Centering the Black gaze: Community success and HBCU Teacher Prep in Mississippi

• In Event: Disrupting the Default: Preservice Teachers and the Making of Critical Educators

Abstract

This study adds to the literature on HBCU teacher preparation and provides insights for improving teacher education programs to better support Black pre-service teachers. This phenomenological study investigated how novice Black teachers experienced Community Cultural Wealth (CCW, Yosso, 2005) during their teacher preparation programs (TPPs) at public HBCUs in Mississippi. The study aimed to understand how Black teachers experienced CCW within their TPP. Through the lens of Yosso's (2005) CCW framework, this qualitative study captured the lived experiences of six novice Black teachers. Participants completed questionnaires and engaged in three rounds of semi-structured interviews following Seidman's (2006) methodology. Results indicated participants experienced all six forms of CCW within their TPPs: social, navigational, familial, resistance, linguistic, and aspirational. This suggests TPPs at HBCUs provide unique cultural supports that contribute to Black teacher success. Furthermore, this study intentionally decenters the white gaze by only including the dynamic narratives of Black novice teachers.

Authors

• Deajanae K. McLain, Arkansas State University

• Timberly Baker, Arkansas State University