Complicating Cultural Diversity in Head Start: White Educators Negotiating Multicultural Policy in Rural Appalachia

ABSTRACT This collaborative ethnographic study examines how white Head Start educators in a predominantly white, rural Appalachian community navigate multicultural teaching policies. Using critical discourse analysis of video‐cued interviews, field notes, and policy documents, we find educators adapt multicultural narratives to align with local values, inadvertently obscuring intended multicultural goals. We highlight the complexity of local culture, contributing to discussions of justice‐oriented pedagogy within contexts of economic exploitation.