White Women's Work

<p>A volume in Contemporary Perspectives on Access Equity and Achievement<br />Historically white women have had a tremendous influence on establishing the ideological political and cultural<br />scaffold of American public schools. Pedagogical orientations school policies and classroom practices are underwritten by white cisgender<br />feminine and middle to upper class social and cultural norms. Labor trends suggest that students of color are likely to sit in front of many more<br />white women teachers than males or non?white teachers thus making it imperative to better understand the nature of white women’s work in<br />culturally diverse settings and the factors that most profoundly impact their effectiveness. This book examines how white women teacher<br />dispositions (i.e. knowledge beliefs and skills) intersect (and/or interact) with their racial identity development the concept of whiteness<br />institutional racism and cultural perspectives of racial difference. All of which as the authors in this volume argue matter for nurturing a teaching<br />practice that leads to more equitable schooling outcomes for youth of color.<br />While it is imperative that the field of education recruits and retains more nonwhite teachers it is equally important to identify research?supported<br />professional development resources for a white woman?dominated profession. To that end the book’s contributors present critical insight for<br />creating cultural contexts for learning conducive to effective cross?cultural and cross?racial teaching. Chapters in the first section explore white<br />women’s role in establishing and maintaining school environments that cater to Eurocentric<br />sensibilities and white racial preferences for learning and social interaction. Authors in the second<br />section discern the implications of white images whiteness and white racial identity formation for<br />preparing and professionally developing white women teachers to be effective educators. Chapters in the<br />third section of the book emphasize the centrality of race in negotiating academic interactions that<br />demonstrate culturally responsive teaching. Each chapter in this book is written to investigate the<br />intersectionality of race cultural responsive pedagogies and teaching identities as it relate to teaching in<br />multiethnic environments. In addition the book offers solution?oriented practices to equip white women<br />(and any other reader) to respond appropriately and adequately to the needs of racially diverse students in<br />American schools.</p>