PATIENCE BROOKS. Understanding How Racial Identity Development Leads White Teachers Towards Antiracist Pedagogies: A Case Study From A Rural Professional Learning Community.
(Under the direction of DR. TINA HEAFNER)
The U.S. education system lacks a comprehensive effort to help white educators examine their racial identities, hindering their ability to address systemic racism in schools. Without significant curriculum and instructional reforms, systemic biases persist, harming students of color (Lewis et al., 2012). This study examines how white, rural teachers navigate their racial identities while engaging with literature that challenges their perspectives on systemic racism and antiracist teaching, all within an ongoing professional learning community (PLC). The research questions are: 1. How do white teachers’ racial identities develop when engaging in an antiracism-focused professional learning community? and 2. After participating in a year-long antiracist PLC, how do white teachers integrate antiracist curriculum and instruction? The first question is framed by white racial identity development, drawing on the white racial identity framework, second-wave white teacher identity studies, and critical whiteness studies. The second question is grounded in antiracist pedagogies, incorporating critical race theory, antiracist teaching, culturally responsive teaching, multicultural education, critical literacy, and critical service-learning.
This case study examines the racial identity development of seven teacher participants over the course of a year as they engage with an antiracist curriculum within a PLC. It subsequently investigates the curricular and instructional changes implemented in their classrooms as a result of their developing antiracist teaching knowledge.
The results indicated the antiracist curriculum facilitated transformative growth in participants’ racial identities as participants critically examined their own biases, assumptions, and roles within systems of privilege and oppression. Furthermore, there were clear connections between participants’ engagement with the PLC and their ability to integrate antiracist practices into their teaching, reflecting their evolving understanding of racial identity and social justice. Discussions, implications, and future research is also presented.
Keywords: white racial identity development, antiracist pedagogies, critical race theory, antiracist teaching, culturally responsive teaching, multicultural education, critical literacy, critical service-learning.