The Race Conscious Continuum: Design Architecture of Job-Embedded Professional Development at Community Colleges

Abstract

This dissertation explores race-conscious Job-Embedded Professional Development (JEPD) in community colleges by inquiring how this type of programming is experienced by community college faculty who attempt to implement strategies learned from their participation in such programming. This study investigates how faculty understand the challenges and benefits of pedagogically implementing race conscious course elements, and what organizational resources support JEPD programming. This multi-case study explores JEPD in community colleges that reflect the diversity, complexity, and different elements in the programming. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight community college faculty program participants, observations were done at two community college institutions, and artifacts were collected. Bonilla-Silva’s concept of colorblindness was used to explore this topic. This study revealed that it was rare that race consciousness was either present or not present in JEPD programming. Instead, it was more frequent that JEPD programming exhibited a continuum of race conscious and race evasive elements. This dissertation extends the concept of JEPD through flexible programming to include virtual formats. In addition, it concludes that there are nuances within race consciousness, including recognition and action, where short-term and long-term race conscious strategies can be applied in a ‘snowball’ approach. Finally, top-down and bottom-up approaches to JEPD programming were identified as ways that community colleges implement their programming.