Barbara Sizemore and the Politics of Black Educational Achievement and Community Control, 1963–1975

Theoretical perspectives for developing antiracist teaching dispositions and practices in preservice teacher education

“…We also recognize how few examples appear in the science teacher education literature. In contrast, much of the historical and contemporary research on how teachers use their political clarity highlights Black teachers' work related to racial solidarity and uplift with Black children, families, and communities in both segregated and so‐called desegregated schools (Beauboeuf‐Lafontant, 1999; Givens, 2021a; Madkins, 2011; Siddle Walker, 1996; Todd‐Breland, 2015). We point our audience to this body of research to illustrate the importance of political clarity as science teachers develop antiracist teaching dispositions and practices—as well as to further emphasize the variation in teachers' embodied understandings of political clarity across time and content areas.…”

“…To develop an antiracist teaching disposition, a teacher must understand the political nature of teaching (Beauboeuf‐Lafontant, 1999), which is a profession that has always been viewed as engaging in a political act. This is especially true for teachers' work with minoritized learners and their efforts to acknowledge and address anti‐Black and other forms of systemic racism in classrooms (Anderson, 2021; Givens, 2021b; Madkins, 2011; McKinney de Royston et al, 2021; Todd‐Breland, 2015). However, scientific disciplines—and by proxy, science education—are often considered apolitical and culture‐free (Cochran et al, 2020; Sheth, 2019).…”