Pigmentation and practice : understanding perceptions of white female teachers within a colorblind racial ideology framework

Abstract

Thoreau said, "The question is not what you look at, but what you see." In the world of education, what we don't see--or at least claim not to notice--matters just as much. For non-White children in American schools today, a failure to acknowledge their racial and cultural identity can have lasting impact on academic success. A failure to acknowledge racial and cultural identities can also impede full access to equitable educational opportunities. A well-documented educational achievement gap persists between Black students and White students despite the legally-sanctioned school desegregation of years ago. Because the teacher has great influence over classroom norms and instructional delivery--and recognizing that American teachers are predominantly White and female-- this study seeks to look closely at the perceptions of those teachers with regard to race and education. This dissertation is a qualitative inquiry of multiple case study design. Using the tenets of Colorblind Racial Ideology to construct meaning from teacher viewpoints and experiences, the goal is to facilitate candid conversations about racial diversity and promote the academic success of all students.