Racism in Education

Racism and Schooling

Definition of Racism: a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among
the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement,
usually involving the idea that ones own race is superior and has the right
to rule others
History of Racism in Schooling
Brown vs. Board of education first step
Progressed from there
Covert/Subconscious Racism:
Educators not understanding cultural differences
School funding is largely based on the wealth of the surrounding community
Property taxes are a large majority of the funding that schools receive
According to a statistic shown in the book Rethinking the Color Line, Blacks make up
12.4% of the population and 26% of the households in poverty while whites make 74%
of the population and 51% of the households in poverty

Racism and Schooling
Assumption that students of color will not achieve or do as well in school
as their white counterparts
No child left behind was originally meant to undermine this idea and hold every student
to the same standards
A students race or culture does not mean that they can not achieve just as much as their
student peers
As stated in our book written by Grace Huerta, Tracking is the segregation of students in
classrooms based on ability
According to the US Department of Education, drop out rates in 2010 for Black Students
are 8%, for Hispanic students 15.1%, and for white students 5.1%

Racism In Colorado Schools
Drop out rates in Colorado
According to the Colorado Department of Education Hispanic students have a drop out
rate of ~7%, Blacks ~5%, Whites ~2%
Examples of racism in Colorado Schools:
The Denver Post wrote an article about discipline in public schools as it relates to race
Black students make up 6% of the population and are the subject of 13% of discipline
cases, Latino students make up 28% of the population and are the subject of 37% of
discipline cases and White students make up 61% of the population and are the subject
of 47% of discipline cases


Purpose of Schooling
To create an equal playing field for all students
Students of color have to deal with racist peers and teachers
They also have to deal with racism and inequalities in the system
Its a white world
As Future Teachers
Try to create a classroom environment where racial and ethnic differences are
celebrated
Try to understand all of your students cultural backgrounds not just the ones that are
similar to yours