“It could be chocolate,rice,and turkey,and people are gonna be like,it's CRT”: Examining the Role of White Teachers' in Implementing Ethnic Studies in Indiana

Abstract

Since 2010, nine states in the United States have passed legislation supporting K-12 ethnic studies. However, we know little about how K-12 teachers respond to ethnic studies mandates. Through semistructured interviews with six White teachers, this article focuses on the perspectives and experiences of high school teachers establishing ethnic studies in Indiana. The study reveals that educators’ interpretation and translation of ethnic studies policy is a complex and dynamic process that is influenced by three primary factors: (a) teaching experience, (b) equity consciousness, and (c) sociopolitical and local contexts.