Critical Collective Consciousness: Ethnic Studies Teachers and Professional Development

ABSTRACT

We know little about the challenges districts and teachers face when establishing Ethnic Studies courses. In one school district, variation in teachers’ Ethnic Studies knowledge impeded the production of curricula and its implementation. This study examines how Ethnic Studies teachers responded to the problems of differential knowledge and orientation on race, power, and teacher positionality in the context of high school classrooms. Based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews, I argue that a praxis-oriented approach to teacher professional development can play a central role in preparing Ethnic Studies teachers. Through political education and critical race dialogue, teachers developed their critical consciousness, which then led to a collective identity and shared views on major elements of Ethnic Studies’ curricular perspectives and approach. This study holds significant implications for teacher education and professional development as schools, districts, and states create policies to contribute to an equitable and inclusive public education through Ethnic Studies curricula.

Acknowledgments

I have immense gratitude for the members of the Ethnic Studies Collaborative for welcoming me into their space and process. I appreciate Zeus Leonardo, Patricia Baquedano-López, Michael Omi, Matthew Laurel, Deborah Lustig, Christine Trost, and David Minkus for their insightful comments on early versions of this manuscript. I am grateful for the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues Graduate Fellows for their generative conversations about this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Various Ethnic Studies courses have been offered in the district since the early 2000s. In 2007, the school board initiated the development of an Ethnic Studies framework, which led to building a district-wide course.

2. To respect participant confidentiality, pseudonyms are given to all participants, districts, and schools.

3. The 2008 curriculum was organized with ethnic-specific units that focused on African American Studies, Raza/Latinx Studies, Asian American Studies, Native American Studies, etc. After two years, the Collaborative shifted to a comparative Ethnic Studies approach.

4. The term “Pinay” was first used to refer to Filipinas living or born in the United States in the 1920s (Mabalon, 2013).

5. While the observations for this article took place over one school year, the Collaborative has continued their work as a critical teaching community to the present day.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jocyl Sacramento

Jocyl Sacramento is an assistant professor of Ethnic Studies at the California State University, Stanislaus. Her work examines how educators respond to the challenges of establishing high school Ethnic Studies courses. Her research and teaching interests also include critical pedagogy, comparative racialization, community responsive pedagogies, Asian American Studies, and Pinayism. Her work appears in The Urban Review and Amerasia Journal.