Behind School Doors: Teachers of Color and the Impact of a Hostile School Racial Climate

• In Event: Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Racialized Lives and Bodies of Teachers

Abstract

Though underrepresented, teachers of Color play a critical role in the educational success of students of Color (Villegas & Irvine, 2010). Few studies consider the role of racism in these teachers’ professional experiences and retention (Dingus, 2008). This study considers the aforementioned by applying Critical Race Theory and the concept of racial climate to answer the questions: In what ways do teachers of Color in urban high schools experience macro or micro forms of racism? What impact, if any, does racism have on their professional experiences, retention, and growth? The findings demonstrate that participants endured varied forms of racism that contributed to a hostile racial climate, feelings of alienation, and which impacted their plans to persist in the profession.

Authors

• Rita Kohli, University of California - Riverside

• Arturo Nevarez, University of California - Riverside