White Teachers' Race Talk and School Racial Composition

• In Event: 45.092 - MTCC Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: 45.092-3 - (Dis)Covering Whiteness: Dilemmas and Practices Across Contexts

Abstract

This mixed methods study connects hypotheses testing with thematic analyses to investigate how 202 White teachers’ views on race differ according to their school's racial composition. Drawing on race-based theoretical perspectives, this study finds that White teachers working in primarily White schools were significantly: a) less likely to believe race played a role in their students’ educational experiences, and b) less likely to believe parents would be supportive of race dialogues in class than White teachers in non-White schools. While this study yields practical implications for White teachers working with children of color, it also reifies the under-addressed political power of Whiteness and the role it plays in further marginalizing people of color.

Author

• Adam Alvarez, Rowan University