this study point toward further investigation of the implementation and maintenance of equity pedagogy by veteran and novice teachers.

Authors

• Jenifer Crawford, University of Southern California

• Paula M. Carbone, University of Southern California