“It Doesn’t Matter Who Sees Them”: A Case Study of an Effective White Educator Working in a Multicultural Urban High School

Abstract

This instrumental case study research identifies the beliefs and behaviors of a highly effective white educator working in a multicultural urban school. By triangulating interviews, classroom observations and the analysis of artifacts provided by the teacher, this study identifies the essential beliefs and behaviors that make a white educator a highly effective practitioner and highly respected educator both within his school site and in the broader school community. The case study identifies that the educator’s ability to create safety, inclusion, consistency, and high expectations in his classroom functioned to connect him to a population of students who do not share his same racial or economic markers. The purpose of this case study is to identify the essential beliefs and behaviors of a white educator working in a multicultural urban high school in order to use his experience and practice as a way to educate and inform white educators seeking to work in diverse schools across the nation.