Using Research to Support Social Change Against Systemic Racism in the Early Educator Workforce

• In Event: Encuentros, Pláticas, y Testimonios for Imagining New Visions of Early Childhood Research

Abstract

Objectives and Purposes
This presentation will share an example of how, especially those using quantitative methods, can support collective struggles and social change. We will introduce a recent study on systemic racism within the early care and education (ECE) workforce in California (Author, 2024) and share how we leverage this research to raise public awareness and seek to promote collective action among early educators and higher education stakeholders.

The historical roots of the child care field and the current makeup of the workforce in the U.S. necessitate a critical racial lens for studies of the ECE workforce (Lloyd et al., 2021; Ullrich et al., 2016). A critical racial lens recognizes the importance of centering the experiences of those most oppressed, as it helps analysts understand that the influence of racism spans multiple factors simultaneously, due to the hierarchical structure of a White supremacist society (Zuberi & Bonilla-Silva, 2008). This study is also informed by a social justice-oriented research framework, which advocates for research with the explicit goal of affecting positive social change, such as reducing inequality, dismantling oppressive systems, and supporting social movements. (e.g., Gamoran, 2021; Gutierrez & Lipman, 2016). In addition to our research study guided by these perspectives, we also seek to use this research to support social change by broadly disseminating the work, promoting discussions among key stakeholders, and encouraging reflection on both individual experiences and the system as a whole.
Data and Methods
The study is based on California-wide samples of center administrators, center-based teaching staff and home-based family child care (FCC) providers. We examine racial/ethnic disparities in early educator compensation and representation across job positions, compensation, and the role educational credential plays in these patterns. Our analyses involve four racial and ethnic groups: Asian, Black and White educators who report being only one race and are not Latina, and Latina of any race. All analyses are weighted to reflect population-level distributions.
Results and Scholarly Significance
The study highlights how racism operates within the ECE workforce, as manifested in disparities in leadership roles, wages, and education (Author, 2024). Findings on education pay premiums were among the most illuminating, revealing how racism affects the ECE workforce, where Asian and Black educators receive no premiums or even negative premiums for additional education. Upon publication, the report's findings were disseminated broadly through media outlets and to policymakers, practitioners, advocates, researchers, teacher educators, and early educators.
We also partnered with state universities and community colleges in California to organize convenings for higher education faculty, staff, students, and current early educators in Fall 2024. As we facilitate the discussions, we will pay close attention to how educators make sense of the systemic nature of racial and ethnic disparities, linking it to their own experiences, and what potential solutions and strategies they propose to challenge the existing structures and practices within the ECE system that create and maintain these disparities. We will be able to share more about the convenings by the time of the AERA conference.

Authors

• Yoonjeon Kim, University of California - Berkeley

• Hopeton Hess, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment