The Need for Racial Literacy Development: Preparing Teachers of Color to Navigate the Hostile Racial Climate of Schools

• In Event: 63.044 - Levers to Prepare Teacher Candidates for Communities of Color: Dismantling Deficit Thinking and Racism

Abstract

Objectives
Often entering the field with heightened understandings of racialization and interest in transforming educational opportunities for students of Color, research has shown that teachers of Color tend to have higher expectations for learning (Cherng & Halpin, 2016), are more likely to enact culturally sustaining pedagogy (Eddy & Easton-Brooks, 2011), and have positive impact on racial disparities in education (Villegas & Irvine, 2010). Based on these assets, recruiting ‘diversity’ has become the goal of many teacher education programs and districts. Yet, as teachers of Color leave the profession at a rate 24% higher than their white counterparts, recruitment efforts have not successfully yielded a diverse teaching force (Ingersoll & May, 2011).

Building on the narratives of veteran teachers of Color, this paper argues that racial literacy- the ability to see, name, and unpack the enduring racism embedded in our society (Guinier, 2004)- is an important lever for teachers of Color to effectively navigate and succeed within the highly racialized context of schools. While racial literacy development is currently under-prioritized, it is important that teacher preparation programs begin to commit time and efforts to strengthening the abilities of teachers of Color to effectively confront racism.

Theoretical Frameworks
Guinier (2004) first conceptualized racial literacy as the “capacity to decipher the durable racial grammar that structures racialized hierarchies and frames the narrative of our republic” (p. 100). Education researchers have pointed to the usefulness of racial literacy in serving racially marginalized students (Rogers & Mosley, 2006; Sealey-Ruiz, 2011; Skerrett, 2011). What this current study advances, moreover, is that racial literacy is not only a tool to increase cultural responsiveness or champion change, but this is also a lever of personal and professional survival. If explicitly a part of teacher development, racial literacy can serve to guide and sustain teachers of Color who exist as racially marginalized people in a predominantly White and structurally White profession.

Methods and Data Sources
11 women of Color veteran teachers participated in 60-90 minute interviews to understand how they made sense of their preparation in regards to sustaining a justice-oriented career. After transcription, interviews were coded and re-coded for emergent patterns and grounded theory guided the analysis as I developed and made sense of the themes (Saldaña, 2015). Racial literacy emerged as a salient concept across the majority of participants.

Results and Significance
Participants revealed how teacher education programs—justice-oriented or not—fell short in preparing teachers of Color for the hostile racial climate of schools, thus putting them at risk of being pushed out of the profession. Their narratives point to racial literacy as a lever that sustained them in the field, and offers lessons for how teacher education can better take up this work to support a diverse teaching force, including explicit inclusion of critical theory, racial discourse, and a collaborative and justice-oriented climate. These lessons can strengthen teacher education’s efforts to prepare teachers of Color for long, effective, and transformative careers.

Author

• Rita Kohli, University of California - Riverside