Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

7-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Dr. Harris

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Clementine Msengi

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Christie Bledsoe

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe strategies middle-school teachers implement that support mixed-race students in rural southeast Texas schools. This study is framed conceptually utilizing culturally responsive pedagogy and social emotional learning. Seven middle-school teachers were interviewed and provided artifacts to support the interviews. The primary findings identified strategies for teachers to examine their biases, intentionally plan social emotional lessons, remain open-minded and nonjudgmental, and engage in authentic professional development. Using equitable language, learning cultural norms, and being transparent to build trust with students are strategies teachers were implementing regarding equity. Supporting student organizations and identifying with the students’ natural abilities to adapt helps teachers understand how to give their mixed-race students a sense of belonging. An exploration of how to foster relationships in the classroom revealed that leaders must increase professional development in teaching programs and address cultural diversity to close the gap for mixed-race students. This study is important because the multiracial population is rapidly increasing, and this study provides needed information for mixed-race students to be successful in the classroom. Keywords: culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching, culturally proficient teaching, cultural inclusiveness, multiracial students, mixed-race students, classroom community, social and emotional learning

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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