Teachers' Work: A Review on Intersectionality and the Personal, Classroom, and School-Wide Work of Teachers

• In Event: Teacher Education: Muddying the Truths About Equity

Abstract

In 2018, AERA journal Review of Research in Education called intersectionality “both a conceptual aspiration and a research imperative” (Tefera et al., 2018, p. vii). In this paper, I examine how educational research attends to intersectionality in relation to teachers’ work. I review articles from AERJ, since this 2018 call, that address multiple relations of power, paying attention to how they conceptualize justice, teachers, and intersectional identities and structures in education. Examining three domains of teachers’ work: 1) internal role—personal standpoint and ideology, 2) classroom role—student relationship and pedagogy, and 3) school-wide role—high-stakes decision-making and collegial community, I identify analytic contributions, strong examples, and thematic gaps. In the conclusion, I suggest analytical commitments for future work against injustice.

Author

• Joy Esboldt, University of California - Berkeley