"Let Your Mind Be Free": Examining the Sociopolitical Consciousness of Black Teachers in the South

• In Event: AERA Annual Meeting Social Justice Action Committee Session. Black at School: Black Teachers, Black Students, and Antiblack Hostilities in Pre-K–20 Institutions

Abstract

In this presentation we will share findings from a small-scale ethnographic study of seven Black teachers who participated in intensive professional development workshops designed to develop their understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy. Using participant-observation and ethnographic interviews, the data were collected during weekly professional development workshops and community teaching sessions over three months during the summer. The findings suggest that Black teachers need targeted professional development that provides them space separate from teachers in other racial groups to interrogate their beliefs about culture, power, race, and place. Moreover, the findings suggest that emerging models of governance that replace entire public-school systems with charter schools renders Black teachers vulnerable in terms of: 1) labor protections; 2) severe under-developed relative to their content pedagogy; and 3) the ability to engage in culturally relevant pedagogic practices. This study holds implications for teacher preparation programs in terms of developing authentic socio-political consciousness in pre-service teachers as well as for district level administrators in creating effective professional development for in-service teachers.

Authors

• Adrienne D. Dixson, University of Kentucky
  Presenting Author

• Candace Livingston, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Presenting Author

• Ruqayyah Perkins-Williams, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Presenting Author

• Dante Studamire, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Presenting Author