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Developing equity-mindedness in the face of whiteness: White educator perspectives of race

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Developing equity-mindedness in the face of whiteness: White educator perspectives of race

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Developing Equity-Mindedness in the Face of Whiteness:
White Educator Perspectives of Race
by
Elizabeth Seabury-Utic

Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
A dissertation presented to the faculty
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Education

May 2021

© Copyright by Elizabeth Seabury-Utic 2021
All Rights Reserved

The Committee for Elizabeth Seabury-Utic certifies the approval of this Dissertation

Dr. Darlene Robles
Dr. Kathy Stowe
Dr, Courtney Malloy, Committee Chair

Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
2021

iv
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perspectives of white teachers and their
own racial consciousness and equity-minded pedagogy. Using critical race theory, the study
examined both race and racism as a permanent feature in high schools and the influence of
colorblindness, deficit thinking, and restrictive thinking has on equity practices in the classroom.
The research took place at a predominantly white high school in Northern California, Coyote
High School (pseudonym). The research included twelve one-on-one interviews with white
teachers across a variety of subject areas. The qualitative inquiry focused on answering the
following research questions: 1) What are the perceptions of white teachers related to their own
racial identity and consciousness? 2) What are the perceptions of white teachers regarding
equity-minded pedagogy? 3) In what ways does racial consciousness expand or restrict equity-
minded pedagogical decision-making? The findings identified that teachers perceived their white
racial identity, however for many of the teachers, their racial awareness did not influence their
equity-mindedness. Further, the teachers identified equity shortcomings in their school systems,
but many did not apply equity-mindedness to their own practices. The findings and
recommendations provide insights into the professional learning white teachers could benefit
from through building connections between personal racial awareness and equity practices int
their pedagogy. Future research is needed to explore how students of color perceive the practices
white teachers with higher racial consciousness provide for more equitable instruction and the
use of a typology with teachers to guide their equity-minded development.
Keywords: White racial identity, equity-minded pedagogy, critical race theory, and antiracism.

v
Acknowledgements
All great projects take support, inquiry, adjustment, and love. This dissertation is no
different. I deeply appreciate the support of my committee, Dr. Courtney Malloy, Dr. Stowe, and
Dr. Darlene Robles, as my professors and committee members, who supported my work and
provided me with mentors and role models of strong women who love their families and do
amazing work. I want to thank all my friends in OCL Cohort 12, my fellow guinea pigs. We
weighed down the OCL systems and did it with good humor and inquiry. I want to thank
everyone who asked about my dissertation project, my job, and my life. These small questions
meant so much and inspired me to keep going. Along with my peers in OCL, my friends at HS
1327 were steadfast in their support and love- thank you. I also want to thank my cousin, Holly,
for constant inquisitiveness into my work. She asked every time I called, and it made my work
feel grounded in another’s life. My dog’s life became adjusted during this process. Because of
the COVID pandemic and my increased workload, Moke and I spent more time in the house and
less time on the trails. He adjusted and was my steadfast cheerleader through it all. Finally, if you
have read this far you will understand my last appreciation. This has been a dissertation seen
through tears. The past year and a half have been the most challenging of my life. This is not the
place to explain why but it was difficult to see the screen through my sadness for many of the
days I wrote this work. My mom passed away 15 years ago. She loved education and I missed
her every day of this project. I dedicate this dissertation to my mom, Roberta Edith Stephens
Seabury. She would be so proud of me and her love gave me the inspiration to keep going in the
worst of times. My mom would want me to thank my cat, LuLu. She never missed a morning at
the computer giving me so much love and encouragement. Somehow, I just knew it was mom
sending me all that cat love. I am grateful for all of the people and animals that saw me through
to the end. Thank you.

vi
Table of Contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………...iv
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………..v
Table of Contents……………………………………………………………...…vi
List of Tables……………………………………………………………………...x
List of Figures…………………………………………………………………….xi
Chapter One: Introduction to the Study………………………………………...1
Context and Background of the Problem………………………………….……3
Purpose of the Project and Research Questions……………………………..….5
Importance of the Study…………………………………………………...……5
Overview of the Theoretical Framework and Methodology………………..…..6
Definition of Key Concepts……………………………………………….….…7
Organization of the Dissertation……………………………………………….10
Chapter Two: Literature Review……………………………………………….11
White Educators Perceptions of Racial Identity…………………………….…12
The Use of White Dominant Practices and Whiteness as Property…….…..12
White Fragility and Race-Evasive Practices are Present……………….…..13
Barriers to Addressing how Colorblindness, Deficit Thinking, and
Restrictive Approaches to Equity Limits Educators Growth to
Equity-Mindedness……………………………………………………….…....15
Colorblind Practices Protect Whiteness and Act as a Barrier to Equity……15
Deficit Thinking as a Barrier…………………………………………….…17
Building Equity-Mindedness is Reliant on an Expansive View of Equity...20
A Critical Whiteness Approach to Multicultural Education Depends
on Educator Perspectives on Racial Identity……………………………….….24

vii
Making Multicultural Education Race Visible……………………….…..24
Multicultural education Framed by Social Action…………………….….27
Making multicultural Education Focused on Whiteness………………....29
Use of Typologies to Advance Racial Identity Development to
Improve Equity-Minded Practices in Multicultural Education……….….30
Conceptual Framework……………………………………………………….…31
Summary…………………………………………………………………….…..34
Chapter Three: Methodology……………………………………………..…..35
Research Questions…………………………………………………….….....35
Overview of Design…………………………………………………….……35
Research Setting……………………………………………………….…….36
The Researcher……………………………………………………….……...37
Data Sources………………………………………………………….……...38
Validity and Reliability……………………………………………….……...41
Ethics………………………………………………………………….……..42
Chapter Four: Findings………………………………………………….…....45

Participants…………………………………………………………….….…45
Thematic overview for Research Questions Presented……………….……..46
Research Question One: What are the perceptions of white teachers
related to their own racial identity and consciousness?..................................49
Teachers Varied in their Levels of White Racial Awareness of
Themselves…………………………………………………………….…49

Teachers Varied in How They Used their Personal Stories Regarding
White Racial Identity …………………………………………….………54

Research Question One Summary……………………………….……….59

viii
Research Question Two: What are the perceptions of White Teachers
Regarding Equity-Minded Pedagogy?.............................................................59
Lack of a Common Definition of Equity but Expansive Traits Exist….…59
Teachers varied with Familiarity with Pedagogy and the
Connection to Identity……………………………………………….……61
School-Wide Initiatives to Improve Equity used to Cite How
Equity is Addressed………………………………………………….……64
Deficit Thinking versus Asset-Based Approaches to Equity Practices…...67
Research Question Two Summary………………………………………..72
Research Question Three: In what ways does racial consciousness expand
or restrict equity-minded pedagogical decision-making?................................73
Ownership Over Equity Practices as Related to Racial Identity and
Consciousness………………………………………………………….…73
The Teachers Understanding of their own Racial Awareness with
Students and Pedagogy…………………………………………………...76
Research Question Three Summary……………………………….……...83
Chapter Five: Discussion and Recommendations……………………...…….85
Discussion of Findings……………………………………………………….85
The Role Racial Consciousness Plays in Developing Critical Awareness
of the Permanence of Race in the Classroom…………………………….86
Teacher’s Ownership over Equity allows Equity-Minded Pedagogy…….87
Developing Teacher’s Racial Consciousness is Aligned with
Equity-Mindedness……………………………………………………….89

Recommendations for Practice………………………………………………93
Recommendation One: Build School Culture for Antiracism……………93
Recommendation Two: Teacher Professional Learning………………....96
Limitations and Delimitations……………………………………………….98

ix
Recommendations for Future Research……………………………………..99
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………100
References…………………………………………………………………….102
Appendix A: Interview Protocol………………………………………….…113
Appendix B: Cartoon of Equality and Equity…………………………..….116

x

List of Tables
Table 1 Conceptual Framework (Chapter 2) 33
Table 2 List of Participants (Chapter 4) 46
Table 3 List of Findings (Chapter 4) 47

xi

List of Figures
Figure 1 Comparative chart of teachers’ perceptions (Chapter 5) 91

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Chapter One: Introduction to the Study
Students of color, black and Latinx students specifically, perform lower in academic
achievement than their white peers. This is true at the California state level (California
Dataquest, 2019) and in the local context at Coyote High School (pseudonym) in Northern
California, where only 42% of Latinx students are college eligible compared with 79% of white
students (California Dataquest, 2020). The problem exists more profoundly in predominantly
white suburban high schools, like Coyote High School, where students of color are a growing
demographic group since 2010 (Fry, 2011). In fact, over 50% of people of color (Latinx, African
American, and people of racial identification other than white) reside in the suburbs (Welton et
al., 2015). Even while the number of students of color is increasing and resources are more
readily available in suburban schools (Chapman, 2014), students of color continue to perform
lower than their white peers (Frankenberg et al., 2016). Chapman et al. (2014) noted that
students of color are not as academically prepared as their white peers in predominantly white
and resourced high schools. The study further asserted that the curriculum in predominantly
white high schools remains biased and inaccessible to students of color. O’Connor et al. (2011)
found that white suburban high schools were highly stratified by race, unwelcoming for students
of color, and tracked students with racially aligned peers. Multiple studies have found that
students of color in predominantly white high schools struggle socially, emotionally, and
academically (Chapman, 2013; Chapman et al., 2014; Diamond et al., 2007; Frankenberg et al.,
2016; O'Connor et al., 2011).
Data at Coyote High School exemplified this point specifically. Latinx students made up
45% of the graduates in 2018-2019. Of these students, 87% graduated from high school and 42%
were eligible for state colleges. Their white population was 41% of graduates with 99%
graduating and 79% eligible for state college admissions. This variance is the achievement gap,

2
opportunity gap, or equity gap demonstrated across schools in the nation, state, and in this local
context.
Studies have shown that a contributing factor to the academic achievement of students of
color are perceptions white educators hold about race, racism, and equity pedagogy. Most
educators are white across the nation’s schools. According to The National Center for Education
Statistics, 80% of all teachers were white (Bitterman et al., 2013), and this can be even higher in
suburban schools (Welton et al., 2015). The focus of the study was to explore the perceptions of
racial identity held by white educators and how these perceptions may affect the behavior and
practices that can promote or hinder equity pedagogy used in their classrooms. The study
examined how perceptions may perpetuate whiteness in educational practices. Whiteness is
defined by the systems and institutions of power where white privilege is maintained to benefit
white people (Chubbuck, 2004; McIntyre, 1997). White educators can fail to recognize
whiteness and racism in their practices (McIntyre, 1997) and rely on race evasive practices that
promote a white-centric classroom (Jupp et al., 2019). Being a racially conscious white teacher
and using race visible practices in the classroom has shown to improve a teacher’s equity
practice (Dowd & Bensimon, 2015; Haynes 2017). This study’s focus was to understand racial
identity and consciousness and how whiteness can maintain racist instructional practices for
white educators that affect their ability to effectively teach students of color.
Avoiding race or race evasion is one element studies showed is a contributing factor why
students of color, in predominantly white high schools, do not perform as well as their white
peers. Race evasive practices include having colorblind perceptions and ignoring race in the
curriculum, instruction, and interactions with students of color (Jupp et al., 2019). Race evasive
practices further result in minoritizing students of color who do not feel welcome in school
(O’Connor, 2011) and are not challenged academically (Chapman, 2013). The research

3
demonstrated that in order to transform education, exploring how to become aware of race
evasive tactics and move toward more equity-minded pedagogy involved increased racial
consciousness of white educators (Dowd & Bensimon, 2015). Equity-minded practices included
race visible pedagogy that is accessible and ensures students have the support necessary for
success in the curriculum. This dissertation focused specifically on examining perceptions of
white educators related to their own racial consciousness and how their racial identities shaped
ideas about equity-minded pedagogy.
Context and Background of the Problem
Since the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, educational research has focused on the academic
achievement gap between white students and students of color, and yet, the findings showed that
most educational practices relied on race neutral strategies to address the disparity in academic
performance (Castagno, 2008; Jupp et al., 2019; Welton et al., 2015; Yoon, 2012). According to
Ladson-Billings and Tate’s (1995) seminal work, the educational system mirrored a larger
society where any focus on race is muted and marginalized even though race is a permanent part
of the system. Schools have relied on multicultural education practices that evolved initially from
assimilation-based teaching practices protecting the status quo of colorblindness into race-neutral
multiculturalism and, more recently, a focus on ‘diversity’; all with a colorblind lens (Castagno,
2008; Whitman & Bensimon, 2012). Welton et al. (2015) argued when educators continue to use
terms like ‘diverse’ they are neutralizing the problem of students of color underperformance and
relying on colorblind educational practices. Bonilla-Silva (2018) described colorblindness as a
process that minimizes the role race plays and protects institutional racism inherent in the
system, policies, and institutions. Further, a colorblind approach in education eliminated the need
for white educators to examine their own racial bias in their instructional practices and rely on
the status quo of whiteness (McIntyre, 1997).

4
The study of whiteness is complex and deserving of attention. Whiteness refers to the
“institutional power and privileges that benefit White Americans” (Chubbuck, 2004, p. 303).
Similar to understanding race and racism, whiteness is a social construct that also functions as
the determinant of what is privilege and who has it (Chubbuck, 2004). The concept of whiteness
underscores the main idea that whites are superior, and people of color remain the subordinate
class (Haynes, 2017). Jupp et al. (2019) extended this understanding to include the white
hegemonic racial hierarchy that continues white privilege and furthers injustice against people of
color. The nature of whiteness creates an iterative cycle where people's actions, cultural beliefs,
and social structures confirm the existence of whiteness (Yoon, 2012). For the purposes of this
study, examining whiteness, in all forms, was essential due to the centrality white privilege plays
in education. Examining teachers’ awareness of their own white identity and how whiteness
permeates their educational practices allowed for a better understanding of how whiteness
influenced the poor academic achievement of students of color in predominantly white high
schools.
The use of student performance data also demonstrated white educators’ deficit beliefs
about student abilities and exacerbated the problem of educators' race neutral practices (Welton
et al., 2015). As educators used data to inform their practices, the recognition that students of
color performed at a lower achievement level can perpetuate the notion that the students, their
families, and their culture may be at fault (Carter, 2009; Castagno, 2008; Frankenberg et al.,
2016; McIntyre, 1997). These studies showed that deficit thinking allowed educators to dismiss
achievement data and believed their instructional practices are not the issue when students of
color perform lower than their white peers. This becomes more challenging in predominantly
white high schools, where there was a lack of urgency to address the achievement of students of
color (Carter, 2009; Chapman, 2013; Yoon, 2012). When the overall achievement data for the

5
total school population was commendable, the data for students of color was dismissed through
deficit mindsets, and students were left to take the blame for their poor performance (Carter,
2009, Chapman, 2013; Jupp et al., 2019; Theoharis & Haddix, 2011).
Purpose of the Project and Research Questions
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of white educators regarding
their own racial identity and consciousness and how this restricts or expands their perceptions as
an equity-minded educator. Developing white teachers to explore their racial identity was an
essential step, especially in predominantly white high schools, where colorblindness, whiteness,
and incrementalism towards racial equity can be the operating values (Cabrera, 2016;
Frankenburg et al., 2017; Haynes, 2017; McIntyre, 1997; Welton et al., 2015).
Research Questions:
The following research questions guided the study:
1. What are the perceptions of white teachers related to their own racial identity and
consciousness?
2. What are the perceptions of white teachers regarding equity-minded pedagogy?
3. In what ways does racial consciousness expand or restrict equity-minded pedagogical
decision-making?
Importance of the Study
Students of color, predominantly African American and Latinx students, continue to
perform lower on standardized tests than white students (Carter, 2009; Chapman, 2013;
Chapman et al., 2014; Matias et al., 2014; Welton et al, 2015). The number of students of color
who were not graduating continue to rise (Frankenberg et al., 2016) and the academic indicators
between students of color and their white peers continue to show stronger performance by white
students (Welton et al., 2015). Even more concerning is the lack of school connectedness and

6
belonging students of color feel at predominantly white high schools (Carter, 2009; Chapman
2013; Chapman et al., 2014; O’Connor, 2011). The equity gap, as defined by further segregation
of students of color due to educational practices in schools (Dowd & Bensimon, 2015), also
continues to widen. As students of color are educated by white teachers who used practices that
maintained the permanence of racism in their beliefs and how their practices furthered whiteness
as property in their classrooms, the problem continues (Chapman, 2013; DeCuir & Dixson, 2004;
Haynes, 2017). This study examined the need to shift educational equity work to focus on white
educators addressing their own racial identity, racism, and colorblindness to provide an
education for students of color that was not white dominated (Chubbuck, 2004; Dowd &
Bensimon, 2015; Matias & Mackey, 2016; McIntyre, 1997; Theoharis & Haddix, 2011; Yoon,
2012).
Overview of Theoretical Framework and Methodology
The theoretical framework for this study was critical race theory. Critical race theory
grew from critical legal studies in the 1970s and 1980s and is unified by two main agreements:
(a) to gain an understanding of the condition of white supremacy and its oppression of people of
color in the United States, and (b) the expressed need to use social action to change this
condition (Crenshaw et al.,1995). The main tenets of critical race theory include the use of
counter-storytelling to include voices of people of color, the permanence of racism, the existence
of whiteness as a legal property right, the role of interest convergence in the progress of civil
rights, and a critique of liberal thought that includes the use of colorblindness, deficit thinking,
and incremental change all viewed through restrictive and expansive ways to approach civil
rights progress (Crenshaw, 1988; DeCuir & Dixson, 2004; Haynes, 2017).
In order for educational equity to improve the educational experience for African
American and Latinx students, critical race theory calls for racial consciousness to enact a theory

7
of change that will place white hegemonic systems at the forefront of the equity work and work
to decenter whiteness (Crenshaw, 1988). The active decentering of whiteness requires educators
to use the critical race component of social activism to enact a change in practice (Castagno,
2013; Dowd and Bensimon, 2015; Leonardo, 2013; Theoharis & Haddix, 2011). The three tenets
of critical race theory (a) the permanence of racism, (b) whiteness as property, and (c) critique of
liberalism, specifically, colorblindness and deficit thinking, provided avenues to explore how
schools upheld a white dominant approach to equitable practices that are not improving students
of color achievement in predominantly white spaces (Crenshaw, 1988; DeCuir & Dixson, 2004;
Harris, 1995; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). The study also relied on restrictive and expansive
thinking as introduced by Crenshaw (1988) and later developed further by Haynes (2017) to
explain the mindset people can hold about their understanding of race and racism. Restrictive
thinking relies on a limited understanding of race and racism and uses colorblind and deficit
beliefs to define students of color. Expansive thinking includes an awareness of race and racism
and is critical of how whiteness upholds the status quo for the benefit of the dominant race.
This study used a qualitative method to explore the meaning of equity and how white
racial identity expands or restricts educator’s thinking about their equity practices. The method
included white teacher interviews to gather insights into white racial identity and the restrictive
and expansive approaches to multicultural education in predominantly white high schools and
how whiteness may influence this work (Creswell & Creswell, 2018).
Definitions of Key Concepts
The following key concepts were used in the exploration of the role of whiteness in educational
equity in predominantly white high schools.

8
Colorblind racism
Bonilla-Silva (2018) wrote the seminal work on colorblind racism and defines this as a
socially constructed understanding of race that is designed to uphold the systemic perpetuation of
white privilege and blames people of color for their relative economic and social standing as
“perceived cultural inferiority” (p.7).
Deficit mindset
This concept is defined by Solórzano (1997) as the dominant white hegemonic belief is
that “minority cultural values are dysfunctional and therefore the reason for low
educational...attainment” (p.13).
Educational equity
Educational equity refers to the practices used to raise the academic achievement for all
students while reducing the gap between higher and lower-achieving students and “elimination
of the racial predictability and disproportionality of which student groups occupy these
categories” (Singleton, 2004, p. 46). Equity includes the concepts of fairness and justice
(Espinoza, 2007). Dowd & Bensimon (2015) further explain that equity is a standard by which
“educational practices are judged as just or unjust” (p.9).
Equity-Mindedness
Dowd & Bensimon (2015) discussed equity-mindedness when developing the conditions
to face equity in a university setting. For the purposes of this study, the definition of equity-
mindedness includes affirmative race consciousness, one’s perception of race can influence
students of color academic success, willingness to change practices to improve equity, and
awareness of the institutional nature of racism and that the practices in these institutions provide
avenues to continue racist patterns (Dowd & Bensimon, 2015)

9
Multicultural Education
Over the years this term has shifted meaning, however, the definition by Castagno (2013)
defines multicultural education using a critical race theory that best aligns with the researcher’s
worldview. Multicultural education is defined as the equity, culture, and power that schools rely
on by defining high expectations for all students centering on multiple perspectives, including
people’s worldviews in the curriculum, and equipping students with an understanding of issues
of power, privilege, oppression, and ideas about working towards social justice (Castagno,
2013).
Race and Racism
These terms are a socially constructed meaning attached to the physical attributes of
people and the beliefs and enactments that one set of physical attribute characteristics is superior
to another (Singleton, 2004).
Restrictive and Expansive Approaches to Race, Racism, and Racial Consciousness
Restrictive and expansive thinking was introduced by Crenshaw (1988) and later
developed further by Haynes (2017) to explain the approach people hold about an understanding
of race and racism. Restrictive thinking includes a limited approach to race and racism and relies
on colorblind and deficit beliefs to understand race. A restrictive approach can also rely on the
white status quo to uphold white interests. An expansive mindset of race and racism includes a
critical view of how whiteness upholds the status quo for the benefit of the dominant race and
how racial awareness can help with understanding of systematic racism (Haynes, 2017).
Whiteness
This term is defined by the systems of how the dominance of a white hegemonic culture
oppresses people of color and ensures the existence of white privilege (McIntyre, 1997). It is

10
further explained by Yoon (2012) “, as a process or a system of domination that privileges
people perceived to be white over people of color” (p.589).
Organization of the Dissertation
The opening chapter, Chapter One, is an introduction to the problem of practice and
overview of the study. The literature review, in Chapter Two, includes a review of the most
relevant and recent work related to the study of critical race theory and whiteness in education,
with a focus of white educator perceptions and how this impact their practices. The three areas of
focus include a review of the literature regarding educator perceptions of racial identity, barriers
to educators’ perceptions changing about race and racism, and the role of critical whiteness in
multicultural education as an avenue to study white educator’s perspectives in their practices.
Chapter Three provides an overview of the method of the study design, which is a qualitative
descriptive approach involving data collection through semi-structured interviews of 12 teachers
in a predominantly white high school in California. Chapter Four presents the findings of the
data collection and analysis of the data collected. Chapter Five contains a discussion of the
findings, recommendations for further work, limitations and delimitations, and implications of
the results presented in Chapter Four. A conclusion is provided to give hope at the end of the
study.

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Chapter Two: Literature Review
In order to address systemic racism across educational institutions, an examination of the
role of white educator perceptions about their own racial identity and consciousness and their
equity pedagogy was necessary. Freire (1970) stated the essence of the problem of practice by
acknowledging the need for a critical examination of educational practices that “involves a
constant unveiling of reality…(and) strives for the emergence of consciousness and critical
intervention of that reality” (p. 81). The dominance of whiteness in education influences the
academic success of students of color and is the ‘reality’ requiring critical examination.
However, as Frankenburg (1997) warned, an examination of whiteness could re-center the
consciousness on whiteness and continue to perpetuate white dominance. The need to place
white consciousness building as an integral part of teacher learning yet being aware of how
whiteness can become centralized is the challenge of examining whiteness in education. Bearing
in mind both Freire and Frankenburg, a literature review regarding whiteness in education and
the role white educators play in perpetuating whiteness in their practices in high schools
provided depth to the problem of practice.
Multicultural education has been a primary umbrella under which the work of teacher
beliefs, training, and pedagogy have all transpired since the 1960s. Multicultural education, since
its inception, has focused on the foundational nature cultural diversity plays in the classroom and
the need to be central in instruction (Banks & Banks, 1995). The tenets of critical race theory
offered an approach for the study of whiteness in multicultural education that included the
permanence of racism (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), whiteness as property. (Harris, 1995;
Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), a critique of liberalism including colorblindness and deficit
thinking (Bonilla-Silva, 2018; DeCuir & Dixson, 2004; Tyler, 2016) and an expansive or
restrictive view of equality (Crenshaw, 1988; Haynes, 2017). While there are other tenets of

12
critical race theory, these were used as the focus to the study of white educators’ racial identity
and consciousness as a problem when addressing academic success of students of color in
predominantly white high schools.
This literature review will use critical race theory to explore the role of whiteness in
multicultural education. This theoretical approach allows for a study of white educator’s
perceptions of white racial identity and the impact of whiteness of equity pedagogy. Further, the
literature examines the barriers that prevented educators from examining their own beliefs that
perpetuate systemic racism through the use of deficit thinking, colorblindness, and whiteness.
Finally, there is an exploration of the need for a critical approach to multicultural education to
center awareness of whiteness to transform white teachers towards equity-minded pedagogy
White Educators Perceptions of Racial Identity
The Use of White-Dominant Practices and Whiteness as Property

White dominated educational practices can hinder the academic achievement of students
of color because white teachers may not see how their pedagogy is encased in whiteness.
McIntyre (1997) investigated thirteen white female teacher candidates through interviews and
focus group sessions to explore the role of white identity in the larger educational setting. The
study found that the lack of racial consciousness and exploration into their white identities
limited teacher awareness of instructional practices used in the classroom. One example of a
common classroom practice McIntyre acknowledged was the dismissal of a student’s racial
identity and ‘not seeing color’ which can devalue race in the classroom. The use of
colorblindness insulates white privilege and can perpetuate oppressive practices and racism.
Consciously or unconsciously, whiteness creates privilege and ‘rights’ that, without
critical examination, white educators can perpetuate. The legal and historical ‘rights’ whites hold

13
as property are designed to exclude and oppress others (Harris, 1995). In education, these
property rights include teacher perceptions about student success based on race, the curricula
taught, and instructional practices where dominant white group norms continue without
challenge (Chapman, 2013; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). Harris (1995) outlined conformity to
white norms in schools, the reputation and status of white schools, and the segregation of
students of color through tracking as examples of how whiteness as property showed up in
education. White educators’ reliance on white social norms in the classroom was a clear example
of the property and dominance of whiteness that existed and needed critical intervention (Matias
& Mackey, 2015).
White Fragility and Race-Evasive Instruction are Present in White Educator Perspectives
Whiteness encased itself as a ‘right’ in the beliefs and practices educators exhibit through
race evasive perceptions and practices. Harris (1995) explained whiteness as property as a
dismissal of people of color through colorblind and white status quo beliefs and actions. A white-
centered educational culture disables talk about race and limits the ability for white educators to
address racist and inequitable practices (Yoon, 2012). A significant part of whiteness is the
avoidance of addressing race or race evasion. Yoon (2012) discussed this concept as ‘whiteness
at work’ in schools where teachers used discursive tactics to avoid discussing and addressing
race directly. In Yoon’s study, she found that when race is raised, educators turned the
conversations towards addressing students from poverty or how much they cared about their
students of color. The study highlighted teachers discussing how they held conversations about
race but these discussions quickly turned to ‘culturally relevant’ conversions that avoided race
because it was safer. Discursive conversations with white educators silenced race and racism
even when the focus of the discussion was race and racism. Yoon’s study (2012) followed a set
of teachers and administrators in an urban school to examine how whiteness operates even when

14
teachers are wanting to be culturally responsive. Her study found white educators evaded
racialized discussions and practices even when the topic was race, racism, and racist teaching
practices were present. The unconscious perspectives white educators held about race in the
classroom and their unconscious discursive approach to talking about students and not racism
maintained the current system of whiteness.
The influence of white fragility further encased white educators to resist facing race and
racism and not invoking social justice education to address inequities. DiAngelo (2018) defined
white fragility as an insulated reality of racial protection for white people that builds a sense of
safety and lowers the ability to experience racial stress or strife. Further, DiAngelo explained
white fragility is an emotional response from whites when they are presented with their racism.
Due to being racially fragile, whites are not critical of their identity, beliefs, consciousness, or
practices from a racialized perspective (DiAngelo, 2011; McIntyre, 1997). These studies found a
lack of critical awareness perpetuated the institutional practices that promote a white sense of
rightness in classroom practices that oppressed students of color. When whiteness in education
goes unchecked and unquestioned, the curricula, instruction, and teaching behaviors were not
challenged or changed (McIntyre, 1997). Whiteness also perpetuated educators to focus on the
behavior of their students of color rather than addressing their own whiteness. It is necessary for
whites to understand their own white identity in order to address whiteness in their practices and
foster anti-racist practices (Pennington, 2012).
DiAngelo (2011) noted that whiteness includes a set of societal norms that are unmarked
and unnamed, such as handshaking, quiet talking, and valuing an independent work ethic. These
norms allow whites to sidestep facing their racial identity because it is the way most of society
operates. Thus, when whites face their racism or the larger role of whites in systemic racism,
white fragility can be the common response to defend ‘the way things are’. Studies have shown

15
that the emotions associated with white fragility include guilt, discomfort, sadness,
defensiveness, avoidance, and anger (DiAngelo, 2011; Patton & Jordan, 2017; Matias &
Mackey, 2015; Yoon, 2012).
White fragility can prevent white individuals from being open and receptive to social
justice training and multicultural education. Patton and Jordan (2018) found that white educators
did not benefit from professional training focused on race and social justice. The study
concluded that white teacher responses to race visible training demonstrated white fragility and
teacher’s expressed direct anger at how whites were portrayed. Patton and Jordan (2018)
suggested that social justice teaching may provide white educators with the critical tools for
examining their white fragility and the socialization of oppression in the system of education, if
they can be open to examining whiteness.
Barriers to Addressing how Colorblindness, Deficit Thinking, and Restrictive Approaches
to Equity Limits Educator Growth
Colorblind Practices Protect Whiteness and Act as a Barrier to Equity-Mindedness
Colorblind practices confound issues of race in predominantly white high schools,
producing a more challenging school experience for students of color because of the avoidance
of discussing and identifying race directly (Carter, 2009; Chapman 2013). A predominantly
white system is reproductive to protect the white privilege that designed it in the first place (Jupp
et al., 2019). One hope for the historical integration of schools was to address colorblind
practices that perpetuate inequity between white students and students of color. However,
integration led to a system of race evasive equality (Chapman 2013; Michie, 2007). Chapman’s
(2013) study of four predominantly white suburban high schools investigated the experience of
students of color in these integrated school environments. The study included interviewing 97
students of color from six schools. The study identified colorblindness and white privilege as

16
central to the student’s experience in each of the schools. The study used critical race theory and
critical multiculturalism to interrogate the constructions of racism deeply embedded in the
school’s systems and furthermore, the barriers that colorblindness created for students of color.
The study found colorblindness to be the operating norm of teachers and the school in general.
When students of color challenged colorblindness, they were seen as troublemakers, causing
students of color to embrace their ‘colorlessness’ and accept the status quo of whiteness. The
study further recognized how colorblindness produces a silencing of race, known as colormute,
that prevents the school community from being race visible. Colorblindness also perpetuated
characteristics of whiteness; race evasion, white dominant norms, and resistance to challenging
the white status quo. All of these characteristics restricted racial progress in schools (Chapman,
2013).
Welton et al. (2015) described colorblind practices, in both schools and districts, as the
use of race neutral language in the systems throughout the educational setting. Further, the study
found that racial achievement gaps are continued through academic interventions that address the
failures of students but do not address the racist systems that cause students to fail in the first
place. Intervention programs addressed, in a race neutral way, the students and not the systems of
oppression students of color are educated within. While educators recognize race when they
study school demographic data, there was a discursive, race neutral approach to strategies used to
address the inequities with students (Welton et al., 2015; Yoon, 2012). Welton et al. (2015)
identified a reliance on disaggregating the data to identify individual students who need support
and not addressing the school systems that upheld racist practices. Students continued to be on
the receiving end of race neutral interventions that did not challenge the teachers, administration,
and district offices to be racially critical system wide.

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Behaviors associated with colorblindness can be extended to how educators speak of race
and racism which is referred to as ‘colormute’. According to Pollok (2004), colormute is
colorblindness taken a step further when systems remained silent or actively silence talk about
race and racism. Both attributes, remaining silent or silencing race talk, perpetuate whiteness and
create a restrictive environment for students of color. Educators who are silent about race and
racism further sustained and legitimized whiteness (Castagno, 2008). Silence maintained white
dominant cultural norms and did not allow for discussions that challenge racism embedded in
low expectations of racialized achievement data (Pollock, 2004). This reliance on neutral
colormuteness and the use of ‘culture’ to discuss race created a singular approach to school, that
of being white (Tyler, 2016; Welton et al., 2015). Addressing colorblindness and colormuteness
required a critical form of multiculturalism to challenge white privilege and cultural deficiency
in students of color (Castagno, 2013; Chapman, 2013).
Deficit Thinking as a Barrier to White Educators Progressing towards Equity-Mindedness

Deficit-thinking about students of color among white educators further prohibits a critical
examination of the system of racism in educational practices. Tyler (2016) described deficit
thinking as the belief and perception about how the attributes held by students of color were not
of the standard of white norms ingrained in schools. These perceptions are built on stereotypes
and whiteness inherent in educational systems thinking by defining all the systems in education
on white norms. In Valencia’s (1997) work, when students of color do not exhibit these norms,
educators shifted the blame of poor academic performance on the student, their families, and/or
their culture rather than the system that they were failing within. Rather than addressing systemic
racial oppression, teachers placed the fault on individual students. Deficit thinking masks white
teachers of responsibility for the low achievement of students of color and allows the system to

18
continue without challenge (Chapman, 2014; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1998; McIntyre, 1997;
Tyler, 2016). Leonardo (2013) explained that educational systems are built on the framework of
deficit thinking that is inherent in the perceptions and practices of educators and the institution of
schools.
Tyler (2016) explained that many white educators do not see racial diversity as an asset.
As such, they do not challenge the educational systems when racial inequity is apparent. The
educator’s focus moved away from examining their own racial identity, beliefs, and practices
and shifted to the problems the students presented (McIntyre, 1997; Tyler, 2016). Tyler (2016)
conducted a large study of six metropolitan area schools with a substantial white and a racially
diverse student population to explore white teachers’ interaction with the racially diversifying
demographics in their school population. The study found that educators enter the profession
with existing colorblind and colormute practices in place. Educators’ perceptions and practices
further built the assumption that students of color held deficits in attaining the attributes
necessary to ‘do school’ which are the white, middle-class norms. Further, the study highlighted
that teachers who subscribe to deficit thinking believed students of color also have deficits in
language, culture, discipline, and motivation.
Deficit beliefs sustained the inequities in schools through a number of practices and
beliefs that perpetuate the white dominant cultural norms of school. Tyler (2016) found teacher
and administrator perceptions were influenced by an embrace of ‘diversity’ that encased color-
muteness and deficit thinking about individual students of color. Educator reliance on deficit
beliefs ignored and silenced the possibility of diverse cultural norms that could be elevated in the
classroom. Educator’s expectations were that students will conform to the white norms present in
most classrooms and if they do not, it is the student’s fault. Ladson-Billings and Tate (1995)
identified how deficit thinking impacts education by placing blame on the individual students for

19
failing to fit into a white normed institution, not considering factors such as the problem of
segregation of students of color, inequitable funding based on race, and the endemic nature of
racism in schools. Tyler (2016) found that educators relied on deficit beliefs about the student’s
ability, their experience, the family and home life, their community, and their overall cultural
values. Ultimately, students of color confirmed deficit thinking by educators who found fault
with the students, rather than addressing the deficit beliefs educators held about their students of
color.
Educators set low expectations for students of color which reinstate deficit beliefs and
create a cycle of failure for students of color in suburban schools. Integrated suburban schools
tout being ‘race-neutral’ and any lack of academic prowess lies with the students of color
inabilities (Chapman, 2014). In Chapman’s 2014 study of six schools, they interviewed
nearly100 students of color and found low expectations and deficit thinking were the dominant
interactions students of color had with their teachers. Educators experience academic failures by
their students of color by reinstating the white academic dominant norms and behaviors as their
expectations for success (Chapman, 2014) and the white status quo is upheld because white
students do well in these systems (Chapman et al., 2014).
Frankenburg et al. (2016) explained how predominantly white schools create institutional
barriers for students of color by enacting systems built on deficit thinking. Educators carry lower
expectations for students of color and schools create lower tracks to meet these lower
expectations. The use of prohibitive requirements for advanced coursework also limits access for
the students who have not been prepared for success because of the lower expectations that have
followed them through school. These systems are built upon the beliefs of educators about who
‘belongs’ in what part of predominantly white schools (Chapman, 2013; Frankenburg et al.,
2016). Frankenburg et al. (2016) found educators often address institutional barriers by lowering

20
entrance requirements but failed to address educator’s perspectives about expectations for
students of color, thus, continuing the cycle of institutional racism. The study held a series of
teacher interviews where most teachers justified the placement of African American students into
lower tracks based on the deficiencies they held as students. O’Conner (2011) identified these
types of systems as “racially stratified academic hierarchies” (p. 1232) where schools both
physically and academically set up systems to segregate students based on deficit thinking
perceptions of educators. Diamond et al., (2007) confirmed segregation in their study of a large
high school where 70 students of color and white students were interviewed regarding their
academic achievement and perceptions of their teachers. The study concluded that African
American students experienced the most negative interactions from white Advanced Placement
teachers because the educators did not expect to see African American students in advanced
courses. Matias (2013) further found these perspectives and practices continue until white
educators are trained to see their whiteness and stop hiding behind deficit thinking. The
institutionalization of these beliefs continues to limit students of color access to education and
limit white educators’ ability to grow in developing their equity mindedness.
Building Equity Mindedness is Reliant on Expansive Views of Equity

The shift to an equity mindset may allow educators to recognize colorblind practices and
their reliance on ‘equal opportunities’ that are not truly equal. Dowd and Bensimon (2015)
recognized the need for this shift from a deficit-mindset or diversity-mindset to an equity-
mindset for educators. White educators are reliant on deficit thinking to account for the poor
performance of students of color rather than addressing their instructional practices and
perceptions of deficit thinking about students of color (Tyler, 2016; Valencia 1997). There is also
a reliance on a dated multicultural belief of diversity thinking, which embraces the ‘differences’

21
students of color bring without recognizing the deficit nature of the thinking and the inequitable
outcomes perpetuated in classroom practices (Dowd & Bensimon, 2015; McIntyre, 1997).
Past reliance on multicultural education created a ‘diversified we’ that caused whiteness
to be the norm, and if students of color could not be successful it was their lack of abilities and
not the system (Ladson-Billings, 1998; Dowd & Bensimon, 2015). Bensimon (2005) stated that
educators need to understand equity work as an institutional problem that requires a cognitive
shift from deficit to equity thinking and a need to become race conscious. It is essential to disrupt
current deficit and ‘diversity’ mindset and practices to identify the problem that exists within
white educators (Dowd & Bensimon, 2015). There is a call for more reflexivity that challenges
racial patterns and a collective approach to racial identity and consciousness work included in
equity-mindedness. Dowd and Bensimon’s (2015) work clearly outlined both the need to name
equity-mindedness over deficit thinking and that the work lies in educator perceptions of racial
consciousness. The role of whiteness in educational systems where racism is a permanent
condition perpetuates inequity.
Dowd and Bensimon (2015) recognized the need for racial consciousness to be examined
to build equity mindedness. However, whiteness needs to be specifically addressed. Castagno
(2013) asserted that white educators often hide behind poor multicultural education and
suggested a lack of racial consciousness allows for a disregard of responsibility to address
students of color success. The vagueness of multicultural education allows white educators to
rely on white systems and not critically examine their practices for whiteness. Many currently
used teaching practices rely on a restrictive perspective that furthers inequity, such as ‘different
learning styles’ which focuses on the diversity in individuals but does not address racist systems
that continue to lower expectations for students of color. Whiteness promotes harmony, niceness,
and ‘getting-along’ characteristics which sustain white hegemony (Castagno, 2013; Yoon, 2012).

22
To challenge whiteness means interrupting perceptions and changing current practices that
further the social system of racism (Castagno, 2013).
Reliance on a restrictive approach to equity allows white educators to have race evasive,
assimilationist perceptions that further white-dominated education. Crenshaw (1988) explained
that in a restrictive approach, the concept of equality is understood through the process of how
equality is applied, not the results of the practices. This process works to protect an individual
against wrongdoings on how equality is applied by policy or practice but is not used for the
collective improvement of people who may be harmed by a policy or practice. A restrictive
application of equity and racial consciousness does not consider the past or current harms
(Crenshaw, 1988). In regard to a restrictive view of equity, it is necessary to have a multicultural
perspective that includes a critical race approach to shift the paradigm to critique liberalism and
develop an expansive view of equity (Haynes, 2017).
Crenshaw (1988) laid out an expansionist and restrictive view of equality that Haynes
(2017) then applied to a study of white educators. In Haynes’ study, the question was raised if a
more expansive view allowed for a more race visible and equitable classroom. Crenshaw (1988)
argued, from a legal perspective, that the liberal agenda used in a restrictive view of equality did
not confront the oppression that was inherent in the legal system. Haynes (2017) concurred and
applied this to the white educators’ approach to learning and race. Educators with a restrictive
approach relied on deficit thinking when setting expectations for their students of color and also
did not include the perspective of people of color in the curriculum. White educators, with a
restrictive view, reported that they did not see race in their classrooms and leaned on the power
and authority of academic freedom to create an educational environment based on whiteness.
Crenshaw (1988) warned the innocence of whiteness would take precedence over equity in a
restrictive view and Haynes (2017) confirmed this to be true in higher education.

23
In her study of white educators at a western college, Haynes (2017) explained that in a
restricted approach the importance of any current social conditions is minimalized or not
addressed in the classroom. She found a connection between white educator’s restrictive or
expansive perspectives on their own racial identity and consciousness and their behavior in their
practices. The findings indicated a more restrictive white educator perspective led to race evasive
practices in their classrooms for students of color. The study found educators who used a
restrictive perspective placed the responsibility of learning on the student and were fearful to
address race directly in the classroom (Haynes, 2017). Educators who were expansive in their
perceptions shared that students of color contributed to the learning in the classroom and allowed
for race visible practices in their teaching. The study found that white educators who were
restrictive in their perspective of racism perpetuated individual student failure in the system
rather than the collective harm on students of color built by a racist system. Haynes’ (2017)
study further reported that many aspects of white supremacy were observable in a restrictive
academic setting including white privilege, white norming, and the innocence of whiteness.
Castagno (2013) explained that restrictive approaches to equity can further assimilationist and
colorblind practices by educators that disconnects teaching from promoting social justice. White
educator attributes, such as caring for students, politeness, ‘celebrating’ diversity, and
meritocracy are upheld as the assimilationist agenda in a white-centered educational system.
Many of these attributes rely on educators focusing on the individuals they teach and
‘caring’ for them rather than calling out the system that is inherently colorblind to favor whites.
These attributes perpetuate race evasive practices and thus, white teachers cannot see racism
when it is directly in front of them (Castagno, 2013; McIntyre, 1997; Yoon, 2012). As Castagno
(2013) stated, “An emphasis on the individual rather than the structural, on harmony rather than
equity, and on sameness rather than difference, this is what whiteness encourages; it is how we

24
are expected to engage in the world” (p 114). Well-meaning white teachers can strengthen
whiteness through their restrictive beliefs because schools do not pursue critical challenges to the
systems that uphold white dominant cultural norms (Castagno, 2013). Exploring white racial
identity is essential for more race-visible and less-restrictive practices in education.
A Critical Whiteness Approach to Multicultural Education Depends on Educator
Perspectives on Racial Identity
Making Multicultural Education Race Visible
The use of a critical approach to multicultural education by examining whiteness to
improve teaching practices for students of color will aid teachers to progress towards equity-
mindedness. Gloria Ladson-Billings (1998) provided a word of caution for educators when she
wrote about critical race theory and multicultural education. She argued the original intent of
multicultural education is not what has been practiced but instead, the current interpretations of
multicultural education are a shallow take on diversity and do not represent what
multiculturalism was designed to become in education. Many of the early writers in multicultural
education spoke to the principles found in critical race theory and advocated for multicultural
education to endorse these principles in practice (Banks, 1995; Castagno, 2013; Ladson-Billings
& Tate, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998). Current researchers on whiteness advocated for the return
to these foundations in multicultural education (Castagno, 2009; Chapman, 2014; Chubbuck,
2014; Jupp et al., 2019; Ortiz &Rhodes, 2000; Tyler, 2016). The foundations included the critical
race theory tenets of an expansionist perspective on race and equity (Haynes, 2017), race visible
educational practices (Castagno, 2009; Jupp et al., 2019), social justice, and social action
(Bensimon, 2005; Castagno, 2013; Chubbuck, 2014; Dowd & Bensimon, 2015; Jupp et al., 2019;
Theoharis & Haddix, 2011), and understanding that whiteness must be addressed in this work

25
(Cabera, 2016; Castagno, 2009, 2013; Chubbuck, 2014; Jupp et al., 2019; Ortiz & Rhodes, 2009;
Theoharis & Haddix, 2011).
The goal of an educational system should be the eradication of oppression and racism
(Crenshaw, 1988) and Haynes (2017) noted that the root causes of social oppression should be
the focus in educational systems. Expansive behaviors include challenging the racial hierarchy
status quo in education and critiquing white normative systems, such as academic freedom.
Educators with an expansive view of equity use knowledge construction in their classrooms and
believe it is the responsibility of educators to relate their content to the societal implications of
race and racism. The use of an expansionist approach allows for white educators to examine their
own racial identity in a manner that allows for a critical reflection of their pedagogy and
contributes to educational social action. Building an expansive perspective in white educators
will advance a critical multicultural educational system that challenges racism (Haynes, 2017).
Equity-minded pedagogy must be race visible (Bensimon et al., 2007) and include personal
racial identity and consciousness development for white educators. To be equity-minded, an
educator must learn about race, racism, and inequalities in schools (Bensimon et al., 2007) and
use an expansionist perspective to address institutional problems of inequity (Haynes, 2017).
According to Bensimon et al. (2007), to become equity-minded, white educators needed to
become aware of and deepen their “funds of knowledge” (p.18) about providing equity for all
students. The ‘funds of knowledge’ for equity are the skills, attributes, and beliefs educators rely
on consciously and unconsciously in their practices and perceptions with students of color
(Bensimon et al., 2007; Bensimon & Malcolm, 2012). In order for educators to adopt new
practices, there needs to be race identity development through the act of making disturbances
around their inequitable practices (Bensimon & Malcolm, 2012) that allow white educators to
see their whiteness and the lack of race visibility (Jupp et al., 2019). It is also necessary to

26
develop an equity focused frame based on racial identity and consciousness (Dowd & Bensimon,
2015). While there is recognition for racial consciousness development in equity work, a specific
focus on white educator’s own racial identity needs to be central when developing race visible
pedagogy (Jupp et al., 2019; McIntyre, 1997).
Expanding on the work of critical white studies (CWS) developed during the 1990s, Jupp
et al. (2019) argued for a new approach to CWS through the development of race evasive white
teacher identity studies. Jupp and his colleagues (2019) studied the last 25 years of race evasive
white teacher identity studies literature and found 47 studies to review and draw findings. The
term ‘race evasive’ is used in this study to explain a framework of colorblind racism in relation
to whiteness and white privilege. The findings showed through the studies examined, white
educators need to be engaged in and reflective of their whiteness. Further, there is a need to
integrate critical white studies in multicultural education (Jupp et al., 2019). The study of
whiteness includes colorblind and colormute behaviors of whites, white resistance, white
fragility, and the discursive practices whites use when confronted with race or racism. These
behaviors are reproduced in white society and it must be the role of whites to examine their
behaviors and perspectives at the core of equity work (DiAngelo, 2011; Jupp et al., 2019;
McIntyre, 1997; Yoon, 2012).
It is important to recognize the work of bell hooks, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Derrick Bell
who placed African American racial identity at the center of their work (Jupp et al., 2019).
Whites need to do the same in order to create a more equitable and socially just multicultural
education system as they learn to decenter whiteness in their practices and in institutions of
learning (Frankenburg, 1997; Jupp et al., 2019). Jupp et al. (2019) advocated for educators to be
taught an anti-racist praxis, receive racial identity training, and work on reflexivity in their
thinking and practices. Race must be made visible; this centrality of race, including white racial

27
identity, is necessary for multicultural education to provide equitable learning opportunities for
students.
Confronting race and racism begins with recognizing the ways whiteness controls the
conversation about race. To bring race into the forefront, the silences must be addressed, and
white fragility needs to be confronted (Castagno, 2008; DiAngelo, 2011; McIntyre, 1997; Myers
& Finnigan, 2018; Yoon, 2012). The strength of race neutral multiculturalism based on
assimilationist practices makes having conversations about race and racism in educational equity
discussions difficult. It encourages the discursive use of ‘diversity’ in these conversations
(Castagno, 2008; Dowd & Bensimon, 2015; McIntyre, 1997; Welton et al., 2015; Yoon, 2012).
This emerging change in multicultural education will also require embracing social action as a
feature of equity practices in schools.
Multicultural Education Framed by Social Action
A social action approach to multicultural education will challenge the reliance on deficit
thinking and colorblind educational practices. One of the two main common interests of critical
race theory is the understanding that one does not engage in a racial approach without working to
change the conditions that have led to systemic oppression (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). This
call for social action is highlighted in Ladson-Billings and Tate’s (1995) seminal work on critical
race theory and education. Rather than relying on hegemonic systems that perpetuate the racial
status quo, it is the work of critical race scholars and educators to place race first to critique,
challenge, and demand change (Crenshaw et al.,1995; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995).
To engage white educators in the development of a multicultural anti-racist mindset,
there is a need for deep reflection and the study of their own racial identity, so they are able to
critically analyze how their practices lead to continued systemic whiteness. Otherwise, white
educators can hide behind their ‘caring’ for students of color and not critiquing practices that set

28
low expectations for students of color (McIntyre, 1997). Pennington et al. (2012) relied on the
Helms model of white identity to place ‘caring’ at a fairly low level of white racial
consciousness. This study contended that ‘caring’ for students is a racist act that sustains white
privilege. When looking at these behaviors with white fragility, this behavior is commonly
referred to as the white savior (Di Angelo, 2011). Caring behaviors cloak students of color in
whiteness and false relationships that do not address the racial implications of instructional
practices and further marginalize education for students of color (Pennington, 2012). Yoon
(2012) further contended that caring for students of color is a behavior that is akin to
colorblindness and colormuteness, as it allows race to be hidden in the folds of white educator
‘care’. In order for white educators to be effective in their educational practices, there needs to be
a critical examination of their own racial identity and how moving beyond ‘caring’ can transform
into social action in classroom pedagogy.
As Pennington (2012) stated, the further whites progress in their own racial identity,
along the Helms racial identity criteria, the further towards a more social action approach to
multicultural education they will move. Castagno (2009) developed a continuum of multicultural
education that compliments Helms’ white racial identity model. Both models grow more racially
aware as it progresses towards social action. At the highest levels of Castagno’s typology,
educators create change by allowing students to engage in social activism. By creating awareness
of oppression, designing transformative learning experiences, and allowing for constructive
problem solving, teachers provide students with the tools to become critical consumers of their
own education through a racial lens. This requires high levels of white racial identity by the
educators themselves (Castagno, 2009). Developing white educators to be race visible and
enacting social action within themselves and their students are both dependent on the essential
examination of whiteness at work in schools (Jupp et al., 2019; McIntyre, 1997; Yoon, 2012).

29
Making Multicultural Education Focused on Whiteness
Both Theoharis and Haddix (2011) and Sleeter (2001) posit that white educators need to
understand their white racial identity to prevent the continuation of a white dominant educational
system. White educators need to see their whiteness to begin to dismantle racism and face race.
In her later work, Alice McIntyre (2002) designed a study around the question, “can questioning
whiteness and racial identity at system-level interrupt racism?” (p.32). The study examined the
need to critique how white educators resist looking at their whiteness and their white privilege.
McIntyre (2002) determined that centering whiteness for white educators provided space for
them to challenge their own racism and systems-level racist norms. Further, Ortiz and Rhoads
(2000) called for an analysis of whiteness in order to evolve multicultural education. White
educators need to understand their racial identity culturally, psychologically, and in their
educational environment. The study examined how allowing educators to confront their white
fragility and privilege encouraged a strengthening of multicultural education. If educators
continue business as usual, whiteness will build on its universal nature and oppression is
maintained. Chubbuck (2004) explained white educators need to reexamine their racial identity
to establish new meaning based on anti-racism. Castagno (2013) believed whiteness has
neutralized multicultural education to be “a way we do diversity and equity but really just
perpetuating whiteness” (p107). In her study, Castagno (2013) observed and interviewed
educators at eight high schools to understand the implications of whiteness in a multicultural
education framework. Her findings summarized that educators were not aware of their whiteness
and thus maintained white systems of oppression. The study highlighted a need to challenge
current multicultural education practices to connect to social action and the critique of whiteness
to improve equity-minded practices.

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The use of critical white studies (CWS) can be an avenue to place whiteness as a focus of
multicultural education to allow for the decentering of whiteness in the system. Aligning with the
premise of critical race theory, critical white studies recognized that whiteness is the foundation
of American racism and by not placing it as the focus of the work, whiteness will secure racism
into the future (Matias et al., 2014). CWS asks for whites to be a critical part of disrupting racism
and deconstructing whiteness, both emotionally and politically (Case, 2012; Jupp et al., 2019;
Matias & Mackey, 2015). Being critical about whiteness asks whites to go deeper than the
identification of their white racial being but to be responsible for their responses to race and
racism (Matias & Mackey, 2015). The research of Cabrera et al., (2016) was located at the
university level and shed light on what they referred to as “white institutional spaces” (p. 119).
The white institutional spaces included the epistemological and cultural environment of
institutions that serve whites while oppressing people of color. There is a need for white students
to face and address their whiteness as a first step to realizing the unconsciousness and oppressive
nature of whiteness (Cabrera et al., 2016).
Use of Typologies to Advance Racial Identity Development to Improve Equity-Minded
Practices in Multicultural Education
Both Jupp et al. (2019) and Castagno (2009) offered typologies that place whiteness as
critical in multicultural educational practices. Castagno (2009) developed a typology for
multicultural education based on multiple studies of multicultural and CWS literature. The
typology has six categories of progression towards social action education. The continuum spans
from an assimilationist position rooted in deficit thinking and a ‘melting-pot’ focus to a critical
social action orientation position. In this most progressive placement, she outlined a
transformative approach that relies on multiple perspectives, antiracism and culturally responsive
teaching practices. Castagno (2009) argued that the inclusion of social action and the

31
interrogation of whiteness are necessary for critical multicultural education to occur. Ladson-
Billings and Tate (1995) concurred that critical race consciousness is a necessary part of
multicultural education.
Jupp et al. (2019), suggested a similar typology based on their extensive review of the
literature of white racial identity studies. Their typology begins in a similar place as Castagno
(2009) with a position of racialized colorblind and colormuted behaviors that make whiteness
invisible. Racial consciousness and challenges to deficit thinking become more pronounced as
one moves along the continuum. The final position calls for a race visible approach to
multicultural education based on white educators being reflexive and analyzing their own racial
identity in their educational practices with students of color.
Both approaches focus on the necessity of white racial identity and whiteness as the focus
for white educators to examine their equity practices. The literature highlighted the centrality of
white educators to engage in their own development of learning about white racial identity,
whiteness, privilege, fragility, and of being critical reflectors of their pedagogy (Castagno, 2009;
Jupp et al., 2019). These two typologies lay out the progression of the white educator to develop
skills, mindsets, behaviors, and perceptions that will lead to a more equity-minded approach to
multicultural education.
Conceptual Framework

This study draws on critical race theory. Critical race theory is based on critical legal
studies which analyzes current approaches to legal and societal issues through the lens of race,
racism and oppression. The main tenets of critical race theory include the permanence and
endemic nature of racism (Bell, 1995; DeCuir & Dixson, 2004; Haynes 2017), the recognition
that whiteness is property (DeCuir & Dixson, 2004; Harris, 1995), a critique of legal liberalism

32
(Crenshaw, 1988; DeCuir & Dixson, 2004), the use of the counter-narrative (Crenshaw et al.,
1995), and reliance on interest convergence (DeCuir & Dixson, 2004; Haynes, 2017; Delgado &
Stefancic, 2017). The first three were used in this literature review. A critical race approach to
multiculturalism weds decentralizing whiteness, cultural literacy, and expansive racial
consciousness to pedagogy to provide for a more race-visible and equity-minded approach to
teaching practices.
Multicultural education has been around since the 1960s with the educational purpose of
providing strategies, pedagogies, and methods for teaching diverse populations (Castagno, 2009).
Throughout the years, multicultural education has grown to become an over-reliant construct that
educators ‘use’ to teach diverse students, many times to the demise of students of color.
Multicultural education, in a more restrictive sense, can perpetuate colorblind, cultural deficit,
and assimilationist practices that uphold white dominant methods associated with poor academic
achievement of students of color (Banks, 2002; Castagno, 2013; Ortiz & Rhoads, 2000).
Developing a critical multicultural education focused on an expansive approach to equity and
critical whiteness requires a conceptual framework grounded in critical race theory that
demonstrated how practices need to be race visible, social action-orientated, and expansive about
racial consciousness (Castagno, 2009; Jupp et al., 2019; McIntyre, 1997; Matias & Mackey,
2016).
As seen in Table 1, the use of restrictive and expansive thinking is helpful to explore the three
areas of the study; personal racial awareness, pedagogy, and equity-mindedness.

33
Table 1
Conceptual Framework
Restrictive Expansive
White Racial
Identity
Teaching with an understanding of
their white race but may be
colorblind and can show white
privilege and white fragility in their
practices.
May rely on deficit thinking and
colorblindness in approach to
students of color.
Shows reflexive and critical
perceptions about being white and
how their whiteness affects their
practices. Relies on asset-based
perceptions of students of color and
instruction is race visible. Sees
whiteness as property
Pedagogy Uses pedagogy to limit interactions
with equity issues unless relevant.
Pedagogy may be race evasive
and/or colorblind.
May use equity-minded practices
but is race evasive and not
decentering whiteness in practice.

Uses pedagogy to reflect on past
practices and whiteness to engage in
how to make instruction more
equitable, especially students of color
Is both aware of whiteness and their
pedagogy and how these impact each
other. Is also critical of how whiteness
influences teaching and learning
Equity-minded Recognizes equity as a schoolwide
outcome and can rely on deficit
thinking and be race evasive in
their instruction.
May be aware of whiteness but
may not be critical of how
whiteness influences teaching and
learning.

Uses their white racial identify to
critique their practices and works to
be race visible in their instruction.
Can speak to equity-based
instructional practices both in the
school and in their own classes and
may use critical whiteness in their
reflexivity.

34
Conclusion
The journey for white educators is long and complex, however, is essential for an
expansionist race visible approach to multicultural educational practices that create the
conditions of success for students of color (Haynes, 2017; Jupp et al, 2019). Starting the journey
with understanding white racial identity and perceptions of race by white educators is an
important first step. The examination of how whiteness creates barriers and is, in fact, its own
barrier, is also an essential component to building race-visible equity-mindedness in white
educators. The need to build the tenets of critical race theory into multicultural education that
will provide for a critical white approach was also examined as a need for white educators to
embrace equity-mindedness (Castagno, 2013; Jupp et al., 2019). Examining the reality of the
racist educational system through the lens of whiteness places whiteness as the focus of the
examination of this reality and potentially continues to foster the dominance of whiteness in
educational practices (Frankenburg, 1997; Freire, 1970). However, that is the work ahead of us,
to ask white educators to examine their place in this work and expect social action and anti-
racism in their practices as they work to decenter whiteness as the end goal.

35
Chapter Three: Methodology

The focus of this study was white teachers’ perspective of their racial identity and how
this shapes their equity-mindedness in their teaching pedagogy. A qualitative study allowed for
an exploration of participant’s personal experience and how they addressed the research
questions raised. The purpose of this study was to examine how white teachers' understanding of
their racial identity and consciousness form beliefs about their equity-minded practices.
Conducting semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with white, high school teachers about their
own racial identity and perspectives on teaching practices allowed insights into their instruction.
This chapter outlines the research questions driving this inquiry and outlines the methods used to
acquire answers and understandings.
Research Questions:
The following three research questions guided the study:
1. What are the perceptions of white teachers related to their own racial identity and
consciousness?
2. What are the perceptions of white teachers regarding equity-minded pedagogy?
3. In what ways does racial consciousness expand or restrict equity-minded pedagogical
decision-making?
Overview of Design
The design of this study was qualitative. To explore how white educators perceive their
own racial identity and how this influences their equity-minded instructional practices, a careful
qualitative approach to data gathering was essential. Personal interviews were conducted to
gather white teacher insights into understanding educators’ perceptions about their racial identity
and their work in the classroom. Due to the sensitive and deeply conceptual nature of the topic,

36
semi-structured, one-on-one interviews allowed for a discussion and deeper probing into the
issues around race, whiteness, and equity in education (Patton, 1987). The researcher had the
opportunity, through interviews, to examine the complex ideas around race, racism, and teaching
as white teachers. Personal interviews were the only method used to gather data for the study.
A small, purposeful sample of white teachers were used to explore the beliefs and perspectives
regarding racial identity, consciousness, and equity-minded pedagogy (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). The study critically examined how educators in white, affluent suburban high school
communities understand their own racial identity and equity-mindedness and how this may
influence their pedagogy. The research design provided for a postmodern approach to
interviewing that allows for multiple perspectives and perceptions of the teacher’s personal
experience (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Research Setting
The setting for the research study was a predominantly white, traditional, comprehensive
high school in the north San Francisco Bay Area. The school is in an affluent suburban
neighborhood that has changed demographically over the past decade. The high school, Coyote
High School (pseudonym), is located in a suburb just north of San Francisco. There were 1,230
students enrolled in grades 9-12 at the time of the study. Coyote High School showed 50% of
their student demographics were white with 88% of their teaching staff being white. The rest of
their staff and student demographics were predominantly Latinx (California Dataquest, 2020).
The participants for this study were chosen from those who volunteer to provide a full
examination of the perspectives and beliefs of white educators who work at predominantly white
high schools. The research questions revolved around how white teachers perceive their racial
identity and consciousness, their perceptions around equity, and their use of equity-minded

37
practices with students. Most high schools have predominantly white educators, as the nation has
over 80% of the teacher workforce those who identify as white (Bitterman et al., 2013).
However, the researcher was interested in how white teachers perceive the research questions in
predominantly white school settings because of the challenges of addressing equity in the vast
presence of whiteness.
The Researcher
In her seminal work on whiteness, Frankenburg (1997) raised a concern about being
white and how focusing on white people may create more whiteness. This was a concern of the
researcher in both conducting the interviews and completing the study as a whole. The need to
focus on whiteness for white teachers to see how being white impacts their instructional practices
was necessary in order to decenter whiteness moving forward. As a white person, the researcher
recognized the probability an axiology was created in the study that perpetuates whiteness even
when the hope is to decenter whiteness in practice. According to Saunders (2019), researchers
often bring their own values into the study. The concern of perpetuating whiteness in this study
may hold true because the dominance of whiteness was present and unconsciousness in the
researcher of whiteness in the study.
The concern of positionality, in regard to the researcher’s role of an administrator
interviewing teachers was also present. The consideration that the researcher held the position as
a high school principal in the same county as the study school was a potential power liability for
participants, even if they worked at a different school and district. Creating a strong initial
rapport and using the role of the researcher was essential to get participants to feel comfortable
with the interview subject material (Patton, 1987). In the role of school administration and being
white could cause a positionality of colonizer and exploiter the researcher had to be highly

38
reflective around during the study. This positionality was essential to keep in the forefront so it
was clear what was the purpose of the research and who it might benefit (Glesne, 2011).
According to Wilson (2008), there is a need to create a narrative that is thoughtful of the
relational accountability for any continuation of white supremacy and further colonization of
white privilege. It was necessary to have the interviews free of judgement if the teachers showed
signs of white dominance in their practices. Remaining neutral allowed for accurate data to be
recorded without influence on the interviewees of potential social acceptability influence. Being
aware about the existence of the power of white privilege was essential in the data collection in
order to move forward with mindfulness about how the researcher’s white identity may
perpetuate whiteness. In order to mitigate this, the researcher allowed for responses to be audio
and video recorded without bias and remained visually neutral during the interviews which could
have elicited challenging responses centered on whiteness.
Data Sources
The data sources included interviews with voluntary participants at a California high
school. This qualitative study relied solely on semi-structured one-on-one interviews to gather
data on white teacher racial identity perspectives.
Interviews
The qualitative method for the study was one-on-one interviews. The method of
interviews allowed for feelings, thoughts, and perspectives (Patton, 1987). Interviews were
essential given the topic of the inquiry. There were nineteen interview questions that provided
insights into the three research questions.

39
Participants
The study included a purposeful selection of 12 white teachers. The participants were
volunteers from a predominantly white high school with mostly white educators. The method of
choosing teachers was purposeful and selective in regard to their identified race. The participants
were asked to volunteer for the study and given full information about the study and their rights
to participate and discontinuance if desired (Glesne, 2011). These educators were purposefully
selected based on their representative nature (being white) and across the range of teacher
experiences, and disciplines currently teaching (Maxwell, 2013). The recruitment took place
through the site principal and an email introduction of the study and to ask for volunteers within
the criteria. The researcher interviewed 12 participants and a saturation point was reached and a
clear representation of multiple perspectives became apparent, which is essential with a post-
modern world view (Merriam and Tisdell, 2016). The use of a small, purposeful sample of white
teachers provided insights into the particular beliefs and perspectives white educators have about
their own race and their equity-based instructional work with students.
Instrumentation
The interview protocol was a collection of nineteen questions that opened with a focus on
the teacher's experience with their students in their own classroom. The remaining two sections
of the interview protocol moved into a discussion on the equity work in their school and ended
with an exploration about race, specifically their white racial identity. The interview protocol is
found in Appendix A. This semi-structured approach allowed participants to make connections
between the questions and add information with prompts or follow-up questions. The study
involved building knowledge around white teachers and if/how their whiteness interferes with

40
their equity work. The questions opened with a discussion about their own classroom, students
and students of color specifically. Then there was an examination of their perspectives on equity-
based instructional practices both school-wide and in individual classrooms. The questions were
designed to address the conceptual framework in regard to where teachers might sit in their
growth towards equity-mindedness. The questions were also based on general professional
development the administration provided around equity and should be easier to answer and
contribute insights into their understanding of equity, practices they use, and how cognizant they
are of this pedagogy. This approach allowed for multiple perspectives and the development of a
holistic approach to the research questions (Weiss, 1994). The questions then turned to the issue
of racial identity and consciousness.
The conceptual framework for this study was designed to explore the layers of race,
racial consciousness, and the role of racial identity in equity-minded pedagogy. The goal of the
interview was to explore whiteness and if/how it restricted or expanded thinking about equity-
mindedness, which is the essence of the study.
Data Collection Procedures
Data collection took place during the 2020 pandemic, and the use of an online meeting
space was used to meet COVID restrictions. The use of the Zoom online meeting platform
allowed for both an audio transcription and a video recording that was used to complete the notes
and transcription that are taken during the interview. While face-to-face interviews would have
been preferable, due to the pandemic, the use of Zoom was required for meetings. Also, the
audio recording and watching the video recording were helpful and both are recommended by

41
research (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016; Patton, 1987). Notes were taken on both verbal and visual
observations during the interview. Each interview lasted between 30-45 minutes.
Data Analysis
The interviews were completed with both Zoom recordings and transcripts created for
review and data analysis. Notes were taken during the interviews on both the answers provided
and the manners and gestures observed from the participants during the interviews. There were
also reflections recorded after each interview to capture thoughts and reactions from the
researcher. The transcripts, notes, and reflections were all coded starting with an intentional
review of all data. Coding began with open and a-priori codes that allowed for more descriptive
codes to be generated. As more analysis of the data took place, axial and comparative codes
emerged. Frequencies were noted and from the codes and other analysis, findings became
apparent (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). As the themes became more clear, it was essential to check
the frequencies and nuances of each theme to determine what the actual findings were from the
data. This narrowing of the findings to represent what the data was demonstrating was both
challenging and rewarding to see the analysis come forward.
Validity and Reliability
According to Merriam and Tisdell (2016), the use of a post-modernist perspective
presents validity issues. Because of the use of multiple perspectives and the role of the
researcher, the methods and presentation of the study had validity indicators involved to check
the credibility of the data collected. It is important to ensure that the findings match what they
were intended to study. Three methods were used to ensure validity; 1.) reflexivity; 2.) member
checking; and 3.) rich text. Because the researcher and participants all identified as white,

42
reflexivity on behalf of the researcher was essential. The values stepped in whiteness permeated
the study and thus reflecting after each interview and notes was important to check items that
may have been overlooked because of the researcher’s whiteness or too criticized because of
whiteness. This reflexivity was also checked by discussing the whiteness and findings with
another racially conscious white person and a person of color to help see the white frame of
mind.
For this study, the use of member checking was also an essential reliability step to take
(Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Each person interviewed was provided their transcript and one
participant added more to one question. Otherwise, a few participants expressed gratitude for
being able to see their script and for being included in the study. It was essential to allow the
participants to review their interview transcripts. Receiving this respondent validation was
helpful to check bias and white privilege that was apparent in this study (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). It was also interesting and important to check the interview data with the rich literature
used during the study. Fortunately, there were a number of studies of other white educators and
their responses to whiteness that provided a sounding board for the interview data and allowed
for constant reflection on this study and how it compares and differs to other studies. The
interview process was essential to reflect on the researcher’s whiteness and how this positionality
influenced the notes taken and the perspective included in these notes.
Ethics
As a qualitative researcher, the data was collected through interview conversations with
participants to answer the research questions. The participants needed to enter into the interviews
with knowledge of their rights as human subjects. According to Glesne (2011), the use of an
information overview was necessary to guide and have understanding so that participants know
of their volunteer status, the confidentiality of the discussions, and their right to withdrawal from

43
the study for any reason. The use of a study information overview was used, and a reminder of
the purpose was stated before we began the interviews. Due to the sensitive and personal nature
of the interview questions, it was important that participants understood what the study was
about and their role as research subjects.
To further provide safety in the study, the researcher found participants outside of the
school and district in which the researcher worked. As a school principal, the researcher used
participants from a school in the San Francisco Bay Area that was predominantly white but
where the positionality of the researcher was not known or did not exert any influence over the
participants and their employment. It was important that the participants did not feel their
answers had any influence over their performance review or other forms of evaluation from their
own administration. The confidential nature of the data was important to address and adhere to
throughout the process of this study.
From the world view of post-modern and critical-transformative (Creswell & Creswell,
2018), it was essential that the researcher remained vigilant to the critical nature of how
whiteness impacts every interaction and the role race evasive and colorblind norms play for
students of color in education. As a white woman, the researcher remained reflexive in her own
whiteness and racial bias as interviews took place of the participants (Merriam &Tisdell, 2016).
The role of settler-colonizer in the study was ever-present and the lack of counter-storytelling in
a white educational setting was an important omission of the study (Tuck & Yang, 2014). The
concern of perpetuating harm done to people of color in education was the dominant ethical
consideration and grappling with how this study could benefit students of color and allow for
awareness for the white people who teach them was the core of the purpose and concerns of
leading this study (Tuck & Yang, 2014).

44
There were other ethical concerns in this study, addressed through positionality and
power. Glesne (2011) drew attention to the need to assess how research positively and negatively
affects communities. While the study is focused on white educators, it could have impacted
others in the educational community. Tuck and Yang (2014) raised salient questions also echoed
by Frankenburg in her 1997 work about the fear of centering on whiteness. The concern that this
study could continue the colonial narrative was present (Tuck & Wang, 2014). It was important
to not perpetuate a white supremacist legacy and invoke white fragility in those who most need
to learn from the study. When considering Tuck and Wang’s (2014) analysis, it was easier to
justify that this research does need to be completed to further understand white educator
perspectives of their own racial identity. Yet, even in the researcher’s conviction, there is a
wonder about being a white elitist. This called for active and persistent reflexivity.

45
Chapter Four: Findings

The research focused on exploring white teacher’s perceptions of their own racial identity
and consciousness and reflections on their equity-minded pedagogy. The research sought to
answer the following questions:
1. What are the perceptions of white teachers related to their own racial identity and
consciousness?
2. What are the perceptions of white teachers regarding equity-minded pedagogy?
3. In what ways does racial consciousness expand or restrict equity-minded pedagogical
decision-making?
The qualitative research was conducted using semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with white
teacher volunteers from a predominantly white suburban high school. Due to the highly
contextualized nature of the questions and the possible sensitive discussion around race, racism,
and whiteness, interviews were the only method used to collect data to create a safe space for
teacher participants.
Participants

The participants involved in the study were twelve volunteer teachers from one high
school in Northern California. The researcher recruited participants who identified as ‘white’ for
the purposes of this study. All the participants were interviewed via Zoom, due to COVID
restrictions during the 2020 pandemic. The teacher volunteers have been given pseudonyms for
this study as presented in Table 2 to protect their anonymity. The teachers represented a variety
of academic subjects including math, social studies, AVID, science, English, world language, art,
and computer science. They ranged in their years of service from early in their career to
completing the final years before retirement. All participants identified as either men or women

46
in the interviews; however, gender neutral pseudonyms are used to further aid with protecting the
participant’s confidentiality.

Table 2
Participant Demographics
Pseudonym of Participant Years of experience in education
Alex 20+ years
Avery 20+ years
Drew Between 10-20 years
Emerson Less than 10 years
Jaime Between 10-20 years
Lou 20+ years
Madison Less than 10 years
Orian Between 10 and 20 years
Quinn Between 10 and 20 years
Riley Between 10 and 20 years
Sydney Between 10 and 20 years
Tovar Less than 10 years

47
Thematic Overview for Research Questions Presented
Drawing on critical race theory, the categories of restrictive and expansive perceptions
regarding racial identity and equity-minded pedagogy were used during analysis to make
connections across all three research questions. Restrictive thinking relies on limited reflection of
race and racism and uses colorblind and/or deficit beliefs to define the race work and students in
their classrooms (Haynes, 2017). Expansive thinking includes an awareness of race and racism
and is critical of how whiteness plays a central role in pedagogy (Haynes, 2017). For example, it
was common for participants to share personal stories when asked about their racial identity. As
seen in Table 3, more restrictive perceptions were associated with personal stories that justified
whiteness, whereas more expansive perceptions were associated with personal stories that
challenged assumptions about whiteness. Each of the findings for the research questions
provided evidence from participants that exemplified both restrictive and expansive perceptions
about the study. Organizing the data in this manner allowed for clarity of how these two
mindsets either advanced or limited an educator’s ability to infuse equity in their pedagogy.
Reading and analyzing the evidence through these lenses provided a framework for
contextualizing how perceptions either create opportunities or limit thinking. While this analysis
will be further explored in the discussion in chapter five, Table 3 offers an overview of the main
findings organized in this manner that are discussed further in this chapter by each research
question.

48
Table 3
Findings identified for each research question
Research question one: What are the perceptions of white teachers related to their own
racial identity and consciousness?
Finding Organization of finding
● Being white aware Restrictive: Exhibits perspectives of colorblind and race
neutral language in describing their white identity
Expansive: Exhibits race visibility and awareness of
whiteness in themselves and in the classroom
● Use of personal stories
to connect racial identity
Restrictive: Use of personal story to justify whiteness
Expansive: Use of personal story to challenge assumptions
Research question two: What are the perceptions of white teachers regarding equity-minded
pedagogy?
Finding Organization of finding
● Defining equity Restrictive: Common to use deficit-based explanations
Expansive: Overall traits shared a mostly expansive
approach to understanding equity
● Familiarity with
pedagogy and connection
to identity
Restrictive: Limited ability to connect pedagogy with why
they teach and their racial identity
Expansive: Understood pedagogy and connected to equity
practices
● Schoolwide Equity
Projects to Explain
Equity
Restrictive: Use of schoolwide projects to define and
explain equity
Expansive: Connected schoolwide projects to overall use
of equity
● Deficit/Asset based
thinking
Restrictive: Reliance on deficit thinking about students of
color
Expansive: Reliance on asset-based thinking about
students of color

49
Research question 3: In what ways does racial consciousness expand or restrict equity-
minded pedagogical decision-making?
Finding Organization of finding
● Ownership over equity
practices
Restrictive: Upholding white dominant interest and not
taking ownership over equity in their own work
Expansive: Equity is how teaching and learning happens
in the classroom and through social action
● Race awareness and
classroom pedagogy
Restrictive: White dominant interests, curriculum based
Expansive: White aware in pedagogy, student-based

Research Question One: What are the Perceptions of White Teachers Related to
their Own Racial Identity and Consciousness?
The interviews included twelve white high school teachers who spoke to their perceptions
about their racial identity, equity-minded pedagogy, and how their racial consciousness affected
their pedagogical decision-making. When asked to participate in the study, the only qualifier was
that they identified as white as their racial category. The first research question focused on their
racial awareness; two findings became evident and both illustrated the variance between
restrictive and expansive teacher perceptions. The participants shared about their own racial
awareness and provided personal stories that exemplified their racial understandings about their
own race and their relationship with race.
Teachers Varied in their Levels of White Racial Awareness of Themselves
Regarding their individual perceptions of their own racial identity and consciousness,
nine of the twelve teachers stated they were ‘white’ when asked directly about their race. The
other three stated they were of ‘European descent’ or a similar variance in their response. One

50
participant, Drew, proclaimed with conviction that “I am white!”. By contrast, Avery responded,
“I am 100% Irish, Irish American, and my grandma always said black Irish, because I swear if I
showed you pictures, one grandma has orange hair and the other one has auburn hair...Yeah, so I
would identify as Irish.” Although most participants racially identified as white, their answers
gave insights into the complexities around race and their own perspectives.
Restrictive Responses: Lacking Awareness of Racial Identity and Responding with Race
Neutral Thinking about Being White
Several teachers struggled with their racial identity and speaking directly about race and
the connection of race in their classrooms. Over half the teachers interviewed shared perspectives
that demonstrated being aware of their own race, yet less aware of the implications of being
white. This was exhibited in restrictive beliefs such as the use of colorblind or race evasive
thinking about their own white race and how whiteness influences more than they expressed. A
few participants shared that they infrequently thought about their race and equity practices. For
example, when asked about how often they think about their race, Avery responded, “I don’t
really think about it that much. It’s not high on my thought process.” When asked if they discuss
race with their students, Avery continued, “Usually on the first day of school. That’s about it.”
Lou responded to the same prompt similarly, and said, “Not much. And again, that’s because I
guess here, I am, I’m white and European, those were the colonists that came over and had all
the power.” Sydney’s reaction to the question of what it means to be white and if she thinks
about their own race was similar to other’s responses:
[I am] of European descent with...Nothing that I know of other than European descent...I
think that's the crazy thing is I don't think about being white, which I think is probably a
privilege of being white. I don't think about it. And I think that's not something
everybody is given…that gift. I think some people are in a position where they are

51
constantly thinking about their race. And I view it as a gift that is not necessarily
warranted, but it is what it is.
Sydney expressed their understanding about being white and white privilege and shared their
beliefs that they understood how white privilege worked. Riley shared their thoughts about being
white and provided a viewpoint that explained how being white can be understood as the
expulsion of culture and identity:
I would argue that it's [being white] a diagnosis of exclusion. You're white if you don't
fit any of the other categories. But there's no culture of being white...There's a culture of
certain groups of people who we would collectively call white, but they come from a
common background, Italian... I guess white, but I don't really think of that as an
identity. I don't have a cultural identity in the way that a lot of people do.
These examples all shared an understanding of being included in a white racial group without
much further explanation beyond the exclusion of white being a culture or that white privilege
allows them not to think about race. The general understanding that being white was an
explanation within itself seemed complete to these teachers. Riley identified the common
perception that white is not really a race or culture and it is defined by being the absence of what
race is considered to be.
When asked to reflect on their race in relation to their role as a teacher, many of the
teachers responded with a quizzical look, mentioned that this was a good question, and shared
they had not thought about it. While Drew expressed an overall awareness that they were white,
they did not make a race visible connection to their work with their students. Drew shared:
Yes. Maybe not over...Well, no, yes I do. I say, well, come on I'm a white [person] what
do I know? It's mostly from that. And again, there's also the age factor too, so I can throw
that in as well. But yeah. It's like, I don't know, what did you say? ...And I talked to them

52
also about some of my shortcomings, that I was a white person growing up in a white
world, I had white teachers who taught me about white [people].
These perceptions provided insights into how the teachers thought about their own white identity
and shared the limited examination of being white. Riley and Drew minimized their white
identity and did not make a connection to their classrooms or their practices. Eight of the
teachers interviewed understood their own white identity but did not explain how being white
may influence their students in their classrooms or their instructional practices. From the
interviews, these teachers accepted being white but did not engage in discussions of their race in
their work with students.
Expansive Responses: Demonstrating White Racial Awareness and Understanding the
Implications of Whiteness on Their Teaching
Of the twelve teachers interviewed, four held expansive thinking about their white racial
awareness. These teachers shared a deeper understanding of their own racial identity, what it
means to be white, and how it affects their teaching practice. Teachers with a more expansive
view talked about race often. Moreover, they identified what it meant to have white privilege,
and how that awareness influenced their work with students. They also separated race from
socioeconomic status when discussing students of color. Two teachers also recognized in
themselves some behaviors that demonstrated white fragility. Orian explained:
There's a lot of privilege, and I don't just say that because of the word white privilege
being thrown around a lot lately. But I came from a fairly poor family, and yet I was able
to be pretty accomplished. And I think that a lot of it's because of my race. I think people
who are of color, who grew up with the same economic state that I did, did not have the
same opportunities that I did. And I think I recognize that, and I think there's a lot of

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privilege...I know just by the nature of where I was born and to whom I was born, there
are different opportunities.
Orian recognized that although they grew up with a lower socioeconomic status, being white
offered opportunities that were unavailable to people of color. This critical perspective of their
own life experience exemplified how they were able to see how being white gave them
opportunities and this awareness can influence how they work as a teacher. Jaime felt similarly
and shared that they frequently thought about being white and the power that inherently comes
from being white. Jaime also shared their thoughts about white supremacy and the responsibility
as a white person to be mindful of their race when interacting with students. For example:
I think pretty regularly about being white. I think that white supremacy is a white
problem and so I think because of that, as a white person, I need to think a lot about that.
That doesn't necessarily mean to deny that I am white but just to understand the way that
when I show up in a room or when I am interacting with others, I am both doing so as an
individual and as an embodiment of all of the ideology and power and pressure that
comes with whiteness so especially my interactions with students, I'm keenly aware of
and I always try to be more aware of how, even when I try to be humanizing, I am
humanizing from a position of power. When I am humanizing, it is voluntary. It is a
white person selecting to be humanizing rather than a kind of default situation because of
the way whiteness has functioned historically in the US. So, I am very aware of my
whiteness, probably more so with students than I am with my friends or family because
of the nature of schooling work as I think that education is, at least the way that I like to
think of it, is an essentially reflective act in teaching students I need to reflect in myself
and so I think that teachers, it permits itself a little bit of reflectiveness and I think that
with that comes a racial reflection as well.

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Jamie demonstrated that with expansive thinking, the importance of white racial consciousness
needed to be visible when working with students in all contexts. Working in a way where white
racial identity is visible, student interactions look different than colorblind examples where race
is avoided or addressed through cultural or socioeconomic discussions. When asked if they talk
about race with their students, Tovar explained:
Yes, absolutely. I think it's really helpful, not just for my students of color, obviously, but
for my white students. I tell them like, "I'm a former white boy." I have the experience of
being exactly like my students who are completely ignorant of their race because they
live in the hierarchy of the country and of our school community. So, I think I talk about
my race a lot.
When asked about what it means to be white, Tovar provided insight on how more expansive
perceptions about being white impacted their role in the classroom and how they interacted with
the students. Tovar and Jaime explained how being white is at the forefront of their thinking
while teaching and how this impacted their interaction, their instruction, and thus, their
pedagogy. This perception was related to how they interacted in the classroom. Teachers with
more expansive perspectives understood the implications of being white and how their white
identity awareness influenced classroom discussions and interactions. The four teachers who
could speak to being white aware in their instructional work demonstrated an inclusion of race in
their work and how they brought race into the classroom intentionally.
Teachers Varied in How They Used their Personal Stories Regarding White Racial Identity
When asked about their race or their teaching, the phrase, “we teach how we were
taught” was mentioned by six of the twelve teachers to refer to the reliance teachers have on
using practices from their own education to model in their current work. Orian explained,
“...everyone's married to the way you did it the first year...everyone is so married to the way that

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they did it or the way they had it done to them in high school.” The use of explaining how they
were taught to explain their practices currently demonstrated perspectives about how they have
dealt with race in their teaching practices. The use of their own racial background through a
personal story justified their whiteness and moved the conversation away from race. This
personal narrative also explained how their racial life experience helped them to become more
race aware with students. When discussing race, it is common for people to use a personal
narrative to explain how one comes to an understanding of race, and this understanding can limit
or expand their relationship with race.
Restrictive Responses: The Use of Personal Stories to Justify Whiteness

Three teachers shared personal stories that explained how being white was a part of who
they were yet did not expand their thinking beyond their own whiteness. Their personal
narratives explained their own limited relationship with race and, many times, how they moved
from the story from race to other topics. When asked about their race and what it means to be
white, Emerson stated:
I’m white, I’m the whitest person ever, I think. I don't know. I'm probably just really
boring...I did the ancestry DNA thing and I don't have very much. It was like 100% of my
family comes from England or Germany. So I don't have much diversity and I grew up in
a small town in the Midwest, so I didn't have much exposure to many people of different
ethnic backgrounds, and different cultural backgrounds.
When asked about how often they think about being white, Emerson continued, “Probably never.
I probably don't think about it unless I'm joking.” Emerson’s discussion of race demonstrated a
limited relationship to their race by explaining how they did not think about race in their lives.

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Sydney reflected in a similar manner in their story and avoided discussing their race when asked
about if they think about being white:
I would say no. Because again, I just... You know what I think of more than race all the
time is socioeconomic. And the reason is, I think. I grew up in rural Missouri, very rural.
And my mom and dad were both unique. They both were college educated folks. My
mom again, was a teacher. My dad worked for the forest service, but the vast majority of
people in our small town, which is under population 2000, were not college educated, and
my mom... I will never forget her coming home being upset that her little kiddos had
brought her a Christmas present and she's like, "They don't have money for this" and she
was just like, "They've got to stop doing this. That's not why I'm here." So I think I've
always been way more in tune with that sort of injustice than... I don't know.
Sydney’s focus on their parents’ socioeconomic story, when asked about if they think about
being white, was an example of avoiding discussing race when asked directly about their race.
This example demonstrated a more restrictive form of racial consciousness by avoiding race and
instead, focusing on the socioeconomic implications of one’s racial story. Examples of personal
stories evolving from race into topics of poverty and socioeconomic issues is common when
white people are asked to discuss race and Sydney demonstrated this in their story.
Teachers also used personal stories to assert the restrictive perspective of colorblindness.
For example, Alex suggested that racism is not a critical issue in their school or community,
“I’ve lived here my whole life pretty much. I don’t see that racism in this county, in this
community is a major issue. I just don’t see it.” Lou expanded on this sentiment when they
shared a personal story related to their own heritage:
Well, I became a citizen when I was 23 and my dad is British, my mom's Canadian but
from British parents. So, I definitely connect with my British heritage. So, I don't know, I

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guess, I don't even know how it impacts my life. I realized when I lived in [other
countries], your culture is so ingrained in you that you don't even see the differences. You
kind of expect everyone else is going to act the way you do...But it's really ingrained, like
my European background and having a dad that's British is just so a part of who I am. I
don't even notice that it's different from other people until I notice something blatantly
different...
Lou provided an example of a race evasive tactic whereby white people divert the conversation
to discuss culture when asked about race or more specifically, their own racial identity. Their use
of their personal experience of living in other countries exemplified how people can avoid
making the conversation about race and focus on other qualities that are race neutral.
Drew provided an example in their personal story that shares a highly racialized
experience in their own life and they came to a race evasive conclusion. Drew shared a story
about teaching in Los Angeles when they entered the profession:
I don't think it [race] affects ...I mean, I'm sure it does at some point. I forgot to tell you, I
did my student teaching, I went to UC Irvine and my student teaching was done in
Compton in '93, '94. I mean, so it was ...I mean, I don't know. And that was after me
going to high school in Irvine, California, which is white and nothing else. I mean, and so
it was a real eye-opener to me and it was kept always in my head. I don't know if I
necessarily ... Well, I mean, okay, so ... and also, because I know that you tend to call on
people as far as boys, girls, gender and things like that, I always, when I call people up to
the board, I'll go two girls and two boys, two girls and two boys and two girls and two
boys. And same thing. And so, every single person, no matter who it is, has to talk three
times. And I put little dots by their name. I'm still doing that right now, so I know that I'm
hearing them.

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In this example, Drew used their lived experience to demonstrate a potentially racialized
teaching experience (teaching in Compton, a high-density African American neighborhood in
Los Angeles) without explicitly naming race. This form of race avoidance is limited in how they
explained their experience and the identification of the race of the people they are interacting
with in their lived experience. Drew never stated that their students were African American or if
they differed from them racially. They further used discursive tactics to turn the conversation to
how they learned to regulate gender equality in their classroom today.
Expansive Responses: Use of Personal Story to Challenge Assumptions

Several teachers shared their personal life experiences in a manner that helped them
understand their whiteness and consider how to become more racially conscious with their own
race work and in their interactions with students of color. In their personal stories, these teachers
grappled with how their past has led to their own understanding of being white. They questioned
where they came from and how they used their lived experiences to reflect on their racial growth.
Orian provided this insight:
I think, again, I'm more aware of my whiteness when I'm working with a student of color
than when I'm working with another student who's white. And it may be to a detriment,
but I try really hard to get it right...I want to make sure that I'm not offensive. I want to
make sure that I'm not my father. And I love my father, but...And again, I grew up in a
town where the KKK still marches today. There's still a foothold in my hometown. And I
went to a high school that had two Black students the entire time I was there. And they
were only allowed to come, allowed to come, to a public school because they could play
football. I left [place of childhood] for a reason, and I'm trying so hard to be the antithesis
to that, that I don't think about it so much when I'm around people of my own color,

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because it's not an issue of course, unless it's a conversation that we're talking about race,
and then those things. But I don't think about it. But when I'm with a student of color, I'm
trying so hard to make sure I get it right, that sometimes I'm less of my authentic self.
In the interview, Orian reflected on their upbringing and how race played a factor. They further
reflected on how their parents and their own high school experience may have caused them to be
more racist but how they reflected on this to build their racial awareness. Rather than a more
restrictive perspective that avoided naming race or diverting attention, Orian focused the
interview on their own racial journey to build their own racial awareness and consciousness and
they were able to be critical of themselves when engaging with students of color.
Research Question One Summary
Of the twelve teachers, nine recognized some racial awareness of being white and could
allude to the privilege associated with their race. At the same time, they used race neutral
language that restricted their ability to see their lived experience as a means to advance their own
racial consciousness. The other three teachers demonstrated strong white awareness and were
also critical of how being white impacted their interactions with students. They further described
how reflecting on their lived experiences expanded their ability to be more race visible in
themselves and in their interactions with students of color.
Research Question Two: What are the Perceptions of White Teachers Regarding Equity-
Minded Pedagogy?
The twelve white teachers interviewed all provided insights into their perceptions about
equity-minded practices taking place in their school and classrooms. Consistent with the
conceptual framework and the first research question, these perspectives fell into a restrictive or
expansive understanding of equity-based pedagogy. This categorical approach to the findings
was used in the identification of how the teachers perceive equity. Four main findings emerged

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for the second research question and included a lack of a common understanding or definition of
equity, a depth of understanding around pedagogy that leads to equity, multiple references to
school-wide equity projects, and how teachers perceive students with a deficit or asset lens.
Lack of a Common Definition of Equity but Expansive Traits Exist with Most Teachers
The teachers interviewed gave interpretations of equity that provide both commonalities
and variance in their understanding of equitable classroom practices. When asked about the
attributes that are essential for an equity-minded teacher, the most common answers included an
awareness of what is and what is not equitable, being reflective, being open to working with
diverse populations, and patience. At the same time, no one common definition of equity
emerged from interviewees, other than many descriptions of the children on the boxes at a
baseball game that is used in many equity trainings to discuss the difference between equality
and equity with teachers (see Appendix B). The cartoon showed three people with different
heights on same-size boxes to look over a fence as ‘equality’ and the cartoon is shown again,
with different height boxes so each person can see over the fence as defined as equity. The
baseball game picture was used as an example by six of the twelve teachers when asked to define
equity. Further definitions provided both restrictive and expansive examples of equity.
Restrictive Responses: Teachers used Deficit-Based Explanations to Define Equity
More restrictive definitions focused on what the teacher provides for students who are
minoritized or in need of support and emphasized deficits in students. Two teachers discussed
equity as the need for different standards or pathways for students based on the deficits they
bring to the classroom. Emerson described equity in their classroom as “holding students to
different standards or different expectations” based on their abilities, home language, and the
level of support at home. Another teacher, Avery, explained that equity involved having
materials for all students regardless of their social-economic background. Avery defined equity

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in the classroom as, “providing everyone with materials, for one thing...But in the classrooms,
here’s the stuff. Everybody, this is what we’re using. You don’t need any special materials.”
Both Emerson and Avery used the limitations they believed students had as how they defined
equity. Both of these examples focused on what students do not have, or their deficits. When
defining equity directly, only these two teachers used direct deficit examples in their responses.
Expansive Responses: Overall Traits Shared by Teachers Expressed Expansive Thinking
about Equity
Ten of the teachers defined equity with a more student-centered, asset-based, expansive
approach. One teacher, Tovar, explained that having an equitable classroom meant that students
participated fully in every class. Two teachers, Alex and Quinn, explained how empathy is
essential in an equitable classroom to provide for multiple perspectives to be heard. Five teachers
discussed the essential attribute of providing support to allow students to access success. Riley
explained what equity looks like in the classroom when they stated, “I think equity looks like a
group of students with different backgrounds all succeeding at similar rates, but perhaps with
different supports to get them there.” Sydney further explained, “I want to make sure that Coyote
High School isn’t perpetuating systems that whatever was in place before they got to us, they
have an open door. They can do anything when they get to “Coyote’, and where we put the
supports in place to make sure they’re successful.” Madison explained further, “So at any
particular part of any lesson in any class, any type of student with any skill level is going to be
able to get a lot out of what the class is doing. Students are supported. Students are encouraged.”
The theme of centering on what the student brings (their assets) and providing the scaffolding
required was a common and expansive approach to describing equity by many of the teachers,
yet a common definition did not fully exist.

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Teachers were varied in their Familiarity with Pedagogy and the Connections to Identity
Pedagogy is an inherently complex concept, and a teacher's understanding of what it is
along with their beliefs around who they are, affects what and how they teach. Moreover, having
awareness of one’s own pedagogy is needed in order to be reflective about how to provide an
equitable learning environment through instruction. The framework of restrictive and expansive
thinking provides a look into both the teacher’s understanding of pedagogy and how this
understanding allows them to engage in equity in their teaching.
Restrictive Responses: Limited Ability to Connect Pedagogy to Why they Teach and their
Racial Identity
Half of the teachers interviewed were not familiar with or were unclear on their
understanding of pedagogy. A few asked clarifying questions such as “Pedagogy, is like how I
teach in the classroom?” or “When you say pedagogies, do you mean like specific practices or do
you mean specific texts?” These teachers shared a limited understanding of pedagogy and held
less familiarity with the concept as a whole. They were unable to discuss the influence of who
they are and why they teach and how their identity is connected to their pedagogical decisions.
Two teachers provided answers that shared their discomfort or explicitly mentioned their lack of
understanding. Emerson stated:
This is something I am terrible at. I don’t have...I’m not going to be able to answer that
question...I mean I can articulate some strategies and stuff like that...I don’t have
anything like that, that I can identify in my vocabulary.
When asked about pedagogy, two teachers jumped into explaining their strategies without any
clarification on their pedagogy. When asked about how their educational pedagogies aligned
with equity, Alex explained:

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It’s so hard. Before I would put them in groups, have them read articles, respond to
prompts, just really, really varied prompts. I was always impressed with the one kid in the
group that’ll take it up and just start fighting the cause. It’s been hard to do with...I just let
them experience, let them find their own way.
Instead of sharing about pedagogy, Alex explained how they set up and use group assignments in
class as a strategy. In the same way some teachers struggled to discuss their own pedagogy and
approach teaching, they also struggled to discuss the extent to which equity-minded pedagogy
was present in their practices. Their lack of reflection and connection formed a limitation to
discussing and describing equity. This was further exemplified by Drew in this way:
Well, I guess giving everyone the opportunity to...I mean, there’s times when I see it’s
very clear the inequity. So one of the things I’ve started doing since those days of
common core, but I think it’s really important to learn how to read a work of [content
material].
Half of the teacher’s answers were limited in their understanding of their pedagogy, and there
were also limits in how they could discuss their understanding of equity practices in their
classrooms. Some teachers could speak to examples of pedagogy but shared a limited connection
between pedagogy and equity. This connection was also explored with a more expansive
approach to pedagogy and equity-mindedness.
Expansive responses: Specific Examples of Equity Mentioned in the Discussion of Pedagogy
Three teachers discussed their own pedagogy at length and also shared how equity-
minded practices were integrated into their pedagogical approach. Tovar, Orian, and Jamie were
able to cite specific examples of what their pedagogy was and how equity pedagogy was used
with students. These teachers also held a strong sense of their racial identity and how their race

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impacts their instructional decisions. Jaime identified specifically with critical pedagogy and
shared:
I would say critical pedagogy, I consider myself a practitioner of critical pedagogy or
human rights education. So, I try to focus especially in my class on horizontalization so
the idea of reducing the hierarchical difference between my students and I, so where I am
the holder of wisdom and they are the things that need to receive my knowledge, I try to
recruit them. I tend to refer to them as colleagues or collaborators much more than I do
pupils. They are, at a bare minimum, they are my constituency and at a maximum, they're
my colleagues. So I think that that's a helpful paradigm for teachers because we spend
much more of our time with students than we do with other teachers so colleagues are
people that we work with. I think of my students much more like my colleagues. I spend
more time with them than anyone else.
Jamie shared a belief that students are the co-collaborators of their instruction and supports the
use of critical pedagogy as they make instructional choices. Tovar discussed how their pedagogy
is both supportive and reflective about how they need to teach given the online world during
COVID:
But in terms of the pedagogy, I think focusing on instructional practices that truly support
students and meet them where they are is important. I think that means authentic
assessments. I think that means interactions. I think the way in which at home learning
has created sort of an accessibility to information means that I've had to rethink how I
assess students, because I know that they can find the answer to a thing really easily on
Google, like without me seeing it. And so it's much more about synthesis, about how they
use information rather than just finding it.

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These teachers had a strong understanding of pedagogy and how meeting the students
instructionally is how equity is an integral part of each element of pedagogy. This was evidenced
as a part of how and why they teach what they teach.
Schoolwide Initiatives Used to Cite How Equity is Addressed
It was common for teachers to describe schoolwide initiatives when asked how equity
was addressed. More than half of teachers cited the example of the Advanced Placement (AP)
and honors classes and the school’s interest in restructuring the classes and the entrance
requirements for these advanced classes as ways in which equity was being addressed at their
school. While not directly related to equity practices individual teachers use in their classrooms,
eight of the twelve teachers discussed the changes the school was making to reduce tracking by
eliminating barriers to AP and honors class when they were asked about how their school was
working on equity practices.
Restrictive Responses: Teachers Used Schoolwide Projects to Define Equity
In these conversations, the discussion of schoolwide equity projects was mentioned,
many times without further discussion about equity in their own classrooms or in their own work
at the school. This was a common response when asked about the equity work at Coyote High.
However, during additional conversations about equity, this was their only example of equity
work in their schools or in their classroom practice. This is explained well by Madison:
I think they try really hard to incorporate the immigrant students into the mainstream as
much as they can. They've increasingly tried to avoid just like siphoning them off into
ceramics or something like that...My school has increasingly tried to incorporate students
into AP classes who aren't stereotypical AP students. I think this is based on the Ed Trust
West Audit from a couple of years ago. They're trying to do less tracking.

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In the interviews, equity was referred to as something the school is working on with little
connection to individual instructional choices happening in their classrooms. Madison explains
that they are aware of this work being done at the school level. In nearly all of the teacher’s
interviews, teachers equated work on equity issues with work that was happening by the school
rather than in their classrooms. In general, the emphasis on the larger system of tracking in AP
and honors classes as being the example of equity issues along with the issues being ‘someone
else’s problem’ was a consistent pattern when asked about equity.
Along with placing the equity work at the school level, reliance on racist language and
socioeconomic differences were also evident. Madison described the school’s focus on changes
to tracked systems in this manner, “My school has increasingly tried to incorporate students into
AP classes who aren't stereotypical AP students.” Emerson discussed the divide between white
upper middle-class students who are “worldly in their knowledge and want to be challenged” and
“very low income Hispanic” students “who have little context…could not find California on a
map.” These examples highlight the pattern of discussing the AP/Honors tracking issue to define
equity work and reliance on racist and socioeconomic differences to describe this school issue.
One teacher discussed the concerns about AP/honors classes with stereotypes underscoring their
perspectives on how different students face the challenges of advanced coursework. Riley
described the AP and honors course concerns:
I think we still have a ways to go, that I think there's, I think, a belief that if only you put
those students in...Let them take the honors classes and they'll be fine. It's like, "No, if
they're under schooled, they should have access to the honors programs, but they're not
going to be successful in those honors programs at the same rate as our white students,
unless you deal with the under schooling that they've had in the past." So they need more
support. Or they may not have the same resources. For example, if you tell a kid, "This

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project should take you four or five hours," and the white kid can afford to spend 16, and
the Brown kid's got a job and they can afford to spend three, that's not equity. So I think
there's pieces like that, that we haven't quite sorted out yet.
Riley shared how the system prevents students from enrolling in advanced coursework to
‘protect’ them from being in a course that they are not prepared for. Riley outlined the challenges
associated with tracked coursework and their understanding of how these courses are designed
for students who can be successful in them is evident from their comments. The connection to
the schoolwide system that protects these classes was also an example of deficit thinking
concerning the students. These examples of schoolwide references to equity work in a manner
that is deficit-based and biased was found in these three examples.
Expansive Responses: Connected Schoolwide Projects to Larger Equity Issues
Expansive examples also reference the changes to AP/honors courses however race
visible language was observed. In one case, a teacher explained how their perspective of racial
differences in the community impacts students who are enrolled in advanced coursework and
how schoolwide initiatives to change this will benefit some students. Quinn explained the equity
work with tracking in this manner:
They've gotten rid of some of the honors classes in ninth grade. I think it's next year,
they're going to get rid of honors geometry. They got rid of honors English and honors
biology...But a lot of the kids who come from white families, their parents are like, you
got to get in honors, you got to get in honors this, honors that, honors this, honors that.
Whereas the kids who are not white, who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, students
of color, their parents don't advocate for that. Their parents are not as involved in the
education. And so it ended up that all the white kids were going into these AP classes,
were tracking that way and the students of color were not.

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Quinn’s response expressed the perception that race was prevalent in the tracking conversation
and also demonstrated the ways in which teachers relied on their own bias to draw conclusions
about how students are affected by tracking in their school. Quinn explained the awareness of
race in the conversation of tracking and the connection to the larger equity issues for the school.
Deficit Thinking versus Asset-Based Approaches to Equity Practices
Deficit thinking relies on a restrictive approach to determine the skills, attributes, and
family backgrounds a student brings to the classroom as deficient (Haynes, 2017). Rather than
basing student’s learning on the qualities students bring, teachers view students through a lens of
whiteness which limits their education, culture, skills, and family background because of the
narrow definition of ‘achievement’ a white perspective can have of students of color (McIntyre,
1997; Tyler, 2016). Throughout the interviews, there were eight teachers who referred to
students with a deficit lens.
Restrictive Responses: Reliance on Deficit Thinking about Students of Color

The most common form of deficit thinking emerged when teachers described students as
both belonging to a lower socio-economic status and Latinx subgroups. Emerson described their
Latinx students as ‘struggling’ due to internet speed (due to COVID, students were at home for
instruction), the lack of adult supervision at home, and English not being the dominant language
at home. Lou explained their own disconnect with Spanish-speaking students:
But I realized, wow, it's very different for them. You know, what did they go through
before they came to the US? They're newcomers, they're coming to the US during a really
difficult time. I mean, they must be desperate to want to move to the United States during
the last four years...And it's a lot of socioeconomic and the reality is the kids who move
here, they're very poor. I mean, obviously their family had enough money to get them

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here somehow, but they are living a very different life than me. And try as I might, it
wasn't just the language barrier because I've let my Spanish get really rusty. It was really
hard to connect with them.
The examples from Emerson and Lou provided insights into the deficit thinking about Latinx
families and the wealth gap the teachers perceive in their students of Latinx backgrounds.
Making generalizations about Latinx students about their socioeconomic status builds on bias
and deficits teachers held about students. These generalizations and stereotypes were common in
deficit thinking by teachers about their Latinx students.
Teachers who demonstrated more restrictive thinking also relied on discussing students
with low socioeconomic backgrounds with race evasive language. While some of the examples
pointed to Latinx students, others tried to avoid race and focus on the socioeconomic differences.
When asked about equity in their classroom, Drew responded:
I think its mostly socioeconomic equity, that's certainly here in [school location] is what
comes to my mind just because of the huge disparities that we have and that I see every
day. The kids coming in eating lunch in my classroom, they come and get their free and
reduced lunch and they're eating it every day in my classroom and whatever. And I see
the kids who take the bus, and the kids can go to like, “Oh, I'm going to Cabo for two
weeks.”
This gap between the wealthy and the lower socioeconomic students was discussed by almost all
of the teachers as they referenced the students they work with, however only five teachers made
a direct reference to the racial difference between these groups. Madison, exemplifies this race
evasive way to discuss the divide in student demographics:
I think about the big distinction between students from a high-income background and
students from a low-income background, because we have a lot of students who are from

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the extremes. And I think that's the big issue that is always talked about with [Coyote], is
the much higher performance of students from the more advantaged background. So,
when I think of equity, it's more like I'm trying to help the students who are from a
disadvantaged background.
The reliance on socioeconomic status was common to hear from the teachers and, as Madison
stated, common in how they approach equity. The intersection of race was either rare or, as
exemplified earlier regarding Latinx students, stereotypical in how students were discussed.
Three teachers expressed direct deficit-oriented perspectives regarding students' ability to
learn in general. These teachers cited students' lack of education and lack of fluency with English
language as deficits. Madison provided a detailed perspective on the challenge’s students faced
in their learning because of what they do not have:
There are all kinds of serious issues. Very often concerned about them personally.
They're just emotionally in a bad situation. A lot of cases are kind of unstable. A lot of
them haven't had the same quality of opportunities that develop with, like being separated
from the families and poverty and stress, emotional issues. A lot of them are students
with interrupted formal education. And then even students who don't technically have
that a lot of times they've gone to schools that aren't of such great quality. So a lot of
them are lacking like elementary and middle academic skills, literacy skills. And then of
course the vast majority show up in the US without any English or knowing very little
English. So that's a big issue, of course.
Madison described a list of deficits the students present with a restrictive mindset about these
limitations students bring to the classroom. In their interview, Riley expressed concern for the
‘under schooled’ students who needed support to reach the content level Riley required. While
some teachers recognized the resilience many of their students of color exhibited, those same

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teachers attributed their student’s grit to their economic need to have jobs and provide for their
families because of their socioeconomic status. The teachers also referenced some student’s lack
of life experiences as a deficit in their ability to learn. For example, Emerson explained how
students do not have the vocabulary they need in the classroom because of their parent’s lack of
education. Drew explained how they perceived the variance in life experiences in their classes:
I mean, I have students that can take [college or other institutions] classes. They go to the
city and they're taking [content] classes or they're taking [university] college classes or
the [university] summer program where they went to Paris with their families... So they
know when I talk about [content]. “Oh yeah. We saw that at the [museum].” And then
some kid has no idea what that is and has never been to an art museum and barely ever
been to the city or whatever. So it's socioeconomic and then everything comes with that.
And then there's of course the racial piece built in too. But for me, equity is
socioeconomic...
In both Emerson and Drew’s examples, the teachers elaborated on their own deficit thinking
drawing on socioeconomic differences and race neutral tactics to explain the lack of student’s
abilities or family contributions. The reliance on socioeconomic deficits, the avoidance of
addressing race specifically, and the number of issues cited that students did not have are all
examples of restrictive approaches to working with students of color.
Expansive Responses: Reliance on Asset-Based Thinking about Students of Color

An asset-based approach is more expansive as it looks to build upon the assets a student
brings to the learning environment. Asset-based thinking is associated with and appreciating the
student’s lived experiences, culture, background, and family’s cultural attributes. Moreover, it is
aligned with an expansive approach of what might be valued alongside or in favor of the white

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dominant norm and how that is beneficial to the learning environment. In the interviews, there
were two teachers who referred to students using predominantly asset-based language. When
asked about their student’s strengths, Quinn explained:
I feel like [Latinx students] do a good job watching out for each other, which is really
cool. I feel like there's a lot of natural ... I don't know if this is a strength, but I would
consider it a strength that there's just a lot of natural curiosity and excitement for things
that I would consider it a strength, just little things that they get excited about...
Quinn considered attributes their Latinx students bring to the class as positive and something to
build from in their learning. Their mindset provided opportunities for students based on what
they perceive as strengths students offer to the class environment. Jamie also discussed their
students with an asset lens and in reference to the complexities of the larger school community:
My students are a lot. I would say that they are a reflection of the contradictions and
complications both of the things that we read and of the world that we live. So, my
students at their core possess a willingness to be challenged and I think that that's true for
all of my students...
Jaime explained that all students have the inherent desire to be challenged and this example of an
asset approach to teaching was at their core. In both Quinn and Jaime’s responses, having the
mindset that the student enters learning from a place of strength and has something to offer to the
learning environment is the basic tenant of an asset-based mindset.
In the twelve teacher interviews, there were numerous examples of deficit thinking
teachers held about their students. There were fewer teachers who shared expansionist asset-
based thinking like Quinn and Jamie provided.

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Research Question Two Summary
The interviews uncovered that teachers were not always clear on a unified approach to
understanding equity. They also varied in their understanding of pedagogy and the implications
their pedagogy may have on their inclusion of equity into their teaching. The data regarding
schoolwide equity work showed how the teachers relied on larger school systems to define
equity at their school. Few teachers cited their own equity work in this discussion. Finally, more
teachers held a deficit lens when discussing students and their learning, but examples of asset
approaches were noted. The teacher’s reliance on deficit or asset-based beliefs will be further
explored in the next section.
Research Question Three: In what ways does racial consciousness expand or restrict
equity-minded pedagogical decision-making?
The third research question explored how a white teacher’s own racial consciousness
expands or restricts the equity-mindedness teachers use in their classrooms. This question builds
on the first two research questions. There are two findings that emerged from the research, each
with examples of restrictive and expansive perceptions. One finding explores the levels of
ownership over equity as a classroom practice and the other finding looks at the teacher’s
understanding of their own racial awareness with students and pedagogy. These two findings will
be addressed through the research.
Ownership Over Equity Practices as Related to Racial Identity and Consciousness
The level of ownership over equity practices is one theme that emerged from the
interviews. Nine teachers associated equity with something that was taking place in the school
and did not associate equity with their own practices. Three teachers shared that they were
deeply involved in equity practices and could associate this work directly to their classrooms.
This spectrum exemplified the restrictive and expansive thinking around the ownership of equity.

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Restrictive Responses: Not Taking Ownership over Equity
As discussed earlier, when asked about equity at ‘Coyote High’, many teachers referred
to the equity work as something someone else was doing at the school with the example of
AP/honors courses. When interviewees were asked if they were involved in the equity work at
‘Coyote’, the teachers mentioned a committee or training that was offered and if they were not
on the committee or only attended the training, they explained this as their lack of involvement
in equity. For example, when asked about equity in the school, Madison replied, “I think they try
really hard to incorporate the immigrant students into the mainstream as much as they can...My
school has increasingly tried to incorporate students into AP classes who aren’t typical AP
students.” When asked if they were involved in the equity work at school, they replied, “Not that
much. My collaboration is really with other teachers who teach [similar students].” Madison’s
response echoed five other teacher’s general reactions to the equity work and their involvement
in trainings and committees that specifically discussed equity.
About half of the teachers referenced a committee and a training that they associated with
equity and shared they were not actively involved in the ‘equity work.’ When asked directly
about their involvement in equity, Riley responded, “In the equity work? Not really...I don’t have
time to participate in the equity audit, to be a member of that committee.” Quinn had a similar
response, “They asked me to join it [the equity committee] last year, I was supposed to join. I
don’t know. They wanted me on it. So, a teacher actually asked me to join and they haven’t
met.” A few teachers referenced diversity training they had completed for equity. Alex
commented, “I did that Beyond Differences workshop. Then I did another one. It was just a day
long at the OE [Office of Education]. It was about racial equality, but I haven't done anything
formally. I have no committees or things like that.” The reliance on ‘equity’ being done in

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committee or a training demonstrated a disconnect from classroom practices and was common in
half of teacher’s responses.
Expansive Responses: Taking Control of Equity Ownership
Ownership over equity work was highlighted by those teachers with higher levels of
racial identity awareness. These three teachers referred to equity as something they had control
over and owned in their pedagogy. This level of racial consciousness and ownership was evident
both in relation to schoolwide equity work and in their own classrooms. When asked about the
equity work in the school, Tovar explained:
I think there’s a district focus. I think there is an administrative focus. And then I think
there is sort of my focus I guess, I can only speak for myself because obviously as a
teacher, I am given a lot of room and autonomy...I think autonomy can also lead to real
problems when it comes to supporting students of color.
Tovar recognized both his own equity work and his need for support to become a stronger
teacher around his equity practices. They cited both a school and a personal commitment to
equity. They also recognized the problem of inconsistent equity practices on the students. Jamie
recognized this as well and their comments expanded further:
I also think that there needs to be a willingness to be either uncomfortable or off balance
because the more power you surrender in the classroom, the more focused you are on
equity and not on strictly rubric based outcomes. I would say the more uncertainty you
have in the class, we know the more authoritarian a classroom is the easier it is to manage
because you control everything but just like jazz, if you want to have kind of true jazz, it's
going to be a little wild, so I need to be willing to be uncomfortable in that way.
Jamie continued to explain his equity approach and took the ownership discussion a step further
and provides this insight:

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I am trying to work on both classroom-based equity work with my students through
critical conversations with them...those are my collaborators, so I need to make sure that
I’m showing up in a way to provide them with a chance to do their own equity work.
Jaime recognized their ownership over equity in their classroom and the challenges this provided
them as they grew through an expansive approach to learning with the students. They also
referenced the need to have students engaged in equity. Jaime expressed the inclusion of the
students and the challenges of being an equity-based teacher. Tovar also expressed a concern
about their need to take more ownership over the systems to create more equity awareness:
I think that when it comes to other ways, especially like pushing on the pressure points of
other teachers or the system itself, I think I struggle...I’ve definitely been part of
conversations in the past between teachers where you just get a sense that like, “I need to
interrupt this.” And I think that I don’t always do that.
Both Jamie and Tovar recognized their role and responsibility to bring equity to their own work,
and in the case of Jaime, to the students. They also recognized how the system needed to be
restructured and challenged to allow for equity to be the way their school operates, and also to be
uncomfortable with this as they progress. The personal ownership over equity in their approach
to who they are and how they teach demonstrated an expansive approach to owning equity.
White Teacher’s Racial Awareness and their Pedagogy
White teacher’s development of racial awareness is an evolving journey and can
influence the ways teachers discuss equity, students of color, and their own pedagogy. The
twelve teachers interviewed demonstrated both restrictive and expansive perceptions about their
own racial awareness and their equity-minded pedagogy. Those teachers with more restrictive
beliefs relied on the use of race evasive language and their reliance on their curriculum to be the
determinant of their personal involvement in equity. Those teachers with more expansive

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thinking made a strong connection to their own white racial identity and how their racial
awareness allowed them to explore their classrooms with an equity lens. Interestingly, many
teachers referred to their reflections on how they were taught to be teachers.
Restrictive Responses: Focused on White Dominant Interest and Use of the Curriculum for
Equity
Of the twelve teachers interviewed, nine of the teachers relied on their curriculum to be
the main attribute of how they either approached or did not approach equity in their classrooms.
As discussed earlier, teachers struggled with understanding the complexities of their pedagogy
and their interviews then relied heavily on their curriculum for how they might approach equity-
mindedness. The majority of these nine teachers cited their curriculum as their only example of
either how they engaged in equity in their classrooms, or how their curriculum did not allow
them to discuss equity or race. They also offered no other discussion of equity pedagogy in their
toolkit. When asked about their racial awareness in their teaching, Riley provided this response
about their curriculum:
I would say I have a strong awareness for a white person. I would be very surprised if
teachers of color did not have a much stronger awareness than I do. But I think for a white
person, I’m probably in the 80th percentile. More aware than most, not aware of as many.
Not plugged in as many. Particularly those teachers who, within their curriculum, do a lot
of work with racial identity through reading, through history, art, drawing.
Teachers needing race and equity to be present in their curriculum in order to address these
issues in the classroom was a subtle pattern. The teachers interviewed turned to their curriculum
as an avenue for equity and when their curriculum was not overtly tied to race or racism, like
history courses, they noted that they could not teach about equity or race because their

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curriculum did not address these topics. When asked about how being white affects their
classroom practices, Drew shared a reliance on projects to teach students:
I teach what I was taught and how I was taught. So the way to teach, say, to approach
how [to do] something I think is fairly universal and I don’t see race, per se, in that. But
in the examples I give, so I have projects. There are a handful of projects that I actually
was taught when I was in school. And I still teach them because they are fabulous
projects. But they also, and I like what they are showing but the examples that they use,
they’re all white people...and many of them are men.
Drew’s reliance on projects and curriculum they were taught when they were in high school
represented a core value about teaching, despite it being white-centric. When Avery was asked
about being white and their approach to classroom practices, they similarly shared a reliance on
the curriculum, “Well, especially...I mean the [textbooks] are doing a better job at really trying to
get materials from the entire [content-range]. And I’m very aware of that and the textbook does it
mostly for me.” Avery relied on their curriculum and textbook to address equity and race in the
classroom. The teachers' reliance on curriculum to address or not address equity was reflective of
a more race-evasive and neutral approach to equity in the classroom because they could opt-out
of teaching these issues if desired and cite their content area for the justification.
Expansive Responses: White Aware in Curriculum, Instruction and Student-Centered
Pedagogy
White awareness in pedagogy was a strong indicator of teachers who could name their
own race and the influence it has on their instructional choices. There were four teachers who
could reflect on how they were taught and be aware of how their own white backgrounds,
including their teaching, needed reflection to grow in their equity pedagogy. Sydney provides
insights into being white and how this creates unconsciousness or dysconsciousness:

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...if I could take a 30,000-foot view and be like, “oh my God.” You teach what you know.
So I'll never forget coming here from Missouri when I asked my kids certain things. And
being dumbfounded that they did not know the freezing point of water...and so you teach
what you know. And so of course, I probably have been bumbling around for 17 years
like an idiot teaching what I think is what a [subject] class looks like, and what education
looks like and what experience in high school looks like. Because that’s what it looks like
to me. When in reality I probably have no clue what exactly the experience is for a lot of
my students and should be focusing more on A instead of B or should be bringing in a
completely different approach...I think I would imagine every decision I make is 100%
based on things I don’t even realize subconsciously are connected to my upbringing as a
white person from the Midwest.
The reflection and racial awareness in Sydney’s practices is an example of an expansive
approach to their pedagogy. Sydney discussed the dysconsciousness they experienced and how
knowing what they did not know was an important step to building equity into their pedagogy.
This was also evident in Quinn’s response to how being white affected their teaching:
I think that we tend to teach the way we were taught, but that's actually something I've
tried to move away from. I've been really cognizant of that...when I grew up, it was very
much like teacher talks and you take notes and teacher does this. And so I don't know if
that's necessarily race based on my race, but I think it's more of my upbringing, but I've
tried to move away from that. But I think one thing is I will say that I do expect students
to interact in a way that's much more common to white people, which is that like to be
when you're in a breakout room to have a conversation, to talk with people. I don't know
if that's necessarily, but that's ... I feel like in some ways that's more conducive to white

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students than it is to a lot of the Latinx students or African American I feel like that's just
less ... It's just different. I feel like it's a different way.
Quinn expressed both an awareness of their race and how it impacts their pedagogy and
pedagogical decision and was also open to being unclear about how to proceed. They were aware
that they needed to address race directly in their equity work.
When asked about how being white affects their work with students of color, Tovar
expressed the complexities of being white in a diverse classroom. They started by explaining that
they recognized that they taught how they were taught:
I approached teaching them the same to some extent, but I also think baked into some of
those expectations are some of the same stereotypical and racist tropes that exist in our
society. I think I'd like to believe that I approach them in a way that feels equitable and
supportive. And I think that that's true intentionally, my intentions, but I am absolutely a
product of a racist systems and of bias. And that's not just me saying, "Oh white
privilege, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." That's legitimately understanding that I have
implicit biases built into me, built into the core of me...But I think recognizing my own
implicit bias around my students of color is super important and I don't do it right all the
time. But it's hard. So that's the answer I have. But that in itself is so stupid, it shouldn't
be hard. It shouldn't be hard to approach a student as equitably, but that gets to the sort of
the heart of the matter. So I guess my answer is that my teaching practices for my
students of color are TBD, they're certainly a work in progress and hopefully they will
get better as I move forward in teaching. But ultimately, I know that I have ways to go
and that my recognition of these things is not enough.
The explicit naming of bias and racist underpinnings of their pedagogy and the willingness to
recognize racial identity as a factor in building an equitable classroom is a key to being

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expansive. Jamie further explained the impact of racial awareness and the importance of
understanding white bias and racism in their curriculum:
I would like to think racially aware and critically conscious, but I also am educated, was
educated in a system that reinscribed and perpetuated whiteness by default and so one of
the things I've learned is that teachers love to teach what they were taught, so we have
that kind of reproduction of cultural capital and so I really try to think about, when I'm
making curricular decisions, am I doing this because I hold some fond, nostalgic
experience to it or is it valuable and essential. To be honest, I found that most times it's
because it's tradition. So most of the things that I entered the profession wanting to teach
were things that I liked being taught and so if you were to look at my curriculum from
year one to now, there's very few. So we're looking to center voices and again it's not just
to say that we need diversity in curriculum, I think that that's one side of it. We definitely
need not just so that students can see that there are female authors, there are black
authors, there are indigenous authors, but that students partially see their experience
reflected and then also what we teach is what we value and so I think that it's important to
show students that there are a wide range of culturally valuable, socially valuable texts
and ideas and philosophies out there and then on the other side, so not necessarily
curriculum but pedagogy I think I always try to be mindful of what is going to be the
byproduct of the pedagogical organization of class?
Jamie’s approach to curriculum expressed both their awareness of white bias and the
complexities of bringing in racial and culturally valuable curriculum. This conscious awareness
of how white people were raised to be unconscious of their whiteness and how this is replicated
in decisions made by white teachers was pivotal to how Jaime made their curricular decisions.

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Tovar and Jaime explore the role of curriculum in their equity work and critique their racial bias
and curriculum used in their pasts.
Understanding one’s own race and using this racial awareness in the classroom directly
separates three teachers from the others because this racial consciousness also expanded their
equity pedagogy. When asked if they discuss race with their students, Tovar explained:
What if I didn't talk about race?...But we have disparity, like this is the inequity. The
inequity comes from race and to not talk about my whiteness and my representation of
that disparity is like a dereliction of duty. What kind of teacher am I, if I cannot talk
about race and I’m white, how has my race impacted my life and my teaching?
Jaime provided this viewpoint about being race visible in their pedagogy:
I think it both makes it easier and harder... I think it makes it easier because of my
whiteness and because of institutional white supremacy I can make demands of them
engaging with me and they, because of that pressure, feel obligated to so this is the kind
of relationship that my teacher is trying to form with me, not one based on hierarchy that
makes me a little uncomfortable, but I have to concede because he's my teacher. So you
can see there's a little bit of double consciousness there...What makes it harder is that I
think that my students are burned in so many other areas of their lives by so many other
people that I am always really worried about disappointing or letting them down or not
supporting [them].
What makes Jamie’s perception interesting, was their strong racial awareness and how their
understanding of the racial hierarchy was built into teaching. They questioned not only the
curriculum but the cultural norms of the classroom and how they needed to be aware of the white
hierarchy they benefit from as well. In this expansive view of racial awareness and pedagogy,
there was an understanding of how whiteness can create bias with students in classroom

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relationships. Working to build race visible, respectful, and positive relationships with students
was foundational to these three teacher’s understanding of equity pedagogy. Orian shared this
story when asked about whether they discuss race with students:
I do, and I think it's somewhat new, like a new awareness...we don't like to talk about
race. It's uncomfortable. It's awkward. We don't have the vocabulary for it. It seems like
only recently have we really started to dig into it. I think sometimes it's conscious,
sometimes it's, I think, more or less unconscious now, but I'm trying to make sure that I'm
not doing it ... Like sometimes I'll say something in class, I'll be like, "I know you guys
know where all the great Mexican food restaurants are in [town]." And then I'll say that
and I'm like, "Shit, that was the most racist thing I could have said to this group of Latino
kids." And they're all smiling and writing the names of the restaurants that they love. And
so they're not taking it personally, but I realize afterwards, I'm like, "That was such a
douche thing to say," because it's like someone who comes to your house who speaks a
different language, like, "Oh, your English is really good.” Don’t be an asshole...And not
that I think my authentic self is racist, but it's just that I'm trying so hard to make sure that
I'm making that person comfortable, that I'm adding extra layers. I want to make sure I
don't ask them like, "Hey, where's the great Mexican restaurant?" I'm adding those extra
filters to make sure that I don't step in it. And not because I don't want to get in trouble.
It's because I don't want to step in it. I don't want to be offensive. I don't want to be
hurtful.
Orian recognized the need for racial awareness to reduce harm when working with students and a
lack of racial awareness has the potential to create harm. Their own racial awareness and
reflection of this interaction was key for their equity-minded practices to evolve. The connection
between personal racial identity and an expansive perspective of equity mindedness was evident

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in the interviews that created the awareness of a safe environment for students. The teachers who
were more racially conscious tended to grapple with the complexities of race in the classroom.
There was also evidence of the effect of higher racial consciousness on race-visible pedagogy.
Research Question Three Summary
The two areas explored for research question three involved the willingness and ability of
teachers to own equity in their pedagogy and to understand the explicit role white racial
awareness plays in their pedagogical decisions. From the data, some teachers relied solely on
their curriculum to determine if they could discuss race and equity in their classes. Teachers with
a more expansive understanding of both equity pedagogy and their white racial identity could
identify numerous avenues to include equity and race into both their content and in their
instructional design. The three teachers who had reflected on the whiteness of their own learning,
both through lived experiences and teacher training, were able to be cognizant of how whiteness
impacted their pedagogy. This expansive thinking then allowed the students in these classrooms
to experience a conscious approach to both race in the content and critical decision-making to
instruction.

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Chapter Five: Discussion and Recommendations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of white educators regarding
their own racial identity and consciousness and how this restricts or expands their perceptions of
their equity-minded pedagogy. To explore this purpose, the following research questions guided
the study:
1. What are the perceptions of white teachers related to their own racial identity and
consciousness?
2. What are the perceptions of white teachers regarding equity-minded pedagogy? and
3. In what ways does racial consciousness expand or restrict equity-minded pedagogical
decision-making?
To study the research questions, twelve white teachers volunteered to participate in one-on-one,
semi-structured interviews regarding their perspectives on equity practices, equity-minded
pedagogy, and their own racial identity. The research highlighted findings for each of the
research questions and an exploration into these findings and how they relate to the literature
presented in chapter two provides insights into possible recommendations. Limitations and
delimitations are presented and conclusions complete the study.
Discussion of Findings
Three areas of discussion evolved each drawing on a specific tenet of critical race theory:
1) the role of racial conscious plays which highlights the permanence of racism; 2) teacher
ownership over equity and whiteness as property in the classroom; and 3) connections between
racial consciousness and equity-mindedness and how restrictive and expansive thinking affects
this connection.

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The Role Racial Consciousness Plays in Developing Critical Awareness of the Permanence
of Race in the Classroom
In their seminal work, Ladson-Billings and Tate (1995) stated the social norm of racism
that exists systemically is also present and permanent in our educational institutions. The
application of critical race theory to education invited a necessary critique to the ever-present
role race plays in the classroom. The research illuminated the necessity of educators to be
critically aware of the role their own race can play in educational racism. Of the twelve teachers
interviewed, three demonstrated higher levels of racial consciousness and they were able to be
critical of the role whiteness played in their pedagogy. Dowd and Bensimon (2015) recognized
the need for educators to be racially conscious. Through the work of Haynes (2017), Castagno
(2013), and Jupp et al. (2019) there was a growing body of evidence that supports the necessity
of white racial identity awareness; teachers who can interrogate their own whiteness can
recognize race, racism, and whiteness in their pedagogy.
The work of Bensimon (2005) points directly to racial consciousness being the key to
evolve from deficit thinking to an equity mindset. While she does not provide explicit
connections to the work of racial consciousness work for oneself, it is evident from both Tovar
and Jamie, that their deeper personal racial identity work benefited and influenced their equity-
minded pedagogy. They spoke to their own racialized beings, the whiteness they own, and how
these were experienced as a part of their race visible classrooms. What was interesting in the
research was the comfort most teachers had with identifying their whiteness and even
understanding the role of white privilege and fragility. Yet, many were unable to connect how
being white impacted their equity practices with students. Sydney, who identified as white
Caucasian, exemplifies this when asked about how their race plays out as a teacher they
responded, “I don’t know. I would imagine there are things that I don’t even have a clue about

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that are happening, that are at play, that are affecting my role as a teacher, that I am 100%
unaware of...I’m sorry.” The identification of being white and the also demonstrating racial
dysconsciousness was a noticeable finding.
McIntyre (1997) found this lack of awareness in her study as well. She noticed high
levels of colorblind behaviors that attempted to erase the racial presence in the classroom and the
denial that race was a significant factor in teaching. The current study highlighted that most
teachers were racially aware of students of color but relied on race evasive language to discuss
the student’s attributes, needs, and academic issues. Both Yoon (2012) and Welton et al. (2015)
cited race neutral and discursive behaviors from educators when studying race in schools. Of the
twelve teachers interviewed, seven showed some level of racial awareness, in themselves and
others, but exhibited similar race neutral behaviors outlined in the studies by Yoon (2012) and
Welton et al. (2015). When the participants discussed their work with students, they shared that
they did not discuss race with students or consider how their own race affected their classroom
practices. When asked if they had a strong racial awareness in their teaching, Avery responded,
“I mean, I know I’m white, but I don’t go around telling [people] I’m white. Yeah, no”. This
disconnect between their race and how they present themselves to students and reflect on their
instruction demonstrated the gap between their own racial identity awareness and racial
consciousness in their pedagogy.
Teacher’s Ownership over Equity allows Equity-Minded Pedagogy
Whiteness as property is evident in a multitude of ways in schools. Harris (1995)
explained how whiteness as property was established in schools through white educational norms
and tracking. The impact of whiteness, as outlined in chapter two, can lead to further dominance
and oppression in educational systems. In order to diminish whiteness in schools, critical
awareness of race and whiteness is needed. Each teacher needs to examine their whiteness and

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interrupt white-dominant norms in their own teaching. Unfortunately, the research uncovered an
unexpected finding around the teacher’s ownership of equity. Of the twelve teachers interviewed,
three educators demonstrated ownership over equity practices in their classrooms and at the
school, yet the others showed a lack of equity ownership beyond what their school was engaged
in regarding schoolwide equity reforms. Haynes (2017) described the preservation of status quo
over one’s choice to address issues of whiteness as ‘white interests.’ She explained that
whiteness is embraced by the institutional nature of the status quo and without critical awareness,
these attributes of white dominance are held as the white interests of the organization (Haynes,
2017). These interests represented whiteness as property, protecting the white dominant culture,
norms and systems in schools. The research found that the nine teachers who held such white
interests demonstrated this through the dis-association of their personal involvement in the equity
work. They spoke about equity as something the school or ‘they’ and ‘them’ were doing and did
not reference equity to themselves or their practices. They discussed equity as something that
existed in a training they participated in or that the ‘system’ was inequitable, such as AP and
honors courses. However, in both cases, these examples demonstrated how equity was not their
responsibility nor within their control to change. Personal ownership over equity and applying
equity principles to pedagogy was not mentioned by most of the teachers interviewed.
In her study, Haynes (2017) also found educators with the mindset that equity was
someone else’s ‘job to do.’ She noted a resistance to address race in the classroom, citing that if
an educator's curriculum lent itself to talking about race, then they might address it more, but it
was not theirs to discuss. This was mirrored in many of the teacher’s interviews for this study.
When asked about discussing race with their students, the teachers either admitted that they did
not or, as Riley stated, “Sometimes I'll share... In [my content area] it doesn't come up a lot, in
the way that it would for social science or English or things like that.” The three teachers who

89
held a strong sense of ownership of equity in their work also held a high level of personal racial
consciousness. Haynes (2017) also found this to be true in her study, however, she did not
discuss the level of ownership educators felt they had over equity. Her study found that teachers
who had higher levels of racial awareness could justify why they discussed race and racism in
their classes. In the research collected, the three teachers who had higher racial awareness could
specifically discuss and critique their own racial journey and why this allowed them to be
cognizant of equity with their students. McIntyre (1997) noted that when there is a lack of
critical awareness, the whiteness in curricula, instruction, and teaching practices go unchecked.
Tovar spoke to this when they discussed how their own critical awareness has led them to want
to check other teachers when whiteness is present and they have not yet done so, at the time of
the interview. Tyler (2016) also noted that white teachers do not challenge educational systems
when whiteness is apparent. While the teachers recognize the racist system held in the AP and
honors courses, most were unable to check the whiteness in their own classrooms and equity
continued to be someone else’s job to do. The three teachers who did own equity in their
pedagogy were aware of their own whiteness and also were critical of how white dominant
norms are apparent in their classrooms.
Developing Teacher’s Racial Consciousness to Align with Equity-Mindedness
Crenshaw (1995) and Haynes (2017) relied on the categories in critical race theory of
restrictive and expansive attributes in people’s thinking and abilities to use critical awareness in
their approach to race. A restrictive perspective of race would include someone who may know
their own race but does not consciously understand the societal constructs that are embodied in
their race and act in an unconscious or dysconscious way. An expansive racial thinker would be
both aware of their race and critical of how their race influences their interactions in their lived
experience. Bensimon (2005) made the distinct call for race and racial consciousness to be

90
integral in the work of equity. In the interviews, many of the teachers recognized race and racism
that existed in their school and the system. However, they were not aware of how their own
personal race and whiteness interfered with their ability to enact an equity-based pedagogy. This
limitation is a restrictive approach to race. More expansive teachers were able to see how their
personal race and whiteness showed up in their practices and how they needed to interrupt it to
further equity in their classrooms. Jaime went so far as to believe he needed to teach his students
to be critical thinkers around race to become equity-minded.
These categories of restrictive and expansive thinking, when observed through racial
consciousness and equity-mindedness, provide a conceptual framework and typology for
understanding the findings in this study. As seen in figure 1, the different placement of teachers
according to the relationship between their own white racial awareness and equity-mindedness
can be established using the categories of restrictive and expansive perceptions.

91
Figure 1:
A comparative chart of the teachers' restrictive and expansive perceptions according to their
white racial awareness (on the y-axis) and their equity-mindedness (on the x-axis).
White Racial
Awareness

Expansive

Restrictive
4 teachers

Characterized by personal
awareness of their race but
limited by their ability to see
their race as pivotal in their
equity-mindedness and does
not play a role in classroom
practices.
3 teachers

Characterized by both an
understanding of their own
racial identity and ownership
over equity-minded
instructional decisions because
of their critical awareness of
whiteness in their pedagogy.

3 teachers

Characterized by a limited
understanding of their own
race and how race is factored
in teaching. Little to no
ownership over equity
practices in their own
classroom.
1 teacher

Characterized by a limited
understanding of their own
race and how race is factored
in teaching and can speak to
equity-based instruction
practices both in the school
and in their own classes.
Restrictive Expansive
Equity-Mindedness

In figure 1, the teachers interviewed were placed on the typology according to their white
racial awareness and their equity-mindedness. Teachers who were restrictive in their thinking
about both were characterized by limitations in their own racial awareness and their students'
race. They also held restrictive beliefs about their own equity work; many of these teachers cited
equity work to be the school’s work. Those teachers who were expansive in both racial
awareness and equity were characterized by a critical approach to their own work and an

92
eagerness to grow in both areas. This type of typology or continuum was used by both Castagno
(2009) and Jupp et al. (2019) in their conversations about moving white teachers towards
stronger critical whiteness and improving instruction with students of color. Both Castagno
(2009) and Jupp et al. (2019) recognized that at the higher levels of race visible, critical
multiculturalism, teachers are asked to be social activists in the classroom. Social action is
essential at the highest levels of critical multicultural education to engage students in a race
visible pedagogy. Three highly race-conscious teachers suggested social action in their
pedagogy, and this underscored the importance of social action as core in critical race theory for
this study. These teachers included students in critical reflection as learners, Jaime explains:
I mean I don't teach them Freirean vocabulary, but I do try to explain to my students
when I'm being student-centered in a way that is particularly critical or why I think
developing a robust social critique is important…[I ask] “Is my teaching going to help
create the kind of people that I think will make a better life, a better future, a better world
or is my kind of pedagogy going to make people who are going to be willful subjects,
meek employees, they're not going to be advocates.” I want a society of advocates and
people who are actively engaged.
The level of expansive, critical reflection Jamie shared allows for recognition of what skills,
attributes, beliefs, and thinking are needed for growth in their critical multiculturalism.
Embracing the elements of teaching to a multicultural classroom and including critical
whiteness are both elements that these three teachers exemplified in their responses and also
demonstrated the pedagogical inclusion of social action with students.
These three overarching findings- the role racial conscious plays in developing a critical
awareness of race in the classroom; teacher ownership over equity and how this attribute can
allow a teacher to bring equity-minded pedagogy into the classroom; and the use of restrictive

93
and expansive beliefs to explore teacher’s perceptions around growth towards equity
mindedness- all engage the work of critical whiteness and critical multiculturalism and point to
possible recommendations that may improve educational settings for students of color.
Recommendations for Practice
The findings from this study and the literature reviewed indicated that teachers need
support and training to gain racial awareness and ownership of equity in their own practices to
provide an equity-minded pedagogy in the classroom. In order for teachers to face their
whiteness in their own pedagogy, the school needs to address race, racism, whiteness, and
oppression in the school culture, starting with the vision and working across the systems. The
culture of the school needs to provide a safe and inclusive space for teachers to make the equity
changes in their pedagogy by facing their racial identity and the whiteness that dominates their
practices and school systems. There are two recommendations for practice in this section. Each
with the hope of developing the motivation, school culture, and knowledge needed to change
teaching perceptions of students of color, the dominant culture of whiteness in schools, and
provide the knowledge teachers need to own equity-mindedness in their classrooms.
Recommendation One: Build School Culture for Antiracism
The work of building an antiracist school, especially among white educators, will take
determination and courage for both school leaders and teachers to face deconstructing a white
dominant culture and begin building a school where race is visible, whiteness is challenged, and
students of color feel connected. The creation of an environment to discuss race and confront
racism will require the recognition of white privilege and white fragility when it becomes visible
(Patton & Jordan, 2018). It is also important to note that addressing racism and whiteness, which
will raise white fragility in most white educators, will require recognizing the uncomfortable
nature of discussing race. Rather than avoid this topic, the staff will need to be kept in

94
disequilibrium, or uncomfortable during these trainings (Heifetz & Linsky, 2009). Heifetz &
Linsky (2009) recommended maintaining an organizational climate that recognizes change.
When facing racial change, it will be uncomfortable and organizational stress will be needed for
difficult adaptive advancement to take place. Facing whiteness and interrupting white racial
hegemony is an adaptive change; one that will take the creation of a safe and intentionally
persistent environment for white teachers to experience vulnerability to explore their whiteness
and also a courageous space to keep the conversation race visible and progress focused.
An essential part of a more race visible school culture is building pedagogy that is based
on an understanding of the instructional beliefs of a teacher and their place in their instruction.
The work of racial identity will challenge white teachers and how they look at their instruction
and overall teaching (Paton & Jordan, 2018; Theoharis and Haddix, 2011). The development of
white racial identity and how this will impact teacher’s pedagogy must be central in a
professional learning plan developed to address this school culture change. (See recommendation
two below.)
It is the collective work of teachers, teacher leaders, and site leaders to establish an
antiracist action plan. This plan needs to provide achievable outcomes that include the
professional learning opportunities, personal journey work, and skill development to allow
teachers the time and training to become aware and reflect on who they are and how and why
they teach. This plan needs to address the teacher’s ownership of equity in their own pedagogy
and their own racial consciousness to work to build a school culture that is critical of whiteness
(Castagno, 2009; Jupp et al, 2019; Theoharis & Haddix, 2011). Professional learning begins with
recognizing the needs of the students and building the capacity of the teachers to address those
needs. In the case of building an antiracist school culture, the teachers need capacity building to
address their own racial awareness, the systemic race evasion, and white dominance in the school

95
culture in order to make connections to their students of color (McIntyre, 1997; Patton & Jordan,
2017; Theoharis & Haddix, 2011; Welton et al., 2015).
The dual work of individual racial identity awareness and embedding antiracism into the
school culture are both necessary. In the development of one’s own racial awareness, the
teachers will model both white racial consciousness and errors in stepping into whiteness. This
modeling is essential for both teachers and school leaders to influence the assumptions in
changing culture (Schein, 2004) and for the learning by staff members and students (Bandura,
2005). Modeling plays an important role in the learning for the adults on campus and
demonstrates the organizational values by the teachers modeling a positive white racial identity
for each other and their students.
Further, the findings point to the need for teachers to have ownership over equity work in
the school and understand how equity exists in their own pedagogy. As Chapman (2013) warns,
it is challenging to overcome systemic colorblindness and deficit thinking when the white culture
is dominant in the school. In order to create a more critical multicultural approach to equity,
addressing the culture of whiteness will need a strong vision for teachers to build equity-
mindedness into their practices. As long as schools relegate equity to a ‘committee,’ teachers will
not see the need for their own equity-mindedness to be developed. Creating this need and
urgency with teachers is the work of the school (Noguera & Noguera, 2018; Theoharis &
Haddix, 2011; Welton et al., 2015).
In order for teachers to explore their own racial identity and consciousness, the entire
school staff must engage in this journey. Equity work cannot exist without a strong thread of
racial consciousness embedded in the school culture (Bensimon, 2005; Patton & Jordan, 2017).
The development of culture begins with leaders who can foster the creative tension between
where they are, as a person, a staff, and a school, in their racial journey and what their school

96
will look like as they reach an antiracist vision (Senge, 1990). It is recommended to address
antiracism and critical whiteness in the school vision. It is essential to understand that
challenging whiteness takes intention to change organizational culture because the school culture
is immersed in a white hegemonic system that is designed to resist change. Schein (2004)
recognized the influence that organizational founders, most of whom were white in education,
have left in an organization’s culture and when new assumptions are introduced into a culture,
the white system works to resist this change. Patton and Jordan (2017) warned school leaders to
be aware of the role white fragility plays when working with white teachers on racial equity.
White privilege and fragility are behaviors that manifest from changes to a white dominant
culture (DiAngelo, 2011). This is why understanding the need for disequilibrium (Heifetz &
Linsky, 2009) and discomfort (Patton & Jordan, 2018) must be a recognizable part of the
antiracist action plan that addresses both individual racial awareness and larger school cultural
needs in a school vision.
Recommendation Two: Teacher Professional Learning
From the findings, several areas pointed to a need for teacher professional learning. This
professional learning needs to be the focus of the antiracist action plan recommended earlier.
These trainings need to range from the development of content and context knowledge on
‘pedagogy’ and ’equity’ to working with a typology to study a teacher's multicultural
competence in light of racial awareness and race visible equity practices. The findings were clear
that the teachers interviewed struggled with understanding equity in a consistent and unified
manner. Starting with common definition building is an important first step when learning about
race and equity (Singleton & Linton, 2006). An understanding of pedagogy will need to be
grown alongside their development of their own racial being, as one’s racial identity and
consciousness will affect their pedagogical beliefs. The development of pedagogy will also alter

97
as they learn the influence whiteness has on their instructional practices. It will then be an
important step to work on developing white racial identity alongside exploring how their
expanded understanding of self influences how they see their students and the white dominance
in their own classrooms. An essential part of a more race visible school culture is building
pedagogy that is based on an understanding of the instructional beliefs of a teacher and their
place in their instruction. The work of racial identity will challenge white teachers and how they
look at their instructional and overall teaching (Paton & Jordan, 2018; Theoharis and Haddix,
2011). The development of white racial identity and how this will impact teacher’s pedagogy
must be central in the professional learning plan developed to address this school culture change.
Another key element to professional learning is the development of self-efficacy as the
teachers learn about racial consciousness and the impact of whiteness on their teaching.
Grossman and Salas (2011) outlined the components of successful training. Of the three
elements, self-efficacy influences the other two, cognitive ability and motivation. If the teachers
believe they have the ability and agency to perform the task, their success at achieving it
improves. The modeling by other white teachers and leaders is key to build this self-efficacy and
agency (Bandura, 2018). Because this learning is about a teacher's personal racial consciousness,
it taps the intrinsic motivation of teachers, yet it is also threatening to teachers as Patton and
Jordan (2018) reported through their study of white fragility and teacher training. Devine et al.
(2012) studied implicit bias and developed training on strategies to reduce racial bias. The
findings demonstrated that the use of interventions for bias, stereotype replacement, and the
recognition that awareness of bias is the key to improving implicit racial bias. These
interventions need to be included in the professional learning section of an antiracist action plan.
Professional learning needs to focus on developing a personal connection to race and provide the

98
strategies to interrupt bias which will build teacher’s self-efficacy and agency to face race in
their practices (Bandura, 2018; Zimmerman et al., 2017).
Once this has been established, developing an antiracist action plan that centers on the
development of white racial identity and awareness with self-reflective inquiry will help inform
the pedagogy study (McIntyre, 2002). Developing a teacher's white racial identity and critical
inquiry into racialized school hierarchies is an essential step (McIntyre, 1997; Picower, 2009).
The plan should employ a typology, like the ones outlined form this study or from Castagno
(2009) and Jupp et al. (2019) that teachers could see their progression. Understanding the
perceptions of restrictive and expansive thinking would help with educator’s comprehension
about the behaviors and practices that insulate whiteness in schools. This work will include
tapping into teacher’s personal stories about their own racial journey and making connections to
their equity-mindedness (Bensimon, 2005; Singleton & Linton, 2006; Theoharis & Haddix,
2011). At the farthest ends of using a critical approach to multiculturalism, teachers would
engage in social justice and social action with students (Castagno, 2009). To achieve this
outcome of critical race theory and multiculturalism, the whiteness that exists in teacher’s
pedagogy will need to be identified, interrupted, and changed to advance equity-minded
pedagogy that benefits students of color (Bensimon, 2005; Castagno, 2009; Chapman, 2013;
McIntyre, 1997; Patton & Jordan, 2017, Theoharis & Haddix, 2011).
Limitations and Delimitations
The most challenging limitations inherent in this study included the complexities of
discussing race. White people are inherently biased and struggle with both white privilege and
white fragility. White privilege includes the unconscious bias of how being white provides a
sense of ease about race issues because they do not see or experience most racism. Further, when

99
addressed with this bias, many white people experience white fragility, or the discomfort and
anxiety about facing race that manifests itself as defensiveness and supremacy (DiAngelo, 2018).
These two attributes of whiteness may have caused the responses from the white educators to be
guarded, biased, or even unclear. While the respondents demonstrated little fragility, the
occurrence of race and topic avoidance was common.
Another limitation included the use of an equity-minded construct that is not yet a clear
concept to many educators. The work of many researchers in the field of critical white studies
and multicultural education are exploring this need to push equity-mindedness into the work of
white educators (Castagno, 2013; Dowd & Bensimon, 2015; Jupp et al., 2019). However, like
this study, this work is fairly new. Basing this study on a conceptual framework that is not
widely known may have resulted in limitations. Participants were asked to respond with their
own perceptions of equity-mindedness that may have been undeveloped.
Another limitation was the sample size of the study. Twelve teachers volunteered for the
interviews and rich data was collected for this study, however a more robust number of teachers
and multiple schools could provide more accuracy and reliability in the data findings. Future
research could engage in collecting more research across various sites and locations.
Given delimitations include the focus on a white, affluent community, and being present
in their whiteness. The study focused on one predominantly white suburban school and was
limited because of the scope. More schools and educators would provide a broader range of
insights into the whiteness in high schools. The decision to focus on white educators in
predominantly white high schools may change the outcomes of the study.

100
Recommendations for Future Research
The issue of white racial consciousness and the influence on students of color success in
high schools was an area of study with many avenues for continued research. One area that was
not addressed in this study was the perspective of students of color. Due to the limitations of
using minors in research, the study chose to focus on teacher’s perceptions. To fully address the
impact of white teachers on students of color connection with the school, academic interest, and
inclusion in the classroom, the student voice would need to be considered. The research offered
by Chapman (2014), Chapman et al. (2014), and Diamond (2007) was valuable to this study
because of the inclusion of student voice. It is important to understand how teachers and
educators approach equity and whiteness. The inclusion of students and their lived experience in
these classrooms may identify specific behaviors and viewpoints that would give tangible
examples to have the teachers learn from hearing their voice.
Another area that seems to be on the edge of deeper exploration is the use of a continuum
or typology to better explain multicultural education. Once a mainstays of educational pre-
service course work, a rebirth of multicultural education with a critical lens may provide both
pre-service and in-service teachers with the language and behaviors to explain the growth from a
restrictive, assimilation-based perspective to a fully expansive and social justice position of
multicultural educational pedagogy.
Conclusion
From the purpose of this study to the findings and recommendations, this work has been
about how to better serve students of color. This was a study designed to examine the
perceptions of white educators regarding their own racial identity and consciousness, equity
practices in their classroom, and if these perceptions restrict or expand their equity-minded
pedagogy. The unavoidable centering on whiteness has the potential to dominate the more

101
important focus of the work and the students of color themselves. The findings demonstrated that
teachers who can interrogate their own whiteness do a stronger job at recognizing race, racism,
and whiteness in their pedagogy. It is with this hope, that this recognition becomes the
knowledge and courage to be an antiracist educator for the children. The work of antiracism has
received recent attention from Dr. Ibram X. Kendi (2019) where he asked:
The question for each of us is: What side of history will we stand on? A racist is someone
who is supporting a racist policy by their actions or inaction or expressing a racist idea.
An antiracist is someone who is supporting an antiracist policy by their actions or
expressing an antiracist idea. “Racist” and ‘antiracist” are like peelable name takes that
are placed and replaced based on what someone is doing or not doing, supporting or
expressing each moment. These are not permanent tattoos. No one becomes a racist or
antiracist. We can only strive to be one or the other… To be an antiracist is a radical
choice in the face of history, requiring a radical reorientation of our consciousness (p.
23).
Dr. Kendi set the stage for the work of white teachers to be race aware and strive to be antiracist.
This is the work ahead for schools, especially predominantly white schools.
The two recommendations, focused on building the cultural capacity of the school
through the development of an antiracist action plan to develop ownership of equity and critical
whiteness, and to train teachers in their own racial consciousness, are based in hope. In each of
the articles read for this study, the twelve teachers interviewed, and the coursework that
complimented this study, there is an essence of a better day for education and for the children. In
Pedagogy of Freedom, Paulo Freire (1998) stated, “There is a relationship between the joy
essential to teaching activities and hope. Hope is something shared between teachers and
students. The hope that we can learn together, teach together, be curiously impatient together,

102
produce something together, and resist together the obstacles that prevent the flowering of our
joy” (p. 69). Because the core of learning is the relationship between the teacher and the student,
creating a space where students of color can enter and know they are safe, welcome, and have
hope in that relationship is essential. The intention for this study is to open that space wider and
provide hope.

103
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Appendix A: Interview Protocol
Introduction: Thank you for agreeing to meet with me and conduct this interview. I wanted to
remind you that the focus of this study is how white educators perceive their own race and how
they believe their racial identity and consciousness influences their equity-mindedness. This is a
research study, so the questions being asked are sincere and interesting to me. I recognize that as
a white educator I bring my own bias. I also appreciate your signing the consent form and
agreeing to help with this study. May I record this interview? Please know this recording will be
used for my review only and will not be shared directly with anyone.
Are you ready to begin? We will start with some general information so I can learn a bit more
about you and your profession.
Demographic Information:
● How long have you been in education?
● What is your current position?
● Why did you get into teaching in the first place?
● Tell me about a student you felt you made an impact on and why?
● How did you end up working at Coyote High School?

Interview questions: Let’s talk a bit about your classes and your students:

1. Tell me about the classes you teach?

2. Tell me about the students in your classes?
● What are your expectations for your students?
● What do you see as their strengths?
● What concerns do you have about some of them?

115
3. Tell me about the students of color in your classes specifically?

Let’s turn now to discussing the equity work in your school:

4. How is your school working on equity practices and equity mindedness? (RQ 2; equity)

5. What do you think of when you hear the term “equity”? (RQ 2; equity)

6. How engaged are you in this work? (RQ 1; personal work)

7. In your experience, what does equity look like in the classroom? (RQ 2; equity) Can you
give me some examples?
8. What educational pedagogies do you associate with “equity”? What makes them related
to equity? (RQ 2, 3; equity and social justice)
9. Do you use any of these with your students? Why or why not? (RQ 2,3. equity)
10. To be an “equity-minded” teacher, what are the attributes you think would be essential?
(RQ 2; equity)
11. To what extent are the attributes you named above ones you believe you use with your
students? (RQ 2; equity)
Thank you for your thoughts about equity...let’s change direction a bit and talk about race….
12. What is your racial identity? (RQ 1, Race and racial identity)
13. What does it mean to be white? (RQ 1, racial identity)
14. How often do you think about being white? What kinds of things do you think about?
15. Do you ever talk about your racial identity? What kind of things do you talk about? Do
you ever talk about your race with your students? (RQ 1, 3; race and social justice)

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16. In what ways does your racial identity play out in your position as a teacher? (RQ 1; Race
and racial identity and colorblind or race-visible) Probe: What is an example of how
racial identity plays out as a teacher?
17. When you think about your work as a teacher, would you say you have a strong
awareness of your racial identity? (RQ 3: equity and whiteness and social justice)
18. How does being white affect your choices in the classroom?? (RQ 2; equity, whiteness)
1. Can you give me any examples of curriculum, pedagogy, or practices where this
is evident in your teaching?
19. How does being white affect your work with students of color? (RQ 1,2, race, whiteness,
multicultural education)

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Appendix B: Cartoon of Equality vs. Equity (Gutosky, 2020)

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perspectives of white teachers and their own racial consciousness and equity-minded pedagogy. Using critical race theory, the study examined both race and racism as a permanent feature in high schools and the influence of colorblindness, deficit thinking, and restrictive thinking has on equity practices in the classroom. The research took place at a predominantly white high school in Northern California, Coyote High School (pseudonym). The research included twelve one-on-one interviews with white teachers across a variety of subject areas. The qualitative inquiry focused on answering the following research questions: 1) What are the perceptions of white teachers related to their own racial identity and consciousness? 2) What are the perceptions of white teachers regarding equity-minded pedagogy? 3) In what ways does racial consciousness expand or restrict equity-minded pedagogical decision-making? The findings identified that teachers perceived their white racial identity, however for many of the teachers, their racial awareness did not influence their equity-mindedness. Further, the teachers identified equity shortcomings in their school systems, but many did not apply equity-mindedness to their own practices. The findings and recommendations provide insights into the professional learning white teachers could benefit from through building connections between personal racial awareness and equity practices in their pedagogy. Future research is needed to explore how students of color perceive the practices white teachers with higher racial consciousness provide for more equitable instruction and the use of a typology with teachers to guide their equity-minded development.

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Creator Seabury-Utic, Elizabeth (author)

Core Title Developing equity-mindedness in the face of whiteness: White educator perspectives of race

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Degree Conferral Date 2021-05

Publication Date 05/10/2021

Defense Date 05/10/2021

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag antiracism,critical race theory,equity-minded pedagogy,OAI-PMH Harvest,White racial identity

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