Date of Award
Fall 2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Committee Chair
Jessica Van Cleave
Abstract
The teaching force in the United States is overwhelmingly White, while the student population is increasingly diverse, reaching a minority majority in 2014. The racial mismatch between a predominantly White teaching force and students of color in public schools presents barriers for those students as they navigate an educational system built on historical injustices and racism. The study examines the lived experiences of White middle school teachers who identify as racial allies in schools having a student population that is greater than 50% students of color. The interviews revealed that participants understood bias on a basic level yet continued to struggle with the idea that once acknowledged, implicit biases continue to shape their actions and decisions. Participants who self-identified as allies were also reluctant to identify or disrupt systems of power that privileged them based on their whiteness. These findings indicate a need to address implicit biases of White teachers through several different avenues, including colleges of education, professional development, and beginning teacher mentoring programs.
Recommended Citation
Patton, Joyce Faye, "A Phenomenological Study on How White Public Middle School Teachers Who Self-Identify as Racial Allies Experience and Navigate Their Implicit Biases" (2025). Doctor of Education Dissertations. 263.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/education-dissertations/263
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