Boys of Color and Literacy in the Elementary Classroom

The educational experiences of boys of color are inherently different from their white counterparts because of societal influences and historical setbacks, and the achievement gap between races shows this difference. Children of color, more specifically boys of color, are falling behind other groups on reading and literacy skills. Thus, educators should be aware and knowledgeable of the ways to support boys of color through the text and curriculum to positively influence their educational experience. Negative stereotypes of boys of color can overshadow their classroom experience because of how they or their peers and teachers may perceive them through those unfavorable perceptions. The purpose of this study is to examine what inclusive minded teachers do in elementary classrooms to help shape positive representation for boys of color. Additionally, this study will describe how some teachers build strong interpersonal relationships as they seek to increase reading and literacy skills among students. This study will follow a phenomenological qualitative design and interview 3 to 5 teachers that teach at least one literacy block in 3rd to 5th grade. Thematic analysis will be used to analyze the responses from each teacher