Rethinking assumptions of demographic privilege: Diversity among White preservice teachers

In this study, White preservice teachers engaged in a dialogue circle around issues of race and racism in the classroom. Evidence indicated a need to reevaluate and diversify the ways in which each participant embodied and enacted Whiteness. The participants are compared to generalizations of White preservice teachers found in the literature. Findings are presented in the form of racial development biographies co-written with the participants. Implications include being more specific and individual in the preparation of White preservice teachers and rethinking assumptions in the field of Multicultural Teacher Education.

Research highlights
► White preservice teachers may be dysconscious of many aspects of racism. However, prolonged engagement with multiple definitions of racism and explorations of their own racial developments may lead to thinking about racism at a much deeper level;
► White preservice teachers do not necessarily hold lower expectations for students of color. However, White preservice teachers may suffer from the lowered expectations of researchers and teacher educators;
► White preservice teachers do not all come from homogeneous communities. Likewise, experiences in different communities do not necessarily lead to successful teaching in diverse classrooms;
► Examining the complexities inherent to, and the diversity shaped by, individual White preservice teachers might shed light on ways to differentiate instruction for a seemingly universal demographic.