Unpacking Everyday “Teacher Talk” About Students and Families of Color

Abstract

Informal "teacher talk" about students is ubiquitous, but it remains largely unexamined. This study critically examines casual, everyday teacher discourse about students perceived to be racially or culturally "different." Data were collected through participants' journal entries, group discussion, and interviews. Findings revealed three dominant deficit-based discursive themes embedded in informal teacher talk about students of color. I argue for the need to heighten educators' critical awareness of deficit discourse and its relationship to teaching, learning, and issues of equity. This article will likely be of interest to educational administration faculty, teacher educators, K-12 educators, and those studying school culture.

Race and Teacher Evaluations as Predictors of Algebra Placement

“…In fact, Jussim, Eccles, and Madon (1996) found that teacher expectations had a larger impact on Black students than on their White peers, even when controlling for socioeconomic status. More recent examples of this line of research include a study that found that White teachers had lowered expectations for their Black students' performance on standardized tests (Oates, 2003) and that informal teacher talk about students of color was dominated by deficit-based themes (Pollack, 2013).…”

“…Initially, it rests on explicating the nature of the complex realities surrounding the extent to which U.S. students from different ethno-racial backgrounds are afforded the opportunity to study higher mathematics. As a collective subpopulation, Black students in the United States are commonly characterized and perceived as low performing in mathematics (Pollack, 2013;Stinson, 2007). Indeed, a plethora of scholarly and popular literature delineates challenges of enhancing the mathematics proficiency of Black students (see Chubb & Loveless, 2002;Paige & Witty, 2010;Thernstrom & Thernstrom, 2003).…”

“…The differences in placement patterns identified in this study translate into fewer opportunities for Black students to access the courses that are demonstrated to increase future academic success. And because the odds of Black students encountering this negative outcome are greater than the odds faced by their White peers, it seems evident that, to some degree, this difference is the result of teacher evaluations reflecting negative perceptions of Black students as being nonacademic in general (Oates, 2003;Pollack, 2013) and nonacademic in the study of mathematics in particular. Conversely, the more favorable odds of gaining access to advanced mathematics courses for White students can be viewed as a direct manifestation of longstanding positive perspectives surrounding Whiteness and the related privileges it affords those so classified (McIntosh, 1988).…”

The covert mechanisms of education policy discourse: Unmasking policy insiders’ discourses and discursive strategies in upholding or challenging racism and classism in education

“…Those who dismiss it may instead favor deficit views that characterize communities of color and working-class communities as responsible for inequitable educational outcomes. According to such views, families of color and working-class families devalue education, lack parenting skills, and fail to provide a stable home environment (Lawson, 2003;Pollack, 2012;Valencia & Black, 2002). Despite much evidence to the contrary (Lopez, 2001;Reynolds, 2014;Terriquez, 2011;Valencia & Black, 2002;Villenas, 2001), this narrative is commonly found in many facets of education (Howard, 2013;Jimenez, 2012;Matias & Liou, 2015;Oakes & Rogers, 2006;J.…”

Elementary principals’ social construction of parents of color and working class parents: Disrupting or reproducing conflicting and deficit orientations of education policy?

“…However, little research directly examines this area. Some scholarship has illustrated teachers' deficit views of youth and their families, particularly those of color or those who are working class (Cooper, 2009;Lawson, 2003;Lightfoot, 2004;Souto-Manning & Swick, 2006;Pollack, 2012;Redding, 1997). Other scholarship has shed light on this issue from the parent perspective, showing that parents of color face barriers in schools.…”