This study is part of a larger project that investigates how teacher educators (TEs) conceptualize/operationalize teacher-educating for social justice in university-based teacher preparation programs in the United States. We intentionally focus this sub-study on the state of Florida within the US because of ongoing divisive concepts legislation to fight against “woke” indoctrination, defunding and censoring ideas related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs higher education and K-12 schools. Examples of this include signing legislation banning DEI initiatives, eliminating books from school libraries, and prohibiting public school educators from discussing systemic racism and gender. While attacks to this degree may not be widespread in Europe, the concept of “woke/wokism” has been used with right-wing media outlets and conservative parties in the UK (Cammaerts, 2022). The state of Florida is, in some ways, the canary in the coal mine—a warning of possible danger to come for TEs and teacher preparation programs in other countries who may, in the future, experience censorship legislation from their conservative politicians. 

Two research questions guide the study: 1) What are the experiences of Florida TEs with self-identified commitments to equity and social justice? 2) How has the current political climate in the state of Florida impacted TEs' commitments to social justice and equity in teacher preparation programs? Consistent with the conference’s theme about education in an age of uncertainty, this study sheds light on Florida TEs’ efforts to teach for social justice amidst a time of unpredictability and fear. As they navigate this uncertainty, this study can help the field better understand how these TEs continue to persist with critical hope to work toward a better society despite the challenges they face. 

More than “what, when, or how teachers do things,” teaching for social justice is connected to “how teachers think about their work and interpret what is going on in schools and classrooms; how they understand competing agendas, pose questions, and make decisions; how they form relationships with students; and how they work with colleagues, families, communities, and social groups” (Cochran-Smith, 2010, p. 454). Our study is informed by Bondy et al.’s (2017) justice praxis framework, which acknowledges the evolving ways of understanding and enacting justice in teacher education.

While space limitations prevent us from elaborating on all seven contours of the framework, surrounding “justice” is Duncan-Andrade's (2009) notion of critical hope, or what Bondy et al. (2017) refer to as “radical hope.” Radical hope reminds educators that the path toward justice is a painful one but "despite the overwhelming odds against us making it down that path to change, we make the journey again and again because there is no other choice” (p. 191). Within this framework, justice must be enveloped in democratic practices (Ayers, 2009) that include listening deeply, discussion, and dissent. The remaining contours—critical sociological (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012), restorative (Ladson-Billings, 2015), wholly engaged (hooks, 1994), liberatory (Freire, 1970), and immersed in inquiry (Freire, 1970; Kumashiro, 2015)—offer TEs ways to think about transforming injustice within their contexts. 

Our study is also informed by Santoro and Cain’s (2018) notion of principled resistance, “a necessary and ethical response to mandates that conflict with [educators’] understandings about quality teaching and the role of education in a democracy” (p. 1). There are three general categories that engender principled resistance: pedagogical, professional, and democratic. Principled resistance is useful for our work because the TEs experience ethical dilemmas regarding teaching for social justice in a state that prohibits it. Our participants’ beliefs about the purposes of their work stand in direct conflict with the policies and practices they are expected to implement. 

Our qualitative study provides insight into TEs’ perceptions of social justice education in the state of Florida in the US. A prospective list of participants was generated based on the researchers' professional networks and reviewing faculty profiles across the various institution’s websites across the state. We visited institutions’ College of Education websites and identified faculty members of teacher preparation programs. We intentionally chose diverse educational settings and sought faculty from large and small colleges across different regions, public and private institutions, Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). We examined websites for faculty research interests, courses, and publications for keywords (e.g., social justice, inclusion, diversity, anti-racism) that indicated a commitment to social justice. In total, 37 TEs were contacted, and 10 consented to participate. Nine participants were female and one was male. In terms of race, 4 are Black, five are White, and one is Asian. Two of the 10 are part of the LGBTQ+ community. They represented all regions across the state and eight of the 10 taught in public, PWIs. Participants were provided with a $50 Amazon gift card for their time. The TEs engaged in a semi-structured Zoom interview that was recorded and transcribed. The average interview lasted 58 minutes and sought to understand their experiences as justice-oriented TEs in Florida. We asked questions about the terms they use and why, their larger goals, and their practices as TEs. We also asked follow-up questions based on their responses. For example, when a participant talked about what was hard about teaching for social justice, we asked them if they could give us an example or tell us more. Interestingly, none of our interview questions explicitly asked about divisive concepts legislation but every participant brought this up. Drawing on Charmaz’s (2014) constructivist grounded theory guidelines to analyze the data, we engaged in a process of initial coding using in vivo codes, focused coding, and analytic memo writing. The initial coding informed our decisions about defining conceptual categories, while focused coding guided the synthesis of larger chunks of data to make analytic interpretations of participants’ experiences. Currently, we are developing analytic memos to help us reflect on emergent themes in the data to help us “lead to a richer and more powerful explanation of the setting, context, and participants” (Janesick, 2011, p. 148).

Data analysis is ongoing, and we have identified four preliminary findings from our interviews with Florida TEs. The current political climate has a chilling effect: TEs repeatedly described a heightened sense of fear for engaging in justice-oriented teacher educating. Those in public institutions especially acknowledged a lack of institutional support: “My institution has explicitly expressed that they will not support me or my colleagues, that any risks that we take for the purpose of our convictions and our own research to really delve into these issues that they're not sticking their necks out to protect us” (Tina1). Engaging in subversive practices: Participants shared that even in the context of fear, they engaged in subversive practices to continue teaching in socially just and equitable ways. Guided by their moral and ethical reasons for this work, they expressed that they do not alter their instructional practices; many shared that they need to teach in more creative ways. Remaining steadfast in their commitment to social justice: Despite current legislative efforts to censor critical conversations about race, gender, identity and systemic oppression, TEs expressed a firm commitment to teaching with a social justice praxis. For example, Tasha expressed, “I've still unapologetically, I have not changed who I say I am. Anything that's public facing still articulates the same person. All of the courses that I have designed, are still the same.” Participants expressed that the importance of these concepts to educators who teach K-12 students and minoritized communities outweighs the risk of silence. Institutional funding influences TEs perceptions of safety: TEs employed at state-funded public institutions expressed increased feelings of fear, trepidation, and concern regarding job security, scholarship, and personal safety. Contrarily, TEs at private institutions tended to vocalize feelings of empowerment, freedom, and support to engage in teaching for social justice.

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