A Systematic Review of the Literature on Inservice Professional Development Explicitly Addressing Race and Racism

Abstract

This systematic literature review examines research on U.S. professional development (PD) in which practicing teachers are asked to engage explicitly with race and racism. Using Kennedy’s PD theories of action, this review examines 64 studies published from 1981 to 2019 and analyzes race-related PD goals, pedagogical approaches, and documented outcomes of PD. The body of scholarship shows an array of PD program goals, often-limited pedagogical explicitness and detail, and descriptive and developmental outcomes. Recent scholarship has centered racial-equity-oriented teachers and teachers of Color and identified PD characteristics associated with positive outcomes. Extant literature has seldom directly documented PD transfer and incorporation in schools or documented PD impact on students. Areas for future research include further leveraging scholarship on change processes including teacher learning and PD effectiveness, documenting teacher development beyond PD sessions, probing affordances of different PD settings and formats, and examining how PD ultimately impacts student experience.