Black Teacher: Black School: White CMO: Neoliberal Multiculturalism in a No-Excuses Charter Management Organization

Background: Although the extant critical literature suggests that no-excuses charter schools and charter management organizations (CMOs) embody neoliberal and racist logics, recent staffing data suggests that they have diversified their teaching force considerably over the last decade. Indeed, national staffing data indicates that charters and CMOs now employ more Black teachers than traditional public schools. This study aims to understand this tension between the critical literature and the school staffing literature. Purpose: Grounded in neoliberal multiculturalism theory, this study seeks to explore the experience of Black teachers in a space that embodies neoliberalism and, simultaneously, ostensibly becomes more multicultural. Specifically, this qualitative case study of the Black teacher experience in a no-excuses CMO asks: What are the primary reasons Black teachers joined their CMO-based school, and how do Black teachers describe their experience at their CMO-based school? Research Design: This study used a case study design with the CMO as the primary unit of analysis. The lead researcher collected data though in-depth semistructured interviews with Black teachers from two representative schools within the same CMO. Through analytic memos and inductive coding, the research team analyzed the data thematically. Conclusions: We find that Black teachers joined their school believing that the CMO valued their identity as an asset in educating Black and Brown students. Instead, in line with neoliberal multiculturalism theory, they learned that their Black identity, and that of their students, is both commodified and rejected in their CMO.