“I Never Explicitly Brought That Up to My Mentor”: Early Career Teachers of Color Navigating Whiteness With White Mentors in a University-Based Induction Program

Abstract

We examined how three early career teachers of color (TOC) experienced mentoring with white mentors in a university-based induction program within a large urban school district. We found cross-racial pairs privileged whiteness by pursuing “success” through standardized teaching methods (e.g., classroom management) while also avoiding discussions about race, leaving little space or reason to address the overt forms of racism mentees experienced during their first year of teaching. Our findings highlight the need to bring race and racism to the forefront of university-based mentoring to address the harm early career TOC experience in entering a profession dominated by whiteness.