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

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.