Equity Professional Development in a Primarily White Public School: Staff Experiences with Minoritized Students' Senses of Belonging and Engagement
Equity Professional Development in a Primarily White Public School: Staff Experiences with Minoritized Students' Senses of Belonging and Engagement
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Issue Date
2022-05
Authors
Rus, Oana
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Abstract
Disengagement and isolation for minoritized students is an educational problem. The general problem is that while schools implement professional development (PD) interventions to address engagement and belonging, these interventions are not always successful. Specifically, students' of color sense of belonging and engagement is a problem in predominantly White institutions (PWIs). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore high school staff perceptions of current equity PD efforts and culturally responsive practices and to analyze what equity PD efforts and practices create an inclusive school culture, increased minoritized students' senses of belonging, and reduced disengagement. Critical race theory (CRT) was used to frame staff lived experiences of equity efforts. The research questions (RQs) included staff perspectives on current equity PD efforts, which specific equity PDs were instrumental, which equity efforts had increased, and whether through equity efforts, staff acquired knowledge about inclusiveness and diversity to help minoritized students feel more included and engaged. Data was collected through semistructured individual interviews, with a purposive, maximum variation sample of eight staff members participating in the equity PD efforts for the previous 2 years. Interview data was sorted into codes, and grouped by common themes, mirroring Colaizzi's (1978) seven steps for phenomenological data analysis and leading to answers to the RQs. After the analysis was complete, participants' experiences from the findings were combined into six major themes: (a) Personal Journey, (b) Belonging, (c) Staff-Student Relationships, (d) Family and Community, (e) Staff Progress on Equity PD, and (f) Barriers to Staff Progress. Recommendations include increasing equity PD, listening to student voice to implement change, combating systemic barriers by mitigating academic tracking inherited from middle school, offering support for minoritized students to be in advanced placement (AP) and honors classes, and building trust to strengthen relationships with minoritized students. The study has value in addressing the problem of minoritized students' disengagement and isolation in PWIs, and high school staff might learn about equity and use their growth to serve students from all demographics. This study benefitted the minoritized students, staff, and leaders involved with the intervention.
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Keywords
equity , professional , development , minoritized , students , belonging , engagement
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States , openAccess