Does Your School Pass The Color Test?

In four more years, we will most likely learn that whites are below the majority population status for the first time in American History. With such changes in our population it would make sense that schools have adapted their curriculum to be a better representation of our diverse population. Unfortunately, school districts fail to represent the contributions of all Americans regarding our history.  Because it is so subtle, many Americans might not even be aware such a problem exists. Here is a question for the reader, does your school still teach using a white dominated curriculum or do they use a diverse curriculum? This is what I like to call, the "color test."

Some people after reading the first paragraph will think, he is just race mongering. Not true. Leading research has indicated schools are failing African Americans and Latinos in regards to teaching from a diverse curriculum. They have for years failed minorities by teaching from a strong Anglo historical impact.

Latinos are neglected more than African Americans. Think about it. Many are bilingual and most teachers are not. This is one additional layer of neglect. Latinos represent the largest block of minorities in the United States.  African Americans were given a month for learning. Most educational audits have indicated many schools lack a diversity of learning throughout the year. Black History Month is more of a stigma than a solution.

The NEA has called for action regarding the inclusion of Latino and African American curriculum in literature and history classes. Teachers are not even trained properly how to teach African American or Latino history. Currently there is a lack of interest to change the priorities of teaching. Common Core goals will be blamed for the lack of diversity in teaching, however the problem is much deeper than blaming Common Core. This problem existed long before Common Core.

You see the evidence everyday in your child's assignments. Strong women are white. Special projects  include strong white Americans helping African Americans and Latinos overcome obstacles. Rarely is there an example of a strong leader from either community. Instead, without realizing it, white teachers use references to white saviors as a replacement for strong African American or Latino Role Models. References to movies like the "Freedom Writers", "The Blind Side" and "The Air Up There" are common examples of white saviors that kids are immersed into their learning. It is not something teachers do on purpose, they just fail to recognize the importance of learning about another culture's history.

How can parents and teachers recognize bias in their child's curriculum? There are many tools. I found one from teaching tolerance.org that is a great example of what to look for regarding African American History. Check out below the examples and apply them to your child's learning. You may be surprised by your observations. (Examples from an online resource with edits from the author)


DO...
Incorporate black history year-round, not just in February. Use the month of February to dig deeper into history and make connections with the past.

Continue Learning. Explore how to provide an in-depth and thorough understanding of black history. Textbooks are notorious for omitting information about the struggles of communities, and what they include is limited, so use the textbook as one of many resources. While exploring multiple resources, allow for opportunities to learn along with your students.
Reinforce to students that "black" history is American history. Make black history relevant to all students.

Relate lessons to other parts of your curriculum, so that focusing on a leader, like Fred Shuttlesworth, expands upon rather than diverts from your curriculum. By the time February comes around, the context of the struggle for civil rights and social justice should be familiar to students if you have already addressed such issues across the curriculum.

Connect issues in the past to current issues to make history relevant to students' lives. For example, ask students to gather information with a focus on what social disparities exist today and how a particular leader has worked to change society.

Include the political and social context of the community's struggle for social justice. For example, talk about Daisy Bates' political affiliations and her political ideologies. You see her bravery not as just a personal act but as coming out of community determination.

DO NOT...
Stop your "regular" curriculum, to do a separate lesson on Rosa Parks, on the Civil Rights Act or on Martin Luther King Jr. This trivializes and marginalizes anything you are teaching, making these leaders a token of their culture and ethnicity. Students will get the message that the diversion it is not as important as the "regular" curriculum.
Decontextualize heroes or holidays, separating them from the larger social movement or historical place. Great leaders don't make history all by themselves. For example, if you teach about James Farmer, you must also address the work of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and the Freedom Rides.
Focus on superficial cultural traits based on stereotypes. It's ok to celebrate black music, but teachers should also explore the political and social contexts that give rise to musical forms like hip hop.
Talk about black history in solely "feel-good" language, or as a thing of the past. This fails to help students examine how racism manifests itself today.
Limit the presentation to lectures and reading. Be sure to allow students an opportunity for discussion and reflection.
Teach with little or inaccurate information. Review resources to make sure they don't promote a Eurocentric perspective, which may misrepresent historic figures and social movements.
Shy away from controversial, ambiguous, or unresolved issues. Share the real-life experiences about racial realities in developmentally appropriate ways.

Following these steps will ensure your school passes the color test. The best strategy for incorporating new ideas is through the school leadership council and your local school boards. Be an advocate and not an adversary and you might just reach your goal.