Rotten Soil: Positioning Middle School Teachers of Minoritized Adolescent Newcomers

Abstract

The present qualitative study used a Critical Race Theory lens to examine how middle school teachers experience and view their minoritized adolescent newcomer immigrant students and how systemic policies and practices influence teachers’ perceptions. The U.S. student population is becoming increasingly diversified in race/ethnicity, immigration status, and cultural/linguistic backgrounds while the public teaching populations remains predominantly white and female. Six white-identifying middle school teachers in Arizona were interviewed regarding their experiences working with minoritized newcomer students and their families. Results reveal that teachers may inadvertently perpetuate systems of oppression through choosing to stay silent around issues of race for a variety of reasons (e.g., loss of control over the conversation, not feeling well-equipped to facilitate such dialogue, and feeling it is not in their purview as a teacher). Such silence, however, is reflective of the environment in Arizona where restrictive language policies and high stakes testing position both teachers and minoritized newcomer students precariously. Changes in standardization and accountability measures, shifting away from monolingual programming, and implementing more meaningful teacher preparation and supports are recommended. More research on minoritized newcomer students’ own direct and lived educational experiences is also critical to instill systemic change.