Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Abstract
Safe learning environments foster the wellbeing, engagement, and educational outcomes of students. To develop resources that enable schools to create safe learning environments, we conducted focus group discussions with teachers and African heritage students in selected public schools in an Australian state. This paper reports insights from our discussions with the school staff. The findings indicate that teachers face ‘relational uncertainty’ in dealing with racial issues impacting their engagement with these students. To address these challenges, we propose a racial competency framework, featuring distinctive dimensions, drivers, and domains. The framework emphasises the need for schools to support racial value awareness, racial literacy, and anti-racist orientations through drivers such as deliberation, learning, and commitment. Furthermore, in assessing whether schools nurture racial competency, we focus on school policy and governance, teacher practices, and community engagement. The proposed framework offers a comprehensive approach to creating racially safe and inclusive learning environments that foster a sense of belonging and engagement.
Was this research funded?
Yes, research was funded
Recommended Citation
Molla, T., Garrard, K., & Corcoran, T. (2025). Teaching in Racially Diverse Schools: Towards a Racial Competency Framework. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 50(2). https://doi.org/10.14221/1835-517X.6676
Included in
Educational Sociology Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons