Changing the Face of Teaching: Barriers and Possibilities

Teachers of Color Creating and Recreating Identities in Suburban Schools

“…As several studies on minority teachers have suggested, they do not always feel comfortable invoking their own cultural ethos 1 among European American faculty/staff members, and they often experience explicit or implicit expectations to conform to particular norms e.g. pedagogy, speech, or dress that are representative of the European American teachers in their schools (Burant et al, 2002;Ladson-Billings, 2000;Mabokela & Madsen, 2003).…”

“…Research studies that have examined the professional experiences of teachers of color across a number of school settings, and in predominantly white schools, have cited how they are often connected to racial incidents or troubling expectations or perceptions about these educators. Burant et al (2002) cite that teachers of color feel pressured to "be just like all the other (mainly Euro-American) teachers to be successful in the profession" (p. 6). The standard of teaching continues to be informed by Eurocentric constructions of instruction, knowledge, and social behaviors.…”

“…The education field has long acknowledged the important role that teachers of color play in diversifying school faculty, mentoring and meeting the academic and social needs of minority and non-minority students, and introducing alternative pedagogies to their students because of their unique and diverse cultural and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Scholars have voiced the urgent need for the presence of teachers of color in public schools to support the projected increase in the number of minority students (Branch, 2001;Justiz & Kameen, 1988), and they are also critical in serving as "role models" to minority students (Branch, 2001;Burant et al, 2002;Rong & Preissle, 1997), many of whom will never have a minority teacher in any of their classrooms before they graduate from high school. Moreover, teachers of color often bring to their classrooms alternative pedagogies that counter traditional notions of schooling and learning by introducing minority students to instructional practices that are "culturally relevant" (Ladson-Billings, 1994.…”

Exploring Factors of a Web-Based Seminar That Influence Hispanic Preservice Teachers’ Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills

“…All teacher education programs, especially those serving minorities, must infuse critical thinking throughout the curriculum (Burant et al, 2002;Justice & Hardy, 2001;Pisani et al, 2002). However, more significantly, recent studies (Choy & Cheah, 2009) continue to find that teachers, in general, are not teaching critical thinking even though they think they are.…”

Latina Spanish High School Teachers’ Negotiation of Capital in New Latino Communities

“…Hostile social circumstances present critical challenges for teachers who advocate fair practices and welcoming conditions for their students (Arce, 2004;Athanases & De Oliveira, 2007;Athanases & De Oliveira, 2008;Burant, Quiocho, & Rios, 2002;Katz, 1999;Nieto & Bode, 2008;Price & Valli, 2005;Varghese, 2008). In a study of 38 novice teachers whose pre-service education included specific coursework designed to prepare them to advocate for equity, Athanases and De Oliveira (2007) document that teachers' advocacy required persistence and sometimes confrontation with colleagues and administrators; furthermore, teachers often assessed the risk of their actions because they felt vulnerable in new jobs.…”