Pedagogical and Leadership Practices. When the Messenger Is the Message: A Case Study of Asian American Elementary Educators in Texas

• In Event: AERA Handbook Session 1

Abstract

Asian American educators are notably absent from the extant research on teachers of color and are often omitted in efforts toward diverse teacher recruitment. Despite being the fastest growing racial group in the United States, Asian Americans comprise only 2.3% of U.S. teachers. This chapter engages Asian American critical race theory (AsianCrit) to examine the pedagogical practices of three diverse Asian American elementary educators in the American South. The educators’ own experiences of marginalization and being culturally misunderstood led to pedagogical emphases on identity, hybridity, and diverse representations. Ultimately, the teachers engaged in critically conscious pedagogies that centered Asian American voices, experiences, and histories while fostering student understanding about diverse identities across race, place, and time.

Author

• Noreen Naseem Rodriguez, University of Colorado - Boulder