Working Against Racial Bias Resource Bundle
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Working Against Racial Bias
Resource Bundle
I. Identity and Sociocultural Consciousness Resource
II. Engaging in Dialogues about Race and Schooling – Supplement
III. References
Copyright © 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.Identity and Sociocultural Consciousness
Resource (Back to Table of Contents)
A strong sociocultural consciousness requires a deep understanding of the forces that shape one’s own worldview.
It also requires a commitment to understanding the perspectives and experiences of others. To use this guide:
1. Choose one or two questions at a time and think about them deeply. Write your thoughts in a journal, or share
them with someone you trust.
2. Use the recommended resources in the right-hand column to examine information and perspectives that can help
deepen your reflection.
Learning About Self
Questions for Reflection Resources to Aid Reflection
How has your worldview been shaped by identity DiAngelo, R. (2010). Why can’t we all just be
markers1 such as race, ethnicity, class, religion, individuals? Countering the discourse of individualism
gender, and so on? in anti-racist education (article). UCLA Journal of
Education and Information Studies 6(1). [see pages 1-
Which of your identity markers feel most significant to 14]
you? What experiences are attached to them?
Identifying Identity – Brief article exploring the
How has your family influenced your identity importance of reflecting on one’s identity as a teacher.
development and worldview?
Colorblindness: The new racism? – Brief article by
Teaching Tolerance exploring the ways in which a
colorblind orientation is problematic for teachers.
How and when did you learn about race?
Tatum, B.D. (1992). Talking about race, learning
about racism: The application of racial identity
In what ways has your racial identity shaped your
development theory in the classroom. (article)
sense of place in the world?
Harvard Educational Review, 62(1).
Why Talk About Whiteness? – Resource from
Teaching Tolerance on exploring and discussing
whiteness as a racial identity.
What do you know or believe about your students?
Project Implicit – A website run by Harvard University
What informs these beliefs? Are any of these beliefs
that helps users identify implicit beliefs, associations,
based on assumptions, stereotypes, or
and biases.
generalizations?
1 “Identity markers” could also be thought of as “group memberships” (i.e. the different groups to which I belong). Major identity markers include the
group memberships that society treats as particularly salient, such as race, ethnicity, gender, social class, religion, sexual orientation, ability, language,
citizenship, and so on.
Copyright © 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.Learning About Schools and Society
Questions for Reflection Resources to Aid Reflection
What are my beliefs about the purpose of schools and A Tale of Two Children (short film). National
education? Education Association.
How were these beliefs shaped by my own Cammarrota, J. (2006). Disappearing in the Houdini
experiences as a student [and a teacher]? education: the experience of race and invisibility
among Latino/a students. (article) Multicultural
How might my experiences have been similar to (or Education, 14(1).
different from) those of my students?
Why were public schools created, and how have they Historical Timeline of Public Education in the U.S. –
evolved over time? How have schools treated Web page authored by the Center for Racial Justice
students from different racial and ethnic groups at Innovation that documents the historical evolution of
different points in time? public schooling in the United States.
In what ways do schools reflect the values and Precious Knowledge (film). Dos Vatos Productions,
interests of the dominant culture in a society? How Inc. 2011.
might students outside of this dominant culture be
marginalized?
In what ways do existing structures and practices in Is School Funding Fair? – Explores the impact of
schools lead to inequitable outcomes for students school funding disparities. Contains reports and fact
from different groups 2? sheets.
How do these structures and practices challenge the National Center for Fair and Open Testing – Explores
notion of a meritocracy where all students can be misuses of standardized testing, particularly practices
equally successful? that are harmful to specific groups of students.
Contains fact sheets.
Directions:
Keep a record of situations you encounter in your teaching experience (or life) that involve another person, and contain
some level of conflict or uncertainty. For each situation, seek to understand the other person’s perspective.
Learning From Others
How might this problem or issue look from his/her/their perspective?
How might I be contributing to the problem in ways that I am not aware?
How might my own biases or “blind spots”3 be affecting my understanding of this issue?
How might my words and actions be coming across? How might this person be perceiving me?
What challenges or frustrations might this other person be experiencing? What might he be up against?
2See also: Valenzuela, A. (1999). Subtractive schooling: U.S.-Mexican youth and the politics of caring. Albany: State University of New York Press.
3“Blind spots” refer to all of the elements of a situation of which you are not aware or conscious. These might include the other person’s intentions, the
experiences they bring to the encounter, additional background context, and so on.
Copyright © 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.Engaging in Dialogues about Race and Schooling
Supplement (Back to Table of Contents)
This document is intended to serve as a resource for any school staff member seeking to initiate (or facilitate) a dialogue about race at
his or her school. There are many different ways to go about this. For example, you might use existing structures (e.g. professional
learning communities, grade-level teams) to begin the conversation. You might begin by gathering a group of colleagues that share a
mutual interest in addressing this topic, or seek to bring people into the conversation who had not given it much thought before.
Regardless of who initiates the dialogue or how it is organized, here are some guidelines that may be helpful.
Why is it important to have dialogue with colleagues about race and bias?
There are well-documented disparities in academic achievement (National Center for Education Statistics, 2014) and
discipline (Skiba et al., 2011, 2014; U.S. Department of Education, 2012) between white students and students of color.
These disparities are connected to historical oppression (Katznelson, 2006; Rothstein, 2014) and implicit bias in the
education system (Nicholson-Crotty et al., 2009; Skiba et al., 2011).
And yet, there is great reluctance to discuss issues of race and school directly – especially among white educators (Pollock,
2004). Conversations about race can feel risky and personal, and make all participants feel deeply vulnerable (Singleton,
2008).
Still, they are necessary: “Addressing racial disparities requires addressing race. Imagine a school district with consistently
low reading achievement scores; yet within that district, an unwritten code prevented staff from explicitly discussing the topic
of reading. Obviously, the failure to address the central problem would guarantee that reading deficits would persist over
time” (Carter et al., 2017, P. 218).
What should be the goal(s) of these dialogues4?
There are three, and they are all interrelated:
1. For educators to reflect on their own beliefs, views, and perceptions of students from different groups, and how
these perceptions came to be formed.
2. For educators to identify ways that these beliefs and perceptions have influenced interactions with students.
3. For educators to determine how interactions – and patterns of interaction – may be influencing disparate outcomes
in academic achievement and discipline. Then, determine what must be done to eradicate these disparities
(Carter et al., 2017).
4It must be noted that it is not realistic for all three of these goals to be accomplished in one – or even multiple – conversations. Rather, these goals
provide a guiding framework for the purpose in engaging in dialogues about race and schooling.
Copyright © 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.What can help these dialogues be successful?
It would be difficult for participants to engage in a productive dialogue about racial
disparities and inequities if they have not done some initial self-examination and self-
Provide time and space reflection. The questions on the Identity and Sociocultural Consciousness Resource can
help prompt this reflection, as can the Working Against Racial Bias module itself.
for participants to do
individual reflective
Reflecting on one’s racial identity and unpacking biases does not have to be done in
work. isolation. These discussions can take place in pairs or small groups, and could be
especially productive if individuals are paired with others who have had different
experiences and can share different perspectives.
In order for dialogues about race and schooling to be successful, it is crucial for all
participants to establish norms and commitments for how they will engage with one another.
Singleton and Hayes (2008; 2012), authors of Courageous Conversations, recommend four:
Stay engaged – Resist the urge to opt out or disengage from a conversation if the
topic begins to feel risky. Commit to listening to and hearing colleagues even if their
views differ from or challenge your own.
Expect discomfort – Examining racial inequity creates inherent discomfort and
challenges previously-held beliefs about fairness and meritocracy.
Establish norms and Speak your truth – Be honest about your thoughts and feelings and attempt to
commitments locate where they are coming from. Do not attempt to speak on behalf of others.
Expect a lack of closure – Understand that the question to transform racial inequity
and bias is ongoing; it won’t be solved in a single conversation, and it defies easy
answers.
Some additional norms that might be helpful include:
Ask questions and seek to understand; don’t make assumptions about what others
think/feel/believe.
Consider the impact of your words on others.
Examine actual data at the school and district (or even national) level on disparities in
academic achievement and disciplinary actions. The group can examine disparities based
on race and ethnicity, but also examine factors such as gender identity, sexual orientation,
Examine data
disability status, and so on. The purpose here is to determine which groups of students
seem to be faring worse than others, and then to ask the question “Why?” (Carter et al.,
2017)
Here are some examples of questions that could be asked to critically analyze racial
disparities in achievement and disciplinary outcomes5:
In what ways might these disparities be linked to instructional or disciplinary
practices?
Ask critical questions How might these practices (or the way we use them) be linked to biases or
about systems and stereotypes about different groups of students?
Whose interests are served (and not served), and whose needs are being met (or not
practices met) by these practices? (Carter et al., 2017; Noguera, 2008).
Does this [action, practice] move students in this group “closer to educational
opportunity, or further away from it?” (Pollock, 2008, p. 24)
What actions can each of us take to begin undoing the disparities we’re seeing?
How can we involve students in this process?
5 These are just examples. There may be other, additional questions that are also relevant to ask.
Copyright © 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.What could cause these dialogues to be unsuccessful6?
Problem Description How to Avoid
Solicit the thoughts and opinions of several
Racial spotlighting: Asking someone (explicitly or
different participants. Ask them to share their
implicitly) to act as a “spokesperson” for his or her
Racial perspectives, but do not ask (or imply that they
entire racial group.
should) speak on behalf of others.
spotlighting or
racial ignoring Racial ignoring: Diminishing or ignoring
If a participant locates their racial group
(Carter, 2008) someone’s racial identity when they desire that
membership when making a comment or sharing
their racial group membership (and the
an opinion, validate that comment and ask open-
experiences connected to it) be recognized.
ended follow-up questions.
If stereotypes are voiced or used as a basis for
explanation, they must be challenged. This could
be done by…
This occurs when participants in the discussion Naming what is happening:
merely repeat prevailing racial stereotypes, or use “That sounds like a common stereotype about
Reinforcing them to explain the race-based disparities that are [students from this group].”
stereotypes being discussed. For example:
(Carter et al., “These kids just don’t care.” Ask probing questions:
2017) “Their parents don’t value education. There’s “What makes you think…”
no discipline at home.” “What do you mean when you say…”
“They act like thugs in class.” “Is this opinion from your own experiences, or
did you get it from someone/somewhere
else?”
“What else might explain ___ other than
[stereotype]?”
If participants begin to invoke colorblindness or
shift blame, they must be reminded that any
instructional or disciplinary action involves an
This occurs when participants shift responsibility interaction between teacher and student (Carter et
for a problem back onto students rather than al., 2017). By definition, then, the educator bears
Blaming examining the role they play in at least some responsibility for the outcome of a
students creating/perpetuating it. Often, this is given interaction. Again, specific probing
accompanied by “colorblind” assessments of the questions can be helpful:
(Carter et al.,
problem. For example: “How might our own biases influence what we
2017)
“It’s not a matter of bias. Black students are perceive as misbehavior?”
disciplined more often because they “Do we punish behaviors when they are
misbehave more.” committed by some students, but not others?”
“Let’s walk back through a recent teacher-
student interaction. What did the teacher do to
escalate or de-escalate the situation?”
6 A commitment to identifying and working against these stumbling blocks can actually be incorporated as part of your group norms. For example, a
norm could be “We will challenge, rather than reinforce stereotypes.”
Copyright © 2017 Arizona Board of Regents. Copyright 2021 Inspire Teaching & Learning. All rights reserved.Working against Racial Bias
References (Back to Table of Contents)
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