More Than Just Checking a Box: Teachers' Experiences of Equity-Focused Professional Learning

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Centering Equity, Cultural Responsiveness, and Bias Awareness in Professional Learning (Table 11)

Abstract

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have been the focus of many professional learning sessions in districts around the world. This study seeks to examine how teachers experience this type of learning and to identify if there is a concurrent change in students' feelings of belonging. A mixed-methods approach utilizes teachers' and students' quantitative and qualitative data to provide a rich and holistic portrait of teacher experiences and subsequent effects on students. Through a theoretical framework of transformative learning, the data was analyzed to highlight aspects of the training that inhibited or promoted transformation in teachers. Results from this study could be used to inform future development of professional learning sessions.

Author

• Melissa E. Moxley, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania