White Teachers, Chocolate City: Countering Whiteness in Urban Teacher Education at a Historically Black University

• In Event: 56.080 - Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: 56.080-17 - Examining the Experiences of Teachers From Diverse Backgrounds and Those Serving in Urban Areas

Abstract

White racial dominance in education persists at all levels from university leadership, to college of education faculty, to canonized whiteness in the curriculum, to the 82-90% of teachers serving in classrooms nationwide. To stem the tide of a non-representative teaching force, a glaring lack of diversity among teacher educators, and the mass influx of white teachers in school districts and gentrifying urban centers, a historically Black university formed, from scratch, a center for urban education. This innovative teacher education program was specifically designed to counter whiteness in the recruitment, preparation, support, and retention of critically conscious teachers of color. The results from Years 1-5 of the program include best practices, pedagogical considerations, policy recommendations, and future implications for multiple fields.

Authors

• Taharee A. Jackson, University of Maryland - College Park

• Heidi Oliver O'Gilvie, Anne Arundel County Public Schools