Examining the Ways Teaching Anti-Racist Units In Shifting Teacher Mindsets’ Towards Racial Justice

• In Event: Examining Antiracist Educational Practices Through a Developmental Lens

Abstract

This presentation will examine the ways teaching an anti-racist curriculum to middle school students impacts teachers’ mindsets around issues of race and justice. This study is framed by Stage Environment Fit theory which asserts (Eccles & Roeser, 2012) students need to feel connected, independent, and competent to thrive in schools and that students’ failures are often a reflection of structural shortcomings rather than individual deficits. This is quite apparent during middle school given consistent declines in academic achievement, engagement, and attendance (Ryan & Patrick, 2001). Thus, to understand student outcomes, one must look closely at the practices and policies within districts, schools, and classrooms.
Teacher practices and classroom activities are central to middle school student outcomes (Roeser & Eccles, 1999; Love & Kruger, 2005) and this effect is particularly
pronounced for Black and Brown students. Due to bias that positions minoritized youth as bodies
in need of control, Black and Brown students often learn in overly controlled classrooms despite
research indicating rigid classrooms have negative effects on student outcomes (Allen, 2017).
Moreover, when teachers of minoritized students hold deficit-oriented beliefs, these students
have poorer academic and psychological outcomes than their white counterparts (Eccles &
Roeser, 2012). Thus, while teachers play a central role in the experiences of students, teachers continue to have a disturbing lack of awareness of race(ism) and its role in their teaching and student experiences (Milner, 2019). While initiatives such as culturally relevant teaching training and anti-bias training have been introduced to build teacher awareness, there has been less focus on indirect mechanisms for changing teacher mindset, e.g. curricular content. This study sought to address that gap by examining if and how teachers’ mindsets around issues of race(ism) may change while implementing a middle school anti-racist curriculum over the course of a school year.
The study took place over the course of 6 months during the 2023-2024 school year. 10 teachers participated in 3 interviews over the course of implementation. Nine of the participants were white and female and 1 identified as biracial (Asian and white) and male. Participants were from across the school district, which represented urban, suburban, and rural areas. Interviews were coded using the constant comparison method and the following 3 themes emerged.
First, the majority of teachers discussed how they never thought about the issues of racism discussed in the lesson teaching the activities provided a new understanding of continuing injustices in their local and national community. Second, teachers discussed the ways that they found, given students level of engagement with materials, implementation supported relationship building between the teachers and students. Lastly, learning about these issues made them want to learn more about race(ism) affecting their students and what they could do to disrupt it. In total, these findings demonstrate the ways simply teaching about racial injustice can reshape teachers’ understanding of racial injustice and relationship to/with racial injustice to ultimately improve outcomes for students. Implications for teaching and learning will be further discussed during the presentation.

Authors

• Johari Harris, Kennesaw State University

• Steven Turner, Albermarle County Public Schools