Special Education Preservice Teachers, Intersectional Diversity, and the Privileging of Emerging Professional Identities

Abstract

Intersectional competence captures educators’ awareness of how sociocultural markers of difference simultaneously intersect within the P-12 school context. This article presents findings from a larger mixed-methods sequential exploratory study that established, in part, the theoretical and qualitative basis for validating the Intersectional Competence Measure. The questions asked during the qualitative phase were developed after a review of the literature on intersectionality in special education, collaborative teacher education, and existing measures of preservice teachers’ understanding of diversity. This analysis focuses on the responses of 12 culturally and linguistically diverse special education preservice teachers. When speaking about P-12 students, they tended to position themselves as special educators, privileging their emerging professional identities. They expressed the important role that teacher education played in developing an understanding of sociocultural differences. The participants discussed the complexities of intersecting identities when speaking about their own educational experiences and when considering discriminatory attitudes that persist within minoritized communities.

From Support to Action: A Critical Affinity Group of Special Education Teachers of Color

“…We purposely center race in this piece that describes SETOC. Far too often, there is an erasure of race-based discussions in teacher preparation (Boveda & Aronson, 2019; Kulkarni, 2021). We asked (a) how did an SETOC critical affinity group enable SETOC to share their beliefs and perspectives about racism and ableism and (2) how did an SETOC critical affinity group support the (re)positioning of SETOC as smart, good, and agents of resistance and activism in schools?…”

“…What little research that exists on SETOC has highlighted (a) their understanding of sociocultural identities and equity in collaborative and inclusive P-12 classrooms (Boveda & Aronson, 2019; Kulkarni, 2021; Scott et al, 2021); (b) recruitment and retention of SETOC (Cooc & Yang, 2016); and (c) underrepresentation in the field (Bettini et al, 2018). Cooc and Yang (2016) capture recent increases in SETOC in California, yet despite this increase, few research studies specifically capture experiences of SETOC and critically note the tensions they face at the intersections of disability and race (Kulkarni, 2021).…”

“…It further suggests their potential to critically understand how racism and ableism operate. And yet, few scholars have specifically captured the experiences and beliefs of SETOC (Boveda & Aronson, 2019; Kulkarni, 2021), nor dedicated spaces for them to share common experiences, pain, and joy.…”

Curriculum Theory: The Missing Perspective in Teacher Education for Inclusion

“…Likewise, DSE shines a light on another long-standing hidden curriculum issue within special education, namely, the dominance of the medical model and the failure to view special education as a socially constructed phenomenon (Baglieri, Valle, Connor, & Gallagher, 2011). DSE has also heightened awareness of the intersectional nature of identity relative to disability, converging with equity-oriented scholars whose work is located within questions of social justice (e.g., Artiles, 2013; Boveda & Aronson, 2019; Pugach, Gomez-Najarro, & Matewos, 2019).…”

Introduction to the Special Issue—A Necessary Step in Pursuit of Equity: Developing a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Special Education Teaching Force

“…This inequity communicates a forceful message to students about power in American society (Grissom, Kern, & Rodriguez, 2015; Kozleski et al, 2014), and there is growing evidence that this inequity may then contribute to disparities in students’ outcomes (Dee, 2004; Egalite, Kisida, & Winters, 2015; Grissom et al, 2015; Okonofua & Eberhardt, 2015; Rocha & Hawes, 2009). The studies all aim, in one way or another, to address this divide, by (a) describing the current status of the demographic divide between students with disabilities and their teachers (Billingsley, Bettini, & Williams, 2019); (b) testing whether the proportion of teachers of color might relate to school outcomes among students of color who have disabilities (Fish, 2019; Gottfried, Kirksey, Wright, 2019); (c) exploring what motivates promising prospective Black male teachers to consider a career in special education (Scott & Alexander, 2019), and (d) drawing attention to needed preparation experiences that develop intersectional competence among culturally and linguistically diverse pre-service teachers (Boveda & Aronson, 2019).…”