Change(d) Agents: School Contexts and the Cultural/Professional Roles of New Teachers of Mexican Descent

Abstract

Background/Context Educators and policymakers call for recruiting quality teachers of color in urban schools to promote educational opportunities for students of color by accessing cultural/linguistic resources. Yet little research has examined conditions that support or challenge Latina/o new teachers from performing as role models, culturally and linguistically responsive teachers, and agents of change. Purpose/Research Questions To examine conditions that support/challenge Latina/o teachers’ efforts to perform cultural/professional roles, we asked the following: (a) How and to what extent are the personal and professional backgrounds of Latina/o teachers associated with their performance as role models, culturally/linguistically responsive teachers, and agents of change? (b) How and to what extent are conditions in schools associated with the performance of Latina/o teachers as role models, culturally/linguistically responsive teachers, and agents of change? Participants Participants were drawn from a broader study about the socialization of 21 new teachers of color. The participants in the study reported here were 2 of the 11 teachers who identify as being of Mexican descent who work in urban, middle and high schools with high proportions of Latina/o student populations in California. Research Design/Data/Analysis This 4-year qualitative case study included teacher and administrator interviews, videotaped classroom observations, and focus groups. Analysis involved summarizing segments of data that referenced teacher background, school context, and teacher cultural/professional beliefs and practices; generating pattern codes; and conducting cross-case analysis. Findings Findings reveal the following: 1. Shaped by early schooling experiences and influenced by teacher preparation programs, these teachers are committed to increasing learning opportunities for Latina/o students by performing cultural/professional roles. 2. The teachers’ ability to perform these roles is shaped by the capital and power relations present in the schools where they work. We identify parallels between experiences of Latina/o youth, who are divested of cultural resources by “subtractive schooling” (Valenzuela, 1999) and experiences of Latina new teachers, who confront schooling challenges when attempting to perform cultural/professional roles. 3. The intersection of the teachers’ personal/professional backgrounds and school contexts resulted in these new teachers of color being change(d) agents— both agents of change and subjected to change by the system in which the teachers work. Conclusions Conclusions highlight how further research is needed to document culturally additive school conditions that support teachers of color to advance opportunities for students of color. Further, educational leaders and policymakers will need to reconsider the organizational contexts in which new teachers of color are expected to redress inequitable learning opportunities for nondominant youth.