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In this chapter, we present an analysis of the literature on preservice teachers of Color juxtaposed with the experiences of Ashley, Marena, Brianna, Laryn, and Felicia that gives insight into the ways in which these women of Color describe their understandings of social justice and culturally relevant teaching and the importance it holds for their work as future teachers. Using both culturally relevant pedagogy and critical race theory, we describe critical incidents from their racialized experiences in their teacher education program, inclusive of how they perceived having a Black professor for a diversity course. Lastly, we conclude the chapter with suggestions they deem as beneficial to their development and growth as social justice educators for teacher education programs to consider.

Given the historical legacy of policing Black bodies, this research focuses on the structures of anti-Blackness within school policing and the strategies students of Color activists use as they work to defund or abolish police departments in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Specifically, this article looks to Twitter as a counter-storytelling space for students of Color activists to organize and build movements to end anti-Black school policing. Through the frameworks of critical race theory (CRT) and Black critical theory (BlackCrit), this research applies inductive coding to analyze 42 Twitter posts from three students of Color-led organizations based in Los Angeles.

This document analysis presents four themes, which describe four dominant strategies students of Color activists use in their campaigns to defund or abolish school police in the LAUSD: (1) centering Blackness and Black student experiences, (2) making demands for the elimination of funding and support for school police, (3) calling for a shift in funding to support Black students and (4) employing multiple tactics concurrently.

These findings demonstrate the importance of developing and centering a critical understanding of anti-Blackness to achieve racial and educational justice within social movements.

Moreover, the demands of students of Color activists reflect visions of public schools free from anti-Black school policing.

This lesson should be used with students in grades pre-K-2 as they develop an understanding of cultural diversity. This lesson involves students making comparisons between their skin tones and comparisons of skin tones to those of different foods found in their everyday environment. The book is a starting point for these comparisons as it displays bright images through an artist’s perspective. The book includes fictional characters from several nations that have different colors of skin as Lena and her mother notice on their walk around the neighborhood. Students also will make comparisons between their skin color and the skin color of the characters from the book. The lesson further includes students identifying their own skin tone through the mixing of paints and digital photo use.

The hiring of women of colour faculty is not without unwritten presuppositions. The authors are expected to tolerate racism and to draw from cultural experience in catering to students of colour or when it fulfils institutional needs such as bringing ‘colour’ to all-white committees. Yet, the normative profile of university teachers demands detachment with a focus on high output in terms of students and publications. In the light of this, commitment to social justice seems to be in (certain) disagreements with mainstream interpretations of the academic profession. Women of colour professors are redefining educational leadership. This chapter addresses its effect on emotional wellbeing together with techniques and strategies to strengthen emotional resilience.

The purpose of this manuscript is to demonstrate how school and district leaders supported the youth of color leadership initiatives at the district and school levels in ways to advance youth agencies and transformative change. The specific research question guiding this study was What actions do formalized leaders engage in to share leadership opportunities with the youth of color that protect student agencies and control?

A multi-site qualitative case study design was used, drawing on the understanding of shared leadership and student voice as analytical lenses.

Leaders across both sites supported the youth of color leadership in three ways: (1) being open to new and different sources of knowledge related to persistent issues of inequity in their schools; (2) initiating spaces for the youth of color to engage in leadership and (3) buffering student leaders from outside pressures.

This research demonstrates the ways leaders with positional power can support youth of color leadership while not removing youth agencies and independence.

This manuscript contributes to existing scholarship by demonstrating how the understanding of shared leadership and student voice scholarship combines to deepen understanding of supporting youth of color leadership.

By 2026, students of color will make up 54 percent of the school-age population. Literature on recruiting and retaining teachers of color reveal that teachers of color are underrepresented in US schools (Castro et al., 2018). Cultural differences between teachers and students result in higher number of students of color being expelled or suspended, low graduation rates and lower numbers of students of color in advanced math, science and gifted courses. With an emphasis on retaining teachers of color the purpose of this paper is to examine how traditional school contexts play a role in teacher retention.

This was a qualitative case study that examined white teachers’ perceptions about their interactions with African American teachers (Merriam, 1998). A case study was useful in describing the boundaries of the school and how this type of context allowed the researchers to explore intergroup differences between both groups of teachers (Hays and Singh, 2011). Nine white teachers from predominantly white schools in the USA were interviewed (Seidman, 1998). The data were analyzed using what Glaser and Strauss (1967) call a constant comparative method. This process compared the intergroup theory with teachers’ responses.

Findings indicated that white teachers had little or no experience interacting with people who were racially and culturally different from them. Because of their curiosity about race, African American teachers were categorized as the “black expert.” White teachers asked them to speak with African American parents, give expertise on areas of discipline and chair multicultural events. Group boundaries developed rapidly as white teachers overwhelmed teachers of color with only their racial problems. African American teachers were forced into roles, which prevented them from contributing in other areas. Thus, African American teachers grew tired of only playing one aspect of their teaching.

Upon entering their schools, teachers bring with them a broad array of experiences, knowledge, skills and abilities. This results in a form of assimilation where they become like-minded to their schools’ norms and values. As incoming teachers of color enter with different norms and culture, they mediate boundaries having both groups of teachers adjust to cultural differences (Madsen and Mabokela, 2013). Intergroup differences often occur due to changing demographics in schools. If teachers cannot work through these normative conflicts, it will be reflected in teacher turnover, absences, workplace disagreements and teachers of color leaving.

If the focus is to recruit teachers of color, there needs to be an emphasis on preparing leaders on how to identify and address intergroup differences. As in Bell’s (2002) study and Achinstein’s (2002) research, when teachers have differences it will have influence how teachers will collaborate. Thus, teachers of color are prevented from sharing their philosophy about teaching students of color. These individuals also share the burden of being the only person who can advocate for students of color, but also serve as cultural translators for other students as well.

Future educators not only need to understand how to teach demographically diverse students, but it is important for them to understand how multicultural capital plays an inclusive role in getting all students to do academically well. The question becomes of how one teaches the importance of “humanistic” commitments for all children.

Booysen (2014) believes that identity and workplace identity research only allows for integration of divergent perspectives. More study is needed to understand how do workers navigate their identity through the workplace. Workplace identity among group members results in power discrepancies and assimilation verses the preservation of micro cultural identity. Thus, both groups often have competing goals and there is a struggle for resources. Cox (1994) believes that these tensions cause group members to center on preserving of their own culture. Hence, groups are more aware of their need to protect their cultural identity which ultimately affects retention of workers.

Similar to other parts of the United States, its southern region is still wrestling with the implications of the resegregation of America’s schools. Unlike other parts of the country, however, the Deep South demons are rooted in a vastly different historical context. This chapter offers an historical analysis of the educational problems in the Deep South, with strong emphasis on gifted programming. Further, in this chapter, we present and describe a framework that could guide educators as they strive to identify giftedness among children of color and implement programming in a culturally responsive manner.

In this study, a teacher-researcher examined his students’ conceptions of Whiteness within U.S. history courses at an ethnically and economically diverse urban high school. Using critical race theory as the lens, this mixed method study found most students could explain the role of race in history. Students of color were more likely to express racism is common in the current day, while White students were more likely to express racism as uncommon. Whites were more likely to express racism as on a dramatic decline or the result of a few individuals. This study highlights the positive impact a race-conscious social studies classroom can have on all students. It also shows the many barriers teachers face in helping White students understand their roles in a system privileging them because of their skin color.

This article focuses on the following questions: 1) How do secondary social studies teachers working in schools of color experience pedagogical negotiations when trying to teach students thoughtful, critically informed citizenship and government and school accountability mandates? and 2) How does teaching with lessons grounded in the principles of authentic intellectual work (AIW) affect this negotiation experience? We employed a phenomenological framework as the methodological basis for eliciting two classroom teachers’ experiences, both of whom have advanced degrees in social studies education and several years of teaching experience in schools of color and of poverty. The findings show that prior to the incorporation of lessons based on the principles of authentic intellectual work, these teachers’ negotiation experiences had strong negatively affective dimensions based on a zero-sum pedagogical conceptualization of curriculum. Following the introduction of lessons based on AIW, these negatively affective dimensions began to recede from their experiences and were replaced by more positive ones. Given that classroom teachers are the ultimate arbiters of curriculum in their classrooms, this research has implications for improving the experiences of secondary social studies teachers working in schools of color.

The purpose of this article is to identify opportunities for effective collaboration between academic libraries and student services offices dedicated to providing services to students of color.

A survey research method was used to gather demographic information about students affiliated with one of four “cultural centers” at Washington State University and to generate descriptive statistics regarding their patterns of information use and the degree to which they made use of library resources and services.

Findings are reported in five tables describing library use by students of color as well as their preferences for targeted library programming. Survey results were used to identify a number of potential service enhancements to encourage more effective use of library and information resources by students of color.

Survey dissemination was limited to those students either actively affiliated with one of four cultural centers sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Services, or involved in the Academic Enrichment programs sponsored by that office. Survey results suggest that additional inquiry is needed into the development of substantive and sustainable partnerships between academic libraries and student services offices dedicated to providing services to students of color.

Provides a number of discrete approaches to providing more effective library resources and services to students of color within the framework both of liaison with academic departments and of co‐curricular service frameworks.

Builds a framework for service‐based liaison with student communities of color that transcends the familiar discussions related to building library collections that reflect the history and experience of racial and ethnic minority groups. Insight into minority student use of libraries and into avenues for collaboration with multicultural student service programs may be useful to librarians on any college campus with a well‐defined framework for minority student services.