Cultivating Educators of Color: The Role of School in Shaping Students of Color's Perceptions About Teaching

Abstract

Seeking to enhance efforts toward diversity in the teaching profession, this study used a heuristic methodology to explore how the lived experiences of high school students of Color participating in an education pathways high school course shaped their perceptions of the teaching career. Critical race theory (CRT), critical whiteness studies, and culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) and their interrelatedness provide an understanding of the role of race in K–12 education. There is an overlap that exists between CRP, CRT, and whiteness studies. CRT provides the lens to understand racism, and critical white studies unpack White privilege. Thus, CRT and critical whiteness studies contextualize CRP, enabling the means to examine how race has been used, institutionalized, and maintained in schools (Sleeter, 2017) and making them tools for isolating race and racism effects on education. The findings of this study reveal challenges and motivations shaping the aspirations of students of Color who are considering teaching careers. While students reported feeling excluded due to implicit biases and societal stigmas, they also found belonging through supportive teachers and diverse peers. Students expressed being driven by social justice to become teachers and were discouraged by the lack of support they experienced as students and the societal devaluation of the profession. Consequently, this study highlights the need for a diverse and supportive education system. Implementing culturally proficient practices, dismantling negative perceptions, and providing information about teaching careers can help students of Color change their perceptions of teaching as a career.