"Courageous conversations": Rural South Georgia Teachers Reflecting on the Role of Race and Racism in the Education of Rural South Georgia Students

<p>Author's abstract: The requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has forced school systems throughout the United States to consider the achievement gap between White students and non-White students, which had not previously been a factor in determining school success for federal and state funding. However, acknowledging the gap is not enough. Schools must move beyond acknowledging the gap to developing strategies to close the gap. A professional development course entitled Courageous Conversations About Race, written by Curtis Linton and Glenn E. Singleton was taught to thirty-seven teachers in a rural South Georgia school system. Eight of the teachers agreed to participate in this research project. The teachers, two Black females and six White females with teaching experience ranging from one to over twenty years, represented elementary, middle, and high schools. The participants' reflections on racism, institutional racism, whiteness, and white privilege were analyzed through the theoretical framework lens of Critical Race Theory. Findings of this research show that teachers express a desire to move toward developing strategies to close the racial achievement gap. However, the history of racism in the patriarchal South is deeply embedded into these women's personal identity and presents challenges that must be overcome before real change can occur.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation (open access)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading

Year dc:date.available

2009

Author dc:creator

• Gillis, Lawanda P.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Yasar Bodur
• Erik Brooks
• Hsiu-Lien Lu

• ETD
• achievement gap
• action research
• critical race theory
• institutional racism
• No Child Left Behind
• racism
• self-reflection
• whiteness
• white privilege
• Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education
• Curriculum and Social Inquiry
• Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1032

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-2065