ABSTRACT
The findings from the data indicate a strong correlation between race and employment equity in the teaching profession. In this chapter, I will discuss my findings as they relate to the closing of the teacher diversity gap. First, the embedded racialization of teacher applications is analysed. Then the lack of mandatory data collection and reporting is assessed, as well as the hegemonic discourse of bias-free hiring, and the means by which online teacher applications that appear to be neutral, are in fact raced through complex meaning-making structures informed by power relations (Gee, 2001). Finally, concrete examples of how racialized meanings and social locations can be ascribed to particular candidates by unpacking each application section with critical questions that challenge the objectivity of the teacher application process as bias-free.
