Decolonizing the Residency: An Exploration of Teacher Preparation Curriculum at an HBCU

• In Event: Teacher Education and Racial Justice: Insights From Multiple Institution Types and Program Designs

Abstract

This study examined the anti-racist practices and curriculum taught by faculty members at a Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) teacher residency program. HBCU teacher preparation programs have historically been tasked with training student educators with strategies that address the educational needs of racially minoritized students. Recently, teacher residency programs have provided avenues for the development of highly effective, teachers through evidenced based practice programs that ensure educators are equipped to support students' success in school the first day of school (Guha et al., 2016). The objective of this project was to investigate how faculty members at an HBCU teacher residency program incorporate a transformative curriculum to address anti-Blackness and decolonize the teaching profession. Theoretically, this study was undergirded by King's (2005) vision for transformative Black education and freedom. Here, King (p. 4) asks a seminal question, "What has happened to the Black education and socialization agenda?" Within this context, another question arises, how are teachers being trained to address anti-Blackness within K-12 systems? One method to answer these questions centers on the curriculum used by collegiate faculty within teacher preparation programs.
Informed by autoethnographic methods, this work revealed the experiences of a Black Male faculty member who teaches master-level courses in a teacher residency program at an HBCU. This work employed reflective methods in illuminating the participants' role in developing anti-racist, anti-ableist, and anti-Black pedagogies/teacher training throughout each course. This study examined data over a 5-year period that included data from the class syllabus, reading materials, pictures, and student evaluations of the professor. Self-reflective data was also used as a source to reveal the participant's understanding of their role in decolonizing curriculum for students enrolled in a teacher preparation program. Preliminary results revealed that the participant purposefully infused an anti-racist curriculum (i.e., textbooks, other readings, assignments, and activities) to assist in developing students' awareness of oppression within K-12 school systems. This finding was important because the participants' student-educators reported that once in the classroom, the student-educators utilized several of the strategies provided by the participant throughout the semester.
The findings from this work contribute to the emerging literature on HBCUs and teacher residency/preparation programs. Novel findings (Gerhenson et al., 2022) have demonstrated the need for more Black teachers within K-12 classrooms. Moreover, this work reveals the need for providing a curriculum that centers the needs of Black students within K-12 classrooms and curating innovative approaches that address anti-Back racism in public education. However, with the ongoing assault on educational practices that urge teachers to decenter the role of anti-Black racism and other forms of oppression within the teaching profession (See Florida Black History curriculum) questions emerge about the quality of teacher training and preparing future educators to address systemic discrimination towards diverse student populations. This work seeks to build on previous scholarship and provides educators with the tools to withstand these assaults.

Author

• Jimmy Caldwell, Xavier University of Louisiana