Author ORCID Identifier:

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2605-1748

Date of Graduation

12-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Adult and Lifelong Learning (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods

Advisor/Mentor

Grover, Kendra

Committee Member

Kacirek, Kit

Second Committee Member

Samuels, Mande

Third Committee Member

Avery, Niki

Keywords

Cultural competency; Teacher preparation; Unconscious bias

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between cultural competency and teacher preparedness for Ethnic Studies, and seeks to understand whether unconscious bias influences that relationship. California’s Assembly Bill 101 mandates that all high school seniors take Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement. Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest school district in California, the second largest in the U.S., and the fifth most segregated school district in the nation. With 44% of White high school teachers in Los Angeles Unified School District situated in the north region and a significantly less presence throughout the other three regions, the question of whether Ethnic Studies will be taught wholly or partially surfaces. Through a critical race theoretical lens, this study seeks to address the need for specificity in teacher preparation for Ethnic Studies and cultural competency of White teachers by intentionally addressing unconscious bias as part of the preparation process. Empirical evidence will be exhumed from data that will be collected and analyzed through multiple linear regression, which examines cultural competency, teacher preparedness, and the influence of unconscious bias.

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