Training Racial Bias Out of Teachers (Who Ever Said That We Could?)
Will Ineffective Implicit Bias In-Service Programs Create a Bias Toward Schools’ Inaction? By Howie Knoff This past year, a series of somewhat unrelated events merged to create an indelible “call to action” that will hopefully improve the equity and excellence of our schools for generations to come. The first set of events involved the pandemic, the closing of school buildings, the move to virtual instruction and education, and a continuing, inconsistent pattern of virtual, hybrid, or on-site instruction this current school year as schools tried to balance the physical health of students and educators with their academic and social-emotional health. The second set of events involved the -year history of prejudice, inequity, and suppression of Blacks in America that dates back to when slaves first arrived in our country. ut this history crystallized this past year with the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, ayshard roo s and additional blac citizens during 2020) at the hands of police officers. These atrocities redoubled the efforts of the Black Lives Matter social movement that was founded in in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. 58
The Merging of These Events Is Evident • Black (and Hispanic) Americans have disproportionately died (or become ill) from resulting in financial, social, emotional, and other disruptions to the school-aged children in these homes. • Black (Hispanic, Native American, poor, and rural) students have disproportionately less access to computers, high quality computers, and internet connections and bandwidth such that their ability to engage in virtual instruction has been impaired. • Black (Hispanic, Native American, poor, and rural) students have disproportionately higher rates of virtual, hybrid, and on-site attendance problems since the pandemic began. • Many educators covered less academic (or no new academic) material during virtual instruction last year and into the early part of this year, and Black (Hispanic and poor) students are still taught more often by new, ine perienced, and ever-changing teachers.
American Consortium for Equity in Education
