Educated in Whiteness: Good Intentions and Diversity in Schools

by Angelina E. Castagno

Educators across the nation are engaged in well-meaning efforts to address diversity in schools given the current context of NCLB, Race to the Top, and the associated pressures of standardization and accountability. Through rich ethnographic accounts of teachers in two demographically different secondary schools in the same urban district, Angelina E. Castagno investigates how whiteness operates in ways that thwart (and sometimes co-opt) even the best intentions and common sense—thus resulting in educational policies and practices that reinforce the status quo and protect whiteness rather than working toward greater equity. Whereas most discussions of the education of diverse students focus on the students and families themselves, Educated in Whiteness highlights the structural and ideological mechanisms of whiteness. In schools, whiteness remains dominant by strengthening and justifying the status quo while simultaneously preserving a veneer of neutrality, equality, and compassion. Framed by critical race theory and whiteness studies, this book employs concepts like interest convergence, a critique of liberalism, and the possessive investment in whiteness to better understand diversity-related educational policy and practice. Although in theory most diversity-related educational policies and practices are intended to bring about greater equity, too often in practice they actually maintain, legitimate, and so perpetuate whiteness. Castagno not only sheds light on this disconnect between the promises and practices of diversity-related initiatives but also provides insight into why the disconnect persists.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Race, Anti Racist

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible deep dive on how racism continues to permeate in our schools. The fact that multiple coworkers at my schools seemed confused or offended when they saw me reading this speaks volumes. Castagno is correct, there is a big price to pay in order to keep maintaining this culture of white niceness and lack of education around racism. As a white educator, this book has helped me address multiple tense situations involving students with and without privilege, situations I’m not afraid to admit I would have handled clumsily otherwise. Castagno’s book has helped me address racism when I see it, be a true ally to students of color at my school and be a person they know they can come to when they experience racism, and encourage me to continue learning to be there for future students. 4/5 since the last third of the book simply repeats a lot of the information already covered.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for class. I thought it was very good and gave a lot of context and language for experiences that I have. As all ethnographies do, it got very redundant and skimmable. I would recommend reading the introduction very closely, the first few chapters closely, then the part about sexuality really maps on to the stuff in the first chapters so you can skim, and then a lot of skimming and then less skimming for the part about School Improvement Grants.

File under: skimmable, for class, ethnography, relatable
Learned about: whiteness, No Child Left Behind, Utah, meritocracy, liberalism, race, niceness, schools, teaching

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking... while looking at one school district the author shares a lot of powerful research about how educators unintentionally work against equity in our schools. She looks at the structures that keep whiteness in power.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, has some good points. Not enough what to do nexts. Very education and school focused though. Some policy and politics discussion. I thought pushed out and race talk were better.

[MiddlyOrange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though Castagno's writing is accessible, drawn from well-established ethnographic research and valuable conversations with grown-ups at all levels of schooling (teachers, administrators, and policymakers), ultimately her argument about whiteness and niceness, however interesting and important, felt redundant and trite to a reader that has been engaging with these topics extensively in contemporary intellectual discourse. Castagno's book, I am sure, would serve as an excellent introduction to these topics for educators or others interested in the topic but with little to no academic background on whiteness and power structures embedded in schooling, but unfortunately, it did not add much to my own knowledge.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some interesting claims about the role of niceness in perpetuating white supremacy. However, I felt that the evidence was cherrypicked (as can be an issue with ethnography) and the analysis was somewhat tepid. I think the author tried to straddle the line between writing a manual for anti- racist educators and critiquing structural issues, but ultimately ended up confusing the point. Because she focused so much on idiosyncratic interactions, this book can occasionally read as somewhat hostile to teachers, while offering few realistic solutions.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good introduction to incorporating antiracism into teaching, with background ideas clearly explained and detailed discussions about how good intentions can go pear shaped in actual practice, but I would have liked a little more practical how-to content on how to break silence and have difficult conversations in a classroom setting. (I am white; I can see that my cultural conditioning sometimes leads me astray but need a little more guidance on next steps than this provided.)

[Mills College Library]

370.89097 C3462 2014