Date of Award

Spring 3-30-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ed.D. Transformational Teaching and Learning

Department

Secondary Education

First Advisor

Dr. Amber Jean-Marie Pabon

Second Advisor

Dr. Helen S. Hamlet

Third Advisor

Dr. Amy Pfeiler-Wunder

Abstract

In Pennsylvania, the disparity of Teachers of Color in relation to Students of Color is three times higher than the national disproportionality rate (Stohr, Fontana, Lapp, 2018). Fontana and Lapp (2018) suggest this makes Pennsylvania “one of the most disparate states in the country” (p. 2). Specifically, for the Latinx community, the disparity is even greater. In the context of this study, the percentage of Latinx students is more than 70%, while the percentage of Latinx educators is less than one percent. This context provided an opportunity to gain knowledge from educators who learned and worked in spaces where they were both overrepresented and underrepresented. This qualitative research study explored the experiences of five Latina educators as they traversed educational institutions and followed their career pathways into the field of education. A multilayered data analysis utilizing the lenses of Critical Race Theory, Latinx Critical Race Theory, and Community Cultural Wealth uncovered how the participants lived experiences related to family, education, motivation, support networks, language, career pathways, encounters with injustice, and work as educators. Additionally, the testimonios exposed counternarratives, which highlighted the participants’ strengths and silenced realities. The findings suggest the need for social change, targeted professional development, social justice education, and increased efforts to attract and recruit Latinx educators in secondary schools.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.