Politics and Identity: White Teachers' Decision Making in Efforts to Adopt Antiracist-Centered Teaching

• In Event: Commitments Across Contexts: Working Through the Politics of Whiteness With Educators

Abstract

Context & Purpose
As policies and initiatives concerning equity and antiracism gain momentum, frequently alongside opposition and backlash, there is an urgent need to investigate how educators are conceptualizing antiracist-centered education, and making related decisions. This need is particularly salient amidst increased opposition and "anti-CRT" rhetoric and policy. This paper is part of a larger study that takes place in a suburban Midwest PreK-12 school district that sits adjacent to a mid-size "liberal" city. Unsurprisingly, the staff is overwhelmingly white. Focusing on white educators is reflective of the near 80% majority-white teacher population in US public schools (NCES, 2019). I highlight the ways in which educators' wrestling with their whiteness influenced their adoption of antiracist-centered teaching while illustrating the role of white emotionality and race consciousness.

Methodology and Theoretical Framework
This critical qualitative study consisted of a multi-site case study. Data collection included interviews, observations, focus groups, and a document review. I drew on critical theory as I asked questions concerning "who has power, how it's negotiated, what structures in society reinforce the current distribution of power and so on" (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016, p. 61).
I utilize antiracism and critical whiteness together as a theoretical framework. The intersection permits the identification of racial identity and the power of race. Furthermore, incorporating critical whiteness is helpful to acknowledge how racial identity and power intersect with antiracism. Critical whiteness studies originates from Black scholars who have long interrogated the existence and operation of whiteness (Du Bois, 2017; Fanon, 1967; hooks, 1994). It provides a framework to interrogate when white people contribute to racial production even when they don't believe they are included as a part of race (Lipsitz, 2006).

Findings and Significance
Teachers explained how politics have become a more significant force in their decision-making as the politicization of teaching about race and related policy increases. They often found themselves caught making decisions between the influence of political forces (e.g., white parent pushback) and school- or district-level policies. Such influences sometimes led to teachers' hesitation or inaction. However, this factor varied in its influence on teachers who saw the increase in national attention to race as an impetus for their commitments versus those who saw it as an accelerant.
Participants' white emotionality surfaced most prevalently in perfectionist tendencies and fear of conflict and in concern for teaching practices or having conversations about race. Educators described worry of "not knowing enough" or not having "all the tools." These sentiments led to hesitancies and even inaction. Such emotional responses can lead to evasion and preservation of conditions where white comfort is prioritized.
This study exemplified the nuances involved with teachers' adoption of antiracist attitudes and practices. The findings indicate several factors that influence teachers' decision-making within the domains of politics, policy, and personal factors within external factors (e.g., school climate). I propose a framework for teachers' decision-making concerning antiracist teaching. This framework has utility for school leaders and policymakers to better understand ways to support teachers as well as develop and implement policies.

Author

• Sarah D. Lent, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Presenting Author