“I’M NOT GOING TO LET A SYSTEM, THAT’S DESIGNED AGAINST ME, BEAT ME”: EXAMINING BLACK TEACHERS’ RACIAL LITERACY DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHER ACCOUNTABILITY POLICY NAVIGATION FOR ANTI-RACIST PEDAGOGIES

Abstract

Anti-racist pedagogies help students critically examine and critique racial injustice and oppressive structures that shape their lived experiences. Many teacher preparation programs encourage teachers to employ anti-racist pedagogies—usually Culturally Relevant Pedagogy or Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy. However, teacher education literature suggests teacher preparation programs provide Black teachers with inadequate training on anti-racism, and research on K-12 accountability policies outlines various barriers facing Black teachers who enact anti-racist pedagogies. Yet, some Black teachers still find ways to employ these pedagogies. Using frameworks such as Racial Literacy Development, Structure-Culture-Agency framework, and Critical Race Theory, I develop a three-paper dissertation to explore two phenomena among Black teachers: (1) lived experiences that shape their racial literacy development, and (2) strategies to navigate teacher accountability policies. This examination will expand the growing body of research on ways to transform teacher education and K-12 accountability policies to more intentionally support Black teachers in employing anti-racist pedagogies.