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Getting It “Right”: Educators’ Experiences With School Diversity in a Gentrifying Neighborhood

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Jennifer B. Ayscue, North Carolina State University; Kfir Mordechay, Pepperdine University; Gage Matthews, North Carolina State University; Julie Whetzel, North Carolina State University

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
Interview Protocol for Leaders.docx application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document 17.4 KB 03/19/2025 04:47:PM
Interview Protocol for Teachers.docx application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document 16.4 KB 03/19/2025 04:46:PM

Project Citation: 

Ayscue, Jennifer B., Mordechay, Kfir, Matthews, Gage, and Whetzel, Julie. Getting It “Right”: Educators’ Experiences With School Diversity in a Gentrifying Neighborhood. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-03-19. https://doi.org/10.3886/E223601V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary Schools in gentrifying neighborhoods often experience demographic changes in enrollment. The purpose of this qualitative holistic case study is to describe how leaders and teachers in a diversifying elementary school in a gentrifying neighborhood perceive and experience diversity. Drawing on Turner’s (2017) value of diversity framework, we use inductive coding to analyze interviews and also use documents to inform our findings. Although Greenleaf was striving to be intentionally diverse, consensus did not exist about the meaning of “diversity” or the desired form of diversity. Challenges associated with decentering Whiteness and resisting upholding the racial contract existed as educators worked to establish a shared mission, ensure diverse staff voice and representation with a White leader, and navigate complications of power and privilege among White families. Educators highlighted the value of diversity for developing students’ multicultural capital and global cosmopolitanism as well as the collective benefit of reducing divisiveness for our nation.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms diversity; sociology; education
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage Mid-Atlantic region of United States
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 2019 – 2020
Collection Date(s):  View help for Collection Date(s) 2020 – 2020
Universe:  View help for Universe Teachers and leaders in a diversifying elementary school in a gentrifying neighborhood
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) text

Methodology

Response Rate:  View help for Response Rate Of the 34 teachers at Greenleaf, 8 participated in interviews along with both of the school leaders. 
Sampling:  View help for Sampling After obtaining the district’s approval, we recruited participants via email and informed them that they were invited to participate in a study to gain a better understanding of how school leaders, teachers, and staff think about diversity. 
Data Source:  View help for Data Source We collected data primarily through interviews and we also used documents to inform our findings.
Collection Mode(s):  View help for Collection Mode(s) other

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Published Versions

V2 [2025-03-19]

V1 [2025-03-19]

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