UC Davis

ABSTRACTCritical Race Counterstories: Testimonios and Pláticas With Latina Teachers in Rural Central California

The California educational system is facing a major problem of diversity and representation in the teacher workforce. Latina/o children make up more than half of the population of students in California’s public school system, yet their teachers do not mirror this population (CDE, 2022). According to the California Department of Education, (CDE, n.d.), this teacher-student demographic mismatch is especially pronounced in rural Central California, specifically Merced County. When discussing the diversification of the teacher workforce, the literature and research has often focused on the disparities, barriers, or lack of opportunities faced by Latinas/os and other people of color. While this is important to understand, it is also important to understand what went right for Latinas/os who entered the workforce as credentialed teachers. To know what went right, a different kind of story, one of success despite so many barriers or limitations, must be told. This type of story is the counter to the norm, or a counterstory (Delgado & Stefanic, 2017).Using Latina/o critical race theory (Solórzano & Delgado Bernal, 2001), community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005), and a Chicana feminist epistemology (Delgado Bernal, 1998) as frameworks for these counterstories, this case study examined the journey of six women who were raised, educated, and now teach in Merced County. The participants provided their individual oral testimonio and engaged in a plática where they focused on what they perceived as barriers to their journey to the classroom, what they felt was enriching to their educational experience, and what they felt local education agencies and institutes of higher education should know to support and retain other Latina teachers. These data should inform both K-12 institutions and institutions of higher education, improving the educational outcomes for all.