Perceptions of Classroom Quality and Well-Being among Black Women Teachers of Young Children - Abstract

Sep 30, 2026

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Concerns about preschool effectiveness have driven early childhood education policy changes centered on teacher quality, yet such reforms seldom address how policy decisions affect teachers’ lived well-being. Child care work is a feminized profession shaped by race and class, and Black women early child care teachers experience poverty at disproportionate rates compared with white counterparts. Using Black feminist focus group research, the paper documents perceptions of Georgia’s quality mandates and their impact on 44 Black women teachers of infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

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| education policy analysis archives
A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal |
Arizona State University | | --- | --- | | Volume 29 Number 56 April 26 , 2021 ISSN 1068-2341 | | Perceptions of Classroom Quality and Well-Being among Black Women Teachers of Young Children Erica B. Edwards Wayne State University Nicole Patton Terry Florida State University Gary Bingham Georgia State University & Jeremy L. Singer Wayne State University United States Citation: Edwards, E. B., Terry, N. P., Bingham, G., & Singer, J. L. (2021) . Perceptions of classroom quality and well-being among Black women teachers of young children. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(56). [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.29.5964](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.29.5964) Abstract: Concerns about preschool effectiveness have increasingly led to early childhood education policy changes focused on teacher quality. While these reforms intend to ensure children ’s educational well-being, they rarely consider the impact policies have on teachers. Additionally, child care work is a feminized profession with distinct social experiences along lines of race and class. Black women who are early child care teachers live in poverty at rates disproportionate to their white counterparts. Through Black feminist focus group research, this paper documents perceptions of early childhood education quality mandates in Georgia and their impact on the well-being of 44 Black women teachers of infants, toddlers, and preschool age children. Findings suggest that the call for quality complicates Black teachers ’work, adds undue financial and emotional stress that takes a toll on their well-being, and interrupts personal dynamics with their loved ones. The paper calls for antiracist and antisexist structural support to interrupt both the stressors exacted by the field and the sociohistorical processes devaluing Black women ’s work with children. Keywords: Early childhood education; Black teachers; Black women; Teacher well-being; Teacher quality; Focus group research Percepciones de la calidad y el bienestar del aula entre las maestras negras de niños pequeños Resumen: Las preocupaciones sobre la eficacia preescolar han llevado cada vez más acambios en las políticas de educación de la primera infancia centrados en la calidad de los docentes. Si bien estas reformas pretenden garantizar el bienestar educativo de los niños, rara vez consideran el impacto que las políticas tienen en los maestros. Además, el trabajo de cuidado infantil es una profesión feminizada con distintas experiencias sociales en funciónde la raza y la clase. Las mujeres negras que son maestras de cuidado infantil temprano vivenen la pobreza a tasas desproporcionadas a sus contrapartes blancas. A través de la investigación de grupos focales feministas negros, este documento documenta las percepciones de los mandatos de calidad de la educación de la primera infancia en Georgia y su impacto en el bienestar de 44 maestras negras de bebés, niños pequeños y preescolares. Los hallazgos sugieren que el llamado a la calidad complica el trabajo de los maestros negros, agrega un estrés financiero y emocional indebido que afecta su bienestar e interrumpe ladinámica personal con sus seres queridos. El documento pide un apoyo estructural antirracista y antisexista para interrumpir tanto los factores estresantes impuestos por el campo como los procesos sociohistóricos que devalúan el trabajo de las mujeres negras con los niños. Palabras-clave: Educación de la primera infancia; Maestras negras; el bienestar de las maestras; calidad de maestra femenina; Investigación de grupos focales Percepções da qualidade da sala de aula e bem-estar entre professoras negras decrianças pequenas Resumo: A preocupação com a eficácia da pré-escola tem levado cada vez mais a mudanças nas políticas de educação infantil com foco na qualidade do professor. Embora essas reformas pretendam gara

FAQs

What policy shift motivates the study’s focus on teacher quality?

Preschool effectiveness concerns have increasingly led to early childhood education policy changes focused on teacher quality. The paper highlights that these reforms aim to support children’s well-being but rarely consider teachers’ impacts.

How does the study approach the research question?

The study uses Black feminist focus group research to document perceptions of early childhood education quality mandates in Georgia and their effects.

What are the study’s main findings regarding Black women teachers’ well-being?

Findings indicate that the quality mandate complicates Black teachers’ work and adds undue financial and emotional stress. It also interrupts personal dynamics with loved ones, prompting calls for antiracist and antisexist structural support.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by Liam