Changing Classroom Demographics
In 2011-2012, 82% of the teaching population in the United States was White, non-Hispanic, female, and middle class (Howard, 1999; National Center for Education Statistics 2013b; Swartz, 2003). While most of today’s teachers are of European ancestry or White, only 52% of the student population is White, non-Hispanic (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013a). Given the anticipated increase in the number of students of color in public schools, it is a pressing issue that teacher educators prepare teachers to be knowledgeable about diversity and cultural responsiveness (Delpit, 1995; Gay, 2000; Irvine, 1997). Teachers need to have a full understanding of their culture, the culture of different racial/ethnic groups, and how culture impacts teaching and learning (Gay & Kirkland, 2003). Teachers also need to be able to participate in and facilitate constructive and meaningful conversations about race, racism, and privilege (deKoven, 2011). However, most White teachers graduate their teacher preparation programs with little to no knowledge of other cultural groups or understanding of their own racial socialization. A great concern arises in preparing White teachers for multicultural classrooms given their limited knowledge about others and their own racial socialization. As a result of the way many Whites learn to talk or not talk about race, many Whites utilize colorblind discourse when presented with issues of race, racism, and White privilege making it difficult for deep engagement on these topics (Bell, 2002).