In service of disruption: examining mediators of White racial identity through inservice professional development addressing race and racism

ABSTRACT

Research on professional development (PD) with practicing White teachers has traditionally focused on shifting White teachers’ attitudes, whereas more recent research has explored the role of emotions in White teachers’ engagement in such learning. Leveraging theory on culturally disruptive pedagogy and a qualitative phenomenological approach, this article analyses the experiences of a group of White educators across a suburban Mid-Atlantic district, asking, what common elements are associated with ‘disruptions’ White educators may experience in PD addressing race and racism? Building on previous research calling attention to the complex, multifaceted nature of White cultural conditioning and related processes of ‘unlearning’, cognitive, emotional, spatial, and embodied mediating elements are documented and analysed. Implications for future research and PD design and facilitation are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Professional development
• White teachers
• racial equity
• inservice
• White teacher identity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Spencer Foundation [Supporting Educators’ Postelection Equity and Inclusion Dialogues].