Centering Resistance and Reimagining Futures Black Women Teachers Navigating No-Excuses Charter Schools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Revisiting the Past to Reimagine the Future: Liberation, Joy, and Community as Frameworks for Educational Justice and Renewal

Abstract

This qualitative comparative case study explores how two Black women teachers navigate the constraints of a no-excuses charter school. Drawing on the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) and Adult Learning Theory, the study examines how these educators enact autonomy, resist rigid curricula, and sustain culturally responsive practices within a behaviorist, compliance-driven environment. Their experiences illuminate the tensions between institutional expectations and personal pedagogical commitments, offering critical insight into teacher agency, identity negotiation, and resistance. By centering Black women’s voices, this study contributes to ongoing conversations about racial equity, teacher retention, and reimagining education beyond neoliberal reform.

Author

• Brian Collins, Indiana University - Indianapolis