Most public school (K-12) educators in the United States are White women; more pointedly, approximately 79% of K-12 public school teachers are White, and 76% identify as women. Conversely, nearly 50% of K-12 public school students are children of color—a proportion projected to grow and further diversify higher education where almost 45% of undergraduates identify as students of color but 73% of full-time faculty are White.

Research on racial differences between students and teachers focuses on the impact this disparity has on students’ academic outcomes and experiences, as well as their access to technology and educational resources, such as the internet. But how do educators themselves experience this disparity—especially those that are members of marginalized communities—while calls to make K-12 teaching and curriculum more inclusive and pointedly anti-racist reverberate through the US and the world?

For this Spark series, we invite submissions from diversity scholars whose research centers on educators’ experiences, perspectives, and responses to racial disparity, equity, and justice in the classroom. We are particularly interested in submissions that employ an intersectional lens to analyze marginalized educators’ experiences in terms of gender, class, sexuality, disability, age, religion, language, and immigration status as they overlap and interlock with race to determine educators’ professional choices or lack thereof.

Although all essays must be grounded in research and scholarship, including one’s own lived experiences in relation to these issues is always welcome. Suggested essays topics may include but are not limited to:

  • Marginalized educators’ racial experiences, including men in early childhood and K-12 education
  • Women of Color teaching STEM in higher education
  • Educators’ pedagogical experience of anti-racist curriculum
  • Marginalized educators’ struggles with racial equity and access, particularly in online learning and in response to COVID-19
  • Educators of color in non-traditional contexts, such as juvenile hall and community schools, prisons, dual-language immersion classes, health education, behavior education, and special education
  • Marginalized educators in teaching training programs
  • Marginalized educators’ decisions to exit the teaching profession

Above all, we encourage your creativity and imagination when it comes to these significant and timely issues! To submit a pitch, please fill out this brief form. Authors must have scholarship directly related to the topic. Priority selection will be given to members of the Diversity Scholars Network.

This series will be curated by Dr. Lata Murti (Associate Professor of Sociology, Brandman University).

Pitches are due Friday, January 4, 2021.