Racial Discourse in the Educational Context: How In-Service Teachers Talk About Race With Their Students

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: Racism and Racial Aggression in Trump's America

Abstract

In opening up space for racial discourse in their classrooms, in-service teachers are often constrained by political landscapes, curriculum and accountability checklists, and racial tensions of their teaching contexts, as well as their own personal biases and assumptions. This study analyzes how inservice teachers discuss race in their classrooms. Findings imply that most teachers use content and literature as the impetus for racial discourse, but that these discussions are not frequent, often relegated to compartmentalized units of study (i.e. Black History Month or when reading Othello). Many teachers are holding race discussions limited to a Black-White dichotomy, and many of the White participants showed evidence of white fragility measures, such as discomfort, avoidance and circumlocution.

Authors

• Kelli Ann Rushek, Miami University - Oxford

• Tamar Bernfeld, University of Iowa