Pathways to critical consciousness : a first-year teacher's engagement with issues of race and equity/ created by Kathy McDonough

In this article, the author considers the ways in which a White first-year teacher performs critical racial consciousness in the context of her urban fifth-grade classroom. The process of critical racial consciousness engagement is complex as well as understudied outside of preservice courses. The findings of this study fall into three themes—racial identity reflection, awareness of inequity, and challenges to engagement—and demonstrate that most of the ways in which this teacher engages in critical racial consciousness are subtle. The author asserts that “discourses of possibility” related to White racial consciousness can be encouraged in teacher preparation courses and concludes the article with implications for preservice teacher education and in-service teacher development.