Beyond the Demographics of the Special Education Workforce: Developing Intersectional Competence to Sustain Teachers of Color

Abstract

This case demonstrates how school administrators’ development of intersectional competence can disrupt racial inequity in special education. Intersectional competence refers to educators’ preparedness to recognize how schooling is implicated in multiple, intersecting systems of oppression, collaborate with relevant stakeholders who themselves navigate multiple social marginalizations, and consider sociocultural differences while making instructional decisions. Examining how federal legislation approaches racial disparities in special education and its emphasis on personnel preparation for students with disabilities, the authors argue that recruiting, preparing, and sustaining racialized teachers is more complex than simply focusing on their racialized identities.