University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 1-1-2012 Raising Race Questions: Whiteness, Education and Inquiry in Seven Teacher Case Studies Ali Michael University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at:http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of theAfrican American Studies Commons,Educational Sociology Commons,Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons, and theTeacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation Michael, Ali, "Raising Race Questions: Whiteness, Education and Inquiry in Seven Teacher Case Studies" (2012).Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 550. http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/550 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons.http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/550 For more information, please [email protected]. Raising Race Questions: Whiteness, Education and Inquiry in Seven Teacher Case Studies Abstract Race matters in schools. In addition to the highly publicized racialized achievement gap, race has historically determined who can access education and what kind of education people receive. Additionally, teachers and students bring racial identities to school that impact how they relate to one another, to the school community and to the curriculum. Finally, schools are places where race gets constructed. This study uses qualitative and action research methods to do researchwithteachers—rather thanonteachers—as they learn about how and why race matters in education—and what that means for their classrooms. Because 85% of the K–12 teaching force in the United States is White and middle–class (National Center for Education Statistics, 2010), this research focuses on seven White and middle–class teachers. Through in–depth case studies of each teacher, I explore the conflicts, questions and revelations that arise as they struggle to learn about race, and apply their learning in their classrooms. My findings show, first, that teachers can have a multicultural curriculum and still not have an anti–racist classroom. Race affects every aspect of what happens in classroom and thus can only be addressed through a comprehensive approach that looks beyond curriculum. Second, the questions we ask shape the answers we find. If we are not doing the necessary background work to be able to ask radical questions, we are not going to get radical answers. Furthermore, teachers can only ask the questions they are ready to ask, all of which is shaped by their racial identity developmental stage and their knowledge base. The implication of this for inquiry work is that race–specific inquiries require outside input. Finally, teacher racial identity matters. Having and maintaining an autonomous racial identity is the most powerful tool that teachers can employ, and yet most teachers do not even realize that they have a racial identity, or that it can be developed. White teachers are part of the problem of racial inequity in schools today and therefore can—in fact, must—be part of the solution. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Howard Stevenson Keywords Anti-Racism, Education, Practitioner Inquiry, Race, Teacher Education, Whiteness Subject Categories African American Studies | Educational Sociology | Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | Teacher Education and Professional Development This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons:http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/550 This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons:http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/550 RAISING RACE QUESTIONS: WHITENESS, EDUCATION AND INQUIRY IN SEVEN TEACHER CASE STUDIES Ali Michael A DISSERTATION in Education Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2012 Supervisor of Dissertation: ________________________________ Howard Stevenson, Associate Professor of Education Graduate Group Chair: ________________________________ Stanton Wortham, Professor of Education Dissertation Committee: Howard Stevenson, Associate Professor of Education Katherine Schultz, Professor of Education Shaun Harper, Associate Professor of Education RAISING RACE QUESTIONS: WHITENESS, EDUCATION AND INQUIRY IN SEVEN TEACHER CASE STUDIES COPYRIGHT 2012 Ali Michael To my partner, Michael, with whom I share the joy and work of building a feminist family, an anti-racist community and an anti-oppressive lifestyle. To my parents, Bonnie and Terry Michael, who have patiently taught me how to talk about race with White people. To the seven White case study teachers in this study, who opened their lives, their classrooms and themselves to contribute to the lessons learned here. iii ACKNOWLEGEMENTS With every word in this dissertation, I am reminded of the knowledge, empathy and wisdom with which my mentors have taught me about race. I think of all those people now, and the myriad different lessons they have taught me. I think of my parents, who taught me to be proactive, inclusive, independent, vocal and loving. When I came home from college sharing all of my new knowledge about race, they listened. When I told my Dad I thought his viewpoint was racist, he quietly and humbly helped me learn that calling somebody racist does not change his mind, and that the line between racist and anti-racist is very thin indeed. They taught me that anti-racist development happens over the long term, that affirmation and information are more effective than competition and shame and that White people are capable of learning and changing. I think of Gertrude Sgwentu—Makhulu—my second mother and my best friend. I think of Tetile, Evelyn, Thania and Sipho. Gertrude and her family shared their life in South Africa with me, helping me learn the ways that the personal is political and the political is personal. Gertrude guided me through the complex process of relationship building across racial and class disparities. She taught me the critical importance of teaching White people to examine our unconscious biases. Evelyn, Thania and Sipho helped me remember why race and class matter so much in schools. I think of Carolyn Michael, Michael Ramberg, Aaron Boyle and Eleonora Bartoli, with whom I spent four years in a White affinity group learning about race. The lessons that I learned from that group have shaped every thought that went into this dissertation. iv And the foundation of allyship and friendship that we formed during that time has helped me feel supported and challenged to maintain my ideals in every aspect of my life. I think of Chonika Coleman-King, with whom I worked very closely during the year I collected data. Many of the ideas that take root in this dissertation were planted by Chonika in the parking lot after meetings, as we continued to discuss racial dynamics well after our colleagues had moved on to other things. I think of Dr. Howard Stevenson, who made it possible to think and talk about race in graduate school in ways that matter and lead to real change. Thank you for inviting me onto your research team, where I learned so many of the tools that I used to do this research and write this dissertation. I think, too, of all of the members of that team: Dr. Duane Thomas, Dr. Valerie Adams, Dr. Keisha Bentley, Dr. Chonika Coleman-King, Gwen Miller, Celine Thompson and Zehua Li. Thank you for including me, for trusting me and teaching me. I think of Dr. Kathy Schultz, who never blinked an eye when I said I wanted to focus my doctoral work on Whiteness. Thank you for your thoughtful, thorough, critical feedback and your constant support. Your ideas contributed immeasurably to this dissertation and to all that came before it. I think of Dr. Shaun Harper, who introduced me to Critical Race Theory and who constantly innovates new possibilities for anti-racism in higher education. Thank you for taking the time to help me design a dissertation that would have long-term applicability. I think of Dr. Lesley Bartlett, who taught me how to be a good person, a feminist, a mother and a friend while being a researcher, an academic and a teacher. v I think of Mathu Subramanian—my writing buddy and friend. Thank you for always being willing to share your thoughts and ideas about race—and for constantly reminding me to go beyond Black and White. I think of all of the members of White Students Confronting Racism at Penn: Dr. Sue Bickerstaff, Mary Conger, Sarah Burgess, Luke Reinke, Kathleen Riley and many more. Thank you for holding the space at GSE for White people to grow, learn and act in anti-racist community. I think of Sarah Halley and Molly McClure, who taught me how to work with other White people, and who taught me to see myself in every White person I meet. I think of Lorraine Marino and Antje Mattheus, who taught us all how to help White people learn. Everything you have taught me is in this dissertation. And I think of my college professors: Dr. Kim Springer, Dr. Kenda Mutongi, Dr. Steve Gerrard and Dr. Grant Farred, who gave me new lenses with which to view this racialized world. Thank you to all of my beloved editors: Matt Atwood, Keisha Bentley, Sue Bickerstaff, Aaron Boyle, Mary Conger, Pat Fox, Heidi Hausman, Bob Michael, Carolyn Michael, Bonnie Michael, Terry Michael, Erica Ramberg, Frances Ramberg, Mary Ramberg and Michael Ramberg. Thank you to my family—Mom, Dad, Carolyn, Aaron, Mike, Bob, Heidi, Lindsay and Jason—for building a network of love and support so large and so robust that I live my life with the sense that anything is possible. Thank you to Michael and Tina, for reminding me daily why it matters so much that all human beings have the opportunity to be their best selves. vi This dissertation was made possible in part by funding from the RUTH LANDES MEMORIAL RESEARCH FUND, a program of The Reed Foundation. vii