Practicing antiracism in schools: exploring the motivations and experiences of public school teachers who believe in social justice

Racial mismatch between white public-school teachers and students of color continues to grow. Although some white teachers are able to bridge the racial and cultural divide to successfully teach students of color, many are not. This racial and cultural divide contributes to many inequities for students of color, including a lack of qualified teachers, lower graduation rate, less access to advanced coursework, and increased likelihood of being tracked into lower-level classes. Teachers who ascribe to social justice and/or antiracist ideologies may be more likely to advocate for students of color. Utilizing the frameworks of Critical Race Theory and Critical Whiteness Studies, this research seeks to identify formative experiences of teachers who ascribe to social justice and/or antiracist ideologies. White teachers who ascribe to social justice and/or antiracism were recruited to respond to a questionnaire detailing their personal and professional experiences that helped them form their antiracist beliefs. Analysis of the data can be used to inform instruction of preservice educators to better prepare them to teach diverse student populations. If more teachers practice antiracism, then they may be able to help correct educational disparities and improve outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and other students of color.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Frye, Nina Samii

Contributors dc:contributor

• Hale, Jon
• Pak, Yoon
• Hood, Denice W
• Lee, Sharon

• Antiracism
• Critical Whiteness Studies
• Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
• Equity Pedagogy
• Racial Literacy
• Social Justice

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Nina Frye

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124406

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124406