The Browning Of America’s Suburbs: How Elementary School Teachers Are Navigating Demographic Transformation

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Shifting Demographics and Policy in Rural and Suburban Contexts

Abstract

This study examines how veteran elementary school teachers are responding to significant demographic transformation in their suburban school district. As suburban communities experience the “browning” of their student populations, many educators are navigating ethnoracial change with limited institutional guidance. Using narrative inquiry and a framework grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogy, Critical Race Theory, and ethnoracial identity, this paper explores how teachers interpret and respond to shifting student demographics. Findings reveal patterns of race-neutral discourse, structural unpreparedness, and institutional silence, offering insight into how public schools are, or are not, adapting to a new suburban reality.

Author

• Meghan Phadke, Miami University (OH)