Surrendering to institutional forces: how white high school teachers' alignment with school structures prevents meaningful engagement with Montana's Indian education for all

This dissertation seeks to address the lacking educational research around White in-service teachers' multicultural education practice. I use Lawrence-Lightfoot's (1997; 2005) qualitative research methodology "portraiture" in order to illuminate the contextual factors influencing teachers' working worlds as they attempt to engage multiculturalism in their classrooms. Specifically, this research analyzes White social studies teachers' conceptualizations, practice, and engagement of American Indian Studies in accordance with Montana's state-wide mandate, "Indian Education for All" (IEFA) and finds that larger school functions, procedures, and policies actively squelch teachers' ability to meaningfully engage IEFA. The research here demonstrates that the ways teachers position themselves against larger school structures disallow deep engagement with Indigenous perspectives and in fact, encourage a monocultural teaching approach. Through the lenses of Whiteness Theory and Tribal Critical Race Theory, this study finds that despite the efforts of IEFA advocates and staff, school and classroom functions protect White space and privilege while colonizing Indian space.