White myopia in education: White urban teachers understanding their whiteness and its impact on their role as educators

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka initiated educational reform through school racial desegregation. However, current social trends demonstrate that public education has reverted to a resegregated status. Demographic information indicates that urban schools are primarily attended by students of color and that nationally approximately 85% of all elementary and secondary teachers are white. Simultaneously, a racial academic achievement gap, as indicated partially by standardized test scores, reading and math scores, graduation rates and drop-out rates, has been widely documented. This achievement gap indicates that whites and some Asians are prominent in the higher achievement arenas, whereas Blacks, Hispanics and Native American students are prominent in the lower achievement arenas.;Several areas have been identified that contribute to this racial academic achievement gap, including: low public school financial support in urban areas, low social economic status of students and their families, low parental involvement and lack of pre-school opportunities. Additionally, racially based dissonance between white teachers and students of color has been cited as a contributing factor in the racial academic achievement gap.;This study looked at the impact of white privilege (whiteness), on white teachers teaching capacity including relationships with students and parents of color, behavior management and classroom practices. The study participants were practicing white teachers in an urban setting. They were simultaneously involved in a broader research initiative looking at aspects of academic achievement of boys of color, and served as presenters and facilitators with colleagues in this capacity.;The five study participants were interviewed individually and in a group setting. A cross case thematic analysis process was utilized to identify common themes highlighting how the white teachers understood their whiteness and its impact on their teaching capacity.;A primary theme that emerged from this data collection and analysis was that the white teachers, although involved in multicultural training for over two years, continued to struggle with identifying themselves as white and maintained a non-raced self-perception. When confronted by race, they often felt shocked and defensive. The study participants typically did not see themselves as racially privileged and reflected beliefs in color-blindness, individualism and meritocracy. They often did not acknowledge societal white privilege or a belief that they had benefited from it. While they maintained an overt anti-racist ideology, they often demonstrated racially privileged positioning within areas of their teaching practice.;This study underscores the impact that whiteness has on teaching capacity of white teachers. This study indicates that multicultural training must be extended over time and include a primary focus on whites understanding white societal positioning and acknowledging societal and individual white privilege.