The Role of Facilitated Racial Discomfort in Shaping Antiracist Practices Among White Early Career Teachers

• In Event: Research in Progress Roundtable Session 3
  In Invited Roundtable: Teacher Education and Teaching Practice: Relationship Building, Anti-Racism, and Social Emotional Competence (Table 9)

Abstract

This study investigates how early career white, female teachers experience and respond to racial discomfort in the classroom, with a specific focus on how these experiences impact the development of anti-racist teaching practices. Left unaddressed, racial discomfort may perpetuate negative outcomes for students of color undermining white educators' efforts to foster inclusive and equitable learning environments. Research indicates that white teachers may avoid examining their own racial biases, leading to practices that effectively erase the identities of students of color. As a result, the support white teachers receive—or do not receive—during these uncomfortable encounters could play a significant role in determining their long-term commitment to anti-racist teaching practices.

Author

• Adenia Linker, Erikson Institute