“It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint”: The Implementation and Outcomes of a Yearlong Racial Justice Intervention

Abstract

Although scholarship documenting the effects of racism on educational outcomes is extensive, less empirical research has been done on interventions designed to mitigate racism and racial bias in schools. Based on case studies of two elementary schools, we have found that educators participating in a yearlong racial justice program demonstrated a deeper understanding of their own racial biases, developed a shared language to identify and name different forms of racism, and reported greater confidence to disrupt racist incidents in their schools. In one site, however, inconsistent leadership and resistance from a vocal White minority limited the program’s potential to change schoolwide practice. In the other site, educators reported changes in curricular materials and changes to disciplinary decisions, but widespread organizational change will likely take longer than a single school year. Drawing on these findings, we discuss implications for anti-racist interventions in other educational contexts as well as recommendations for studying their efficacy.

“A Wound That Was Already Festering”: The Burdens of a Racial Justice Program on Teachers of Color

“…Grappling with issues of structural racism and white supremacy will likely raise challenging questions for those who have not had to grapple with these realities in their own lived experiences. Moreover, some resistance may signal an interest in engaging with new ideas and may, over time, develop into racial consciousness (Matias, 2016;Villavicencio et al, 2022). At the same time, it is important to examine the potential cost of these processes on educators of color who are sharing the same professional space.…”

“…One of the three schools was excluded for this study because of its atypically small student enrollment (260). Of the other two participating schools, this article focuses on our case study of Spring Gardens (a pseudonym) because it implemented all components of the program (Villavicencio et al, 2022), including developing a racial equity plan and holding regular REC meetings throughout the year. Spring Gardens is an NYC elementary school that serves 480 students from preschool to third grade (see Table 1 for student and staff demographics).…”

Research-Practice Partnerships in Pursuit of Racial Justice in Schools: Navigating a Hostile Sociopolitical Climate

“…Over the 2017 to 2018 school year, the research team embarked on a pilot study of RJP in two elementary schools in New York City (Villavicencio et al, 2022). The findings that emerged from our pilot study and in-depth analysis of the data became instrumental to the refinement of RJP (e.g., starting the program earlier, employing multiple coaches per school, and involving district leaders) (Villavicencio et al, 2020).…”

“…Over the 2017 to 2018 school year, the research team embarked on a pilot study of RJP in two elementary schools in New York City (Villavicencio et al, 2022). The findings that emerged from our pilot study and in-depth analysis of the data became instrumental to the refinement of RJP (e.g., starting the program earlier, employing multiple coaches per school, and involving district leaders) (Villavicencio et al, 2020). Over the last 5 years, the RPP has developed more robust strategies to assess the work of RJP, including: staff and student pre/post interviews and surveys, documentation of shifts in school policies and practices, and longitudinal data on student outcomes (i.e., attendance, suspensions, AP course taking, etc).…”

“…Resistance sometimes manifests as passive disengagement, and other times, as direct challenges to facilitators and program coaches. Leaders have struggled with concepts like “educational malpractice,” white staff have derailed conversations about racism by claiming they too have experienced discrimination, and some parents have complained about the integration of culturally responsive texts (Villavicencio et al, 2020). Our approach is to acknowledge and name the comments or behaviors as the manifestations of resistance, while not allowing these interactions to derail progress.…”