The Challenges of Engaging in Conversations and Activities Focused on Race, Ethnicity, and Identity in the Classroom: Learning from U.S. Based Teachers

ABSTRACT

In the last two decades within the United States (U.S.), discussing race, ethnicity, and identity with students in the classroom has grown in popularity but has also been met with significant backlash. As teachers navigate the calls for and against such work, they also weigh their own trepidations about these conversations. Professional development seeking to effectively prepare teachers for these conversations must take these concerns into account. The current study explored teachers’ perceptions of the challenges related to engaging in conversations and activities related to race, ethnicity, and identity with their students in the classroom. The sample included 20 U.S. high school teachers (14 White, 2 Asian, 1 Black, 1 Black-Latinx, 2 Latinx; 80% female; teaching experience ranged from 1–27 years) recruited from three public schools in a large metropolitan area in the Northeast U.S. Data were gathered from face-to-face individual interviews. Findings from thematic analysis and consensual qualitative coding and analysis identified seven domains, 11 sub-domains, and 51 categories characterizing teachers’ perceived challenges. Findings provide insights for how to support teachers’ development of the capacities, mindsets, behaviors, and skills necessary for leading conversations about race, ethnicity, and identity with students.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethnic-racial identity
• needs-based professional development
• qualitative methods
• teacher challenges

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by an award from the William T. Grant Foundation (PI: Umaña-Taylor; Reducing Inequality Grants #189853). Special thanks to the participating teachers and administrators at partner school sites and to the following individuals for their contributions to the research process: Helen Neville, Elana McDermott, Stefanie Martinez-Fuentes, Elaine Luo, Shandra Jones, Elisa Gomez, and Dalal Safa.

Disclosure statement

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

Data availability statement

Data are not available due to human subjects assurances.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2024.2340489

Notes

1. Our use of the phrase “race, ethnicity, and identity” refers to discussions of identity as they pertain to race and ethnicity, generally, as well as one’s personal ethnic-racial identity.

2. This brief discussion is not meant to be comprehensive as the U.S. government and public-school systems have been exclusionary and harmful toward ethnoracially minoritized communities beyond those examples mentioned here.

3. In this article, the authors utilize the term emancipatory pedagogy, which encompasses culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching, and CSP (Duncan, 2020).

4. NPR refers to National Public Radio, a nonprofit media and journalism organization.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the William T. Grant Foundation [189853].