A Scoping Review of Diversity Training for Teachers: The Potential for School Psychology

Abstract

Pervasive disparities in educational outcomes suggest the need to train teachers to better support minoritized students by leading inclusive, equitable, and multicultural classrooms. Given the potential benefits of teacher training in antiracist and culturally responsive instructional practices, we synthesized the available research on diversity training for both pre- and in-service teachers by conducting a scoping review of the literature. The results revealed a reliance on preservice teacher samples, qualitative designs, and self-report, immediately collected, attitudinal measures. The narrow scope of the available evidence base limits our ability to evaluate the extent to which diversity training for educators is reaching its diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. In advancing recommendations for future research, we advocate for the potential of school psychologists to use school-wide data to inform the development of diversity-related programming, implement evidence-based practices via ongoing consultation, and evaluate the effectiveness of these trainings in reference to meaningful student outcomes.

Impact Statement

The current review evaluated the extent to which diversity training among educators is effective in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion among students. Given the limitations of the available literature base, we advocate for school psychologists to leverage their expertise to better support the research and practice of diversity-related programming in school settings. Such work is instrumental toward promoting social justice and aligned with school psychologists’ ethical obligation to better support minoritized students (García-Vázquez et al., 2020). To facilitate these efforts, we end with a roadmap for the field to guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of effective school-based diversity training.

Keywords:

• diversity training
• culturally responsive teaching
• school psychology

ASSOCIATE EDITOR:

• Pamela Fenning

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank mentors who provided feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript, including Dr. Tanya L. Eckert, Dr. Bridget O. Hier, and Katharine E. Scott.

Open Scholarship

This article has earned the Center for Open Science badges for Open Data and Open Materials through Open Practices Disclosure. The data and materials are openly accessible at https://osf.io/x73wb/?view_only=481b2567721c44279ac5da3d22ddde35. To obtain the author's disclosure form, please contact the Editor.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of the study are openly available in Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/x73wb/?view_only=481b2567721c44279ac5da3d22ddde35.

DISCLOSURE

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Notes

1 The link to our Open Science Framework page: https://osf.io/x73wb/?view_only=481b2567721c44279ac5da3d22ddde35

Additional information

Funding

The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Award #R305B200026 to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the U.S. Department of Education.

Notes on contributors

Tory L. Ash

Tory L. Ash, MS, is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the school psychology doctoral program. She is also a fellow in the Interdisciplinary Training Program, which is funded by the U.S Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her master’s from Syracuse University. Prior to starting her graduate studies, she worked as a laboratory manager in the Prejudice and Intergroup Relations Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests center on school-wide interventions and supports to promote greater equity in educational outcomes.

Samantha C. Maguire

Samantha C. Maguire, MS, is a doctoral candidate at Syracuse University in the School Psychology program. She received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Educational Studies from Siena College and a master’s degree in Psychology from Syracuse University. Her research interests are focused on school absenteeism and issues related to educational access.