Tell Me, Are You Ready? Understanding the Impact of Virtual Communities of Practice on the Confidence of Early Career Teachers to Enact Culturally Sustaining Pedagogical Practices

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Cultural Competence in Teaching Practice (Table 7)

Abstract

Demographics of U.S. public schools have shifted to a majority of students identified as coming from minoritized populations. We have not seen the same shift in the demographics of public-school teachers. Additionally, educational institutions across the United States are currently facing opposition to teaching content that can be loosely placed under the umbrella of Critical Race Theory. This impacts how new teachers are being equipped to educate this increasingly diverse student body, leaving many feeling ill-equipped and unconfident in their ability to address students' varied academic needs. To address this, I investigate ways virtual communities of practice can be used to increase the confidence of new educators in their ability to implement culturally sustaining pedagogical practices in public-school K-12 classrooms.

Author

• Kristin Hemingway, Georgia State University