Episode 98: Unmasking Educational Inequity — Confronting Racism's Impact on Students of Color

This is part one of a three-part series. Discover the untold story of how racism shapes the educational landscape for students of color as I guide you through the often-overlooked historical and systemic barriers in K-12 public education. This episode peels back the layers of institutional racism, from the establishment of racial hierarchies to the colorblind ideologies that cunningly maintain inequality. I confront the stark realities of how current policies such as standardized testing and the proliferation of charter schools not only fail African American students but also English language learners and those with disabilities. Join me for a thought-provoking analysis that sheds light on the critical need for change within our schools' walls.

Grasp the depth of the challenges posed by a lack of minority teachers and culturally responsive curricula, which leads to the devaluation of non-white races and cultures. In an honest conversation, I link the stark resource disparities to broader patterns of educational underperformance and discuss how racial segregation and poverty feed into a devastating cycle of internalized racism, culminating in troublingly low graduation rates. Recognizing the imperative for systemic transformation, this episode calls on the majority culture to engage actively in reforming an inequitable educational system. I underscore the far-reaching economic consequences of racism in education, emphasizing the urgency of addressing these issues to craft an equitable future for all students.

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Chapters

• 0:54 Racism in K-12 Education
• 22:27 Addressing Racism in K-12 Education

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:55

Welcome to another episode of K-12 Education Untangled. My name is Dr Kim J Fields, former corporate manager turned education researcher and advocate, and I'm the host of this podcast. I got into this space after dealing with some frustrating interactions with school educators and administrators, as well as experiencing the microaggressions that I faced as an African-American mom raising my two kids, who were in the public school system. I really wanted to understand how teachers were trained and what the research provided about the challenges of the public education system. Once I gained the information and the insights that I needed, I was then equipped to be able to successfully support my children in their educational progress. Support my children in their education progress. This podcast is at the intersection between education, research and parental actions. If you're looking to find out more about the current trends, issues and themes in education that could affect you or your children, and you want to know the specific actions you can take to support and advocate for your children, then you're in the right place. Thanks for tuning in today. I know that staying informed about K-12 education topics is important to you, so keep listening. Keep listening.

Speaker 1: 2:33

On today's episode, I'll be discussing the continued existence and impact of racism in K-12 public education classrooms. Racism, a term that conjures mostly negative images of injustices experienced by people of color in the United States, and it extends into the US public education system. Even within that context, it's a broad subject area. Children and families from underrepresented groups have to deal with systemic racism, covertly or overtly, on a daily basis in public school classrooms across the country. I'll address three key areas of racism in public schools over the course of this episode and the following two episodes. In other words, this is a three-part series. This episode provides the background pertaining to the genesis of racism in K-12 public schools. Part two will explore why racism persists to this day in 21st century America, with relevant examples, and part three will explore the various interventions that have been proposed to combat racism in public schools proposed to combat racism in public schools. I end Part 3 with action steps you can take to implement some of these interventions at the local level.

Speaker 1: 3:58

This is Part 1 of this three-part series. It discusses the background and genesis of racism in K-12 public schools. Let's untangle this how and why did racism even begin to carry over or impact public education? The short answer is that racism is persistent and central in our society and our schools, and central in our society and our schools. The sad truth is that manifestations of racism have been part of public schools in the United States since the inception of its educational system. Another sad truth is that, while racism clearly exists in the public education system, the direct critical conversations about it are often lacking. The fact is that public schools systematically racialize, marginalize and impact the opportunities of students of color.

Speaker 1: 5:01

Some scholars have even theorized racism now as a quote-unquote new racism, one in which the actions are more covert and hidden than those in the past. Interesting, but not new really. They indicate that it is evasive, subtle and challenging to identify because it's normalized under the guise of multiculturalism, colorblindness and everyday individualized interpretations of policy and practices. It still doesn't make racism any less painful for students of color. The bottom line is racism is racism is racism. An article centers research that highlights racism permanence and significance in the lives of students of color through manifestations like subtle racism, anti-racist racism and everyday racism. It also examined racism through recent literacy and resistance of students and communities of color.

Speaker 1: 6:12

Racism is basically the creation or maintenance of a racial hierarchy supported through institutional power and schooling, and the United States has a history that has been driven by racialization and racism, from Americanization schools and Native American boarding schools that spanned the 19th and much of the 20th century to a socialization of inferiority in segregated schools serving blacks and Mexican Americans. Students of color have been subjected to institutionalized conditions that contradict their interests and their humanity. Through this process, racial inequality has become normalized and even accepted. A lot of the dominant rhetoric blames students of color and their families for a lack of academic success. Blaming communities of color for educational inequality at the individual level makes educational institutions invisible in their responsibility for racist policies and the role of structural racism. Recent discussions about privatization practices in K-12 public schools exacerbate racism in communities of color through issues such as testing, school choice, charter school development and a departure from public education. Mass testing as an accountability narrative and corporate-driven testing practices affirm racial hierarchies of student success. School closures disproportionately and negatively affect working-class urban African-American neighborhoods. Some researchers consider charter schools as a form of contemporary racism. Many charter schools are run by corporations and alternative teaching recruitment reforms have displaced veteran black teachers for young white teachers and are funded by white philanthropists whose purpose is to align public education to business. The deficit-minded teaching methodologies in some charter schools that are masked as classroom management stratify and limit the learning opportunities of students of color.

Speaker 1: 8:29

In this new racism era, colorblindness is a term that comes up often. Some educators and school administrators equate colorblindness to equity. However, silence around race maintains and legitimizes racism, and this constructs hostile racial climates for students of color and teachers of color. Colorblindness reduces any visible racism to the actions of a few ignorant people, and this allows systemic mechanisms of racism like tracking, curriculum disparities and gender profiling to be ignored as explanations for racial inequality and end up being replaced by individual-based rationales about certain groups of students of color. These rationales include statements like students of color are lazy, behaviorally challenged and intellectually deficient. This broad brushing of students of color represents individually based, irrational racist paradigms. Colorblindness is a term that just doesn't make sense. In order to be blind to color, you have to acknowledge that first there is color. The colorblind ideology is actually a form of racism that erases the lived and systemic oppression of communities of color.

Speaker 1: 9:55

Let's also include in this conversation about institutional racism in K-12 schools the conversation and consideration of two marginalized student groups English as second language learners and students with disabilities. English-only campaigns were reinstituted in 2001 through the no Child Left Behind government educational policy. Immigrant bilingual students of color may experience a type of trauma from policies that affirm white racial privilege, because English dominance in school is actually a racialized process that undermines the student's potential and success, particularly for students labeled English as second language learners. Dual language classrooms gentrify Latino students and benefit middle class white students, while black students are prevented from enrolling in these specialized programs in their own schools. These policies serve to perpetuate racial inequity. There is an overrepresentation of black and Latino students in special education that's usually guided by assumptions of cultural deficits and fake scientific placement processes that result in misguided conceptualizations of disability. Students of color continue to be overrepresented, segregated and prevented from reaching their academic potential because of these policies, without even addressing racism specifically. Although programs serving dual language learners and students labeled with disabilities have been framed as a benefit to these student groups, the reality is that these programs systematically exacerbate racial equity.

Speaker 1: 11:43

Other than these specific incidences of racism in public schools, racism is still experienced by students of color on a daily basis. In fact, the research indicates that white teachers perpetuate racism in schools. White teacher racism can be overt and is often upheld through colorblind or racism-neutral approaches to their daily work with students of color. They tend to position themselves as quote-unquote good teachers but have no structural or social analysis of inequity, and this perpetuates an environment of persistent racism in K-12 schools. From Korean and Korean-American students in the Midwest to Puerto Rican students in the Northwest and Midwest and Native Hawaiian students, these groups all experience nuanced yet universal racism in US schools Everyday.

Speaker 1: 12:38

Racism serves as a collective and systemic mechanism that maintains the status quo of racial inequity. Racism is alive and well in K-12 public schools, as demonstrated in racial injustice, from school closures in Chicago to post-Katrina displacement of black teachers, through the charter school impetus in New Orleans to the hostile racism that students of color experience in Tucson. Schools Overt racial slurs, while still present, have overwhelmingly turned into microaggressions that are subtle yet powerful in their impact. Students of color continue to be dehumanized and disproportionately denied academic and economic opportunities. The pervasiveness of racism in schools leads those who are committed to confronting and combating racism forced to focus on preparing students and teachers to address this reality, as institutional and systemic shifts seem insurmountable.

Speaker 1: 13:47

There's an economic burden of racism caused by inequities in the US public school system. Even though the public education system has become more ethnically and racially diverse, many racial disparities still persist, especially regarding school segregation, educational resources and, ultimately, educational outcomes. These disparities not only harm students individually, but have a collective impact on society as well, including economic consequences. Educational resources are misallocated in ways that tend to reflect racial discrimination, and Black and Hispanic students often leave school with substantially lower levels of human knowledge or human capital and, as a result, have lower lifetime earnings on average. These misallocations and losses in human capital can be considered an economic burden of racism. An important question to consider regarding the economic burden is what level of resources is wasted because of racial discrimination? Well, there isn't a clear or precise answer to this question.

Speaker 1: 15:04

Racism within K-12 education is best understood as a symptom of societal racism. To put a number on the economic burdens as measured in dollars, a conservative estimate is that for each group of black and Hispanic students age 18, the burden from lower human capital is between $42 and $92 billion in lost economic outcomes over a lifetime. For schools and districts, the cost of racial disparities incurred each year from kindergarten through 12th grade cost about $400 million on school discipline, $3.8 billion on special education, $3.2 billion on grade repetition due to these students having to repeat a grade and about $100 million on direct spending to combat racism. Again, these are conservative estimates. There are a couple of issues worth noting about this economic burden. One, racial disparities need to be investigated as to how economically important they are and how much society pays when racial discrimination is pervasive. And two, it's also worth examining how racism in other domains of society affect the public education system. When students of color face discriminatory housing, job markets, health care and criminal justice systems, their ability to learn is significantly impaired and the educational resources available to them are diminished.

Speaker 1: 17:16

Racial discrimination is defined as the differential treatment on the basis of race that may or may not result from prejudice and may or may not be intentional in nature. The education system in the United States is highly diverse in terms of students' racial and ethnic background. Within the last decade, the K-12 public school system has minority. The new majority is 15% black, 27% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 4% biracial and under 1% Pacific Islander and American Indian, alaska Native. The remaining 48% of public school students are white. Given all of this, the public education system still exhibits significant racial segregation in enrollment and strong racial disparities in resources, instruction and outcomes.

Speaker 1: 18:16

There are significant racial disparities that exist across the public education system. These disparities arise because the school system is heavily segregated 48% of black and 60% of Hispanic students are in schools where their enrollment is more than 75%, yet the racial composition of the educators in those schools doesn't match that of the student body. Less than one quarter of teachers and principals are non-white. School resources also vary with race, where Black and Hispanic students are much more likely to be in school districts with low funding for needed resources. Racial discrimination in public schools not only includes access to resources, but also the economic consequences of disproportionate school discipline, like suspensions and expulsions for African American students, especially boys. These students are disciplined at rates more than three times those of white students. Other non-white groups also have higher school disciplinary rates. It's important to note that it's not only students that experience racism, but teachers and school staff do also. If this weren't true, then government agencies, districts and schools wouldn't need to allocate resources to combating racism.

Speaker 1: 19:36

Education systems are affected by racial disparities in other areas of society affected by racial disparities in other areas of society. For example, racial segregation may force Black families in the neighborhoods with low-quality public schools, and discriminatory employment practices may reduce the incomes of Hispanic families, thus reducing home resources that could be used to support their children's learning. Additionally, a Native American student in juvenile custody may be unable to enroll in school, so these domains of discrimination may compound each other. Racism reduces overall educational productivity. It undermines learning and more resources are needed to generate educational outcomes. Educators have to spend more time and resources to establish a school climate that encourages learning. Students may also experience overt discriminations and microaggressions within the school environment. All of this impairs productivity. The fact of the matter is that racial disparities precede school entry and then continue as children progress through their K-12 education. Schools may attempt to offset external factors, but they don't adequately do so, and in some areas they may exacerbate racial disparities, as in the case of unjust disciplinary practices.

Speaker 1: 21:08

The problem with students of color who deal with racism in their school environment on a daily basis is that they tend to internalize this racism. There is a definite relationship between racism and internalized racism. Internalized racism is the conscious and unconscious acceptance of a racial hierarchy in which whites are consistently ranked above people of color. It also includes the internalization of the beliefs, values and worldwide views inherent in white supremacy. That can potentially result in negative self or racial group concept. White supremacy is seen throughout the United States society and it includes daily subtle and less blatant manifestations. Certain factors in schools contribute to the development of internalized racism. Notable African Americans, from Carter Woodson to Malcolm X and Bell Hooks, spoke theoretically and personally about racism within the public education system. They all described school as a place entrenched with white supremacy, where students of color were socialized toward a negative self and a racial group deception, and they were critical of the school's role in internalized racism.

Speaker 1: 22:28

Teachers play a large role in the development of how students perceive themselves and the world around them. Many students of color grow up having few to no minority teachers within their entire academic career. Schools reinforce racial hierarchies and the students of color within those schools internalize this racism. Discussions of race and racism are unfortunately uncommon in many K-12 classrooms, and this has dire consequences for students of color because they can internalize that their race and culture are not valued. Teachers in elementary schools regularly reinforce racial and cultural hierarchies in both overt and underlying ways. This continues to contribute to the problematic self and racial group perceptions of all students of color.

Speaker 1: 23:16

The curriculum used in schools is an important framework for academic learning because it dictates the pace and structure of how knowledge and skills are transmitted. In the majority of schools in the United States, curriculum often reinforces the hierarchical status quo of white supremacy, thereby rendering the race and cultures of non-whites inferior. This can contribute to internalized racism and potentially damage the self-concept of students of color. Schools with student populations that are majority students of color have been found to have drastically poor resources, more unqualified teachers and less adequate facilities than majority white schools and less adequate facilities than majority white schools. Changing housing patterns and court decisions have contributed to the resegregation of United States schools, where low-income students of color have little to no opportunities to quality education. This consistent unequal distribution of quality resources reflects racist educational practices and policies that perpetuate inequality in communities of color. Perpetual educational inequality is a manifestation of racial hierarchy in which whites are consistently ranked above people of color.

Speaker 1: 24:39

Students of color can internalize this racism that's embedded in the lack of educational resources available to them and, as a result, they unconsciously accept the racial hierarchy that places them below their white counterparts. Unequal resources, racial segregation and poverty are intertwined into a complicated system of subordination that results below educational achievement for students of color. Internalized racism plays a key role in the cycle of inequality and in the cycle of subordination. The people being denied opportunities to achieve and excel must believe in some way that their quote-unquote failure in attaining educational opportunities is a result of their own lack of abilities and effort. The internalization of racism can result in students of color unconsciously accepting substandard conditions in education. This can lead to low academic achievement and high dropout rates for many students of color. Internalized racism plays a role in low achievement rates of students of color. One thing that's disturbing about the rates of schooling practices that many students of color experience is that the students have internalized the negative perceptions of the school to the point that they no longer are able to see racism unless it's in the overt form of racial epithets. This is problematic to all students of color who internalize the negative perceptions of themselves and their racial ethnic groups and may explain why many of them do not graduate.

Speaker 1: 26:22

To thwart severity of internalized racism, students of color need to have teachers who are knowledgeable about their cultures and are willing to incorporate those cultures into the classroom. Classrooms need the practice to be culturally relevant and compatible with the culture of students of color. Here are this episode's takeaways. In order to move forward with any hope of combating racism in US public schools, this issue needs to be taken seriously and discussed far and wide, because the only way to stop racism is for the majority culture to stop being racist.

Speaker 1: 27:13

The real sickness in this society is that all of its manifestations are geared to the maintenance of white superiority. This extends from society to the public education system. Given that racism is central to the operation of institutions in the United States, as well as the social order. It is enmeshed in the fabric of this country's society, so much so that it appears both normal and natural for people in the majority population group in the United States, for people in the majority population group in the United States, in society as a whole and specifically in schools. The sad truth is that manifestations of racism have been a part of public schools in the United States since the inception of its educational system. Another sad truth is that, while racism clearly exists in public education system, a direct critical conversation about it is often lacking. The pervasiveness of racism in schools leads those who are committed to confronting and combating racism forced to focus on preparing students and teachers to address this reality, as institutional and systemic shifts seem insurmountable. To put a number on the economic burdens, as measured in dollars, regarding racism in schools, a conservative estimate is that for each group of black and Hispanic students age 18, age 18, the burden from lower human capital is between $42 and $92 billion in lost economic outcomes over a lifetime. Racism within K-12 education is best understood as a symptom of societal racism.

Speaker 1: 29:14

If you don't want to miss out on any of the content that I have provided or what I'll be providing next, then be sure to subscribe to my podcast. On whatever platform you're listening to this, do me a favor and remember to share my podcast with anyone that you think would find it valuable. That includes your friends, family and community. Thanks for listening today. I hope you'll come back for more K-12 educational discussions with even more exciting topics to untangle. Be sure to stay tuned. On the next episode, I'll continue with part two of my discussion about addressing racism in K-12 schools. Until next time, aim to learn something new every day.