Race, Culture, and Coffee: Preparing and Retaining Race-Conscious Teachers

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Sesion 4
  In Roundtable Session: Retaining Teachers for Diverse Contexts

Abstract

This study examines a learning community designed to meet the holistic needs of aspiring and novice teachers to support the retention and mentorship of social justice-oriented teachers. Race, Culture, and Coffee (RCC) was designed to support the development of racial critical consciousness through coaching and community development. This case study examines how educators define their needs as they aspire to develop their racial consciousness, and what aspects of the learning community enhance the racial critical consciousness of participants? Initial findings demonstrate that RCC offered pre-service and in-service teachers space to be critically constructive about racialized matters raised in school settings. The diverse educators also gained self-efficacy to engage in racialized conversation, demonstrating a new awareness, yielding strategic actions.

Authors

• Stefanie L. Marshall, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Jenny Sarah N. Norman, The University of Minnesota

• Jessica Forrester, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities