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Why Race Matters in the Classroom – A Regis Perspective

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Roosevelt Dickerson – CPS Teacher Education Alumnus

Colorado Public Radio (CPR.org) has just run an excellent series entitled, Why Race Matters in the Classroom: Teaching Colorado’s students of color. In this series, education reporter, Jennifer Brudin, relays a number of issues that relate to the achievement gap—or in current terms, “the opportunity gap,” between students of color and their white peers.

As one element of that equation, CPR discusses the disproportionality of students of color versus teachers of color. This is an issue across the country. CPR reports that “nearly half of all public school students across the nation will be students of color and minority teachers in Colorado make up only 12 percent of the population.”

This is troublesome, in part, because research has shown that disproportionality represents an equity issue for students of color. Oftentimes, white teachers—even well-meaning ones—hold underlying biases that negatively affect their expectations, discipline practices and teaching practices for students of color.

However, research also demonstrates that white teachers CAN be effective teachers for students of color if they engage in self-examination and commit to culturally responsive, affirming teaching practices (Gloria Ladson-Billings and Geneva Gay). Indeed, Ana Maria Villegas and Tamara Lucas (2002; 2007), educational researchers, have developed a framework for engaging in culturally grounded teaching.

They advance six salient qualities:

1. Understanding How Learners Construct Knowledge
2. Learning About Students’ Lives
3. Being Socioculturally Conscious
4. Holding Affirming Views About Diversity
5. Using Appropriate Instructional Strategies
6. Advocating for All Students

The Teacher Education programs at Regis University made a profound commitment to social justice and equity and integrated these qualities and other anti-bias work throughout the programs. These concepts provide centerpieces in several courses. with new courses in the CPS undergraduate and graduate teacher licensure tracks focused on understanding structural issues of inequity, interrogating personal bias, developing anti-bias beliefs and understandings, examining schools and communities for dominant culture normativity and hidden wealth, and learning how to value diverse students’ and families knowledge and skills while building on them in the service of learning.

In the graduate licensure program, teacher education students engage in ongoing direct service to a non-dominant, low-income community. These experiences tie into the course outcomes and learning objectives and are meant to facilitate relationship building and cross cultural understanding in Regis pre-service teachers while at the same time supporting important community agencies.

In the graduate licensure course, Equity, Ethics and Social Justice in Education, Diana Johnson, a graduate student in elementary education had this to say,

“My graduate classes at Regis, and specifically the Equity, Ethics, and Social Justice in Education, course has helped me not only understand myself better as an educator, community member, and individual, but it has also helped me learn about the specific ways in which students of color are often at a disadvantage from day one because of larger social structural frameworks that can hinder their success.

What I am realizing is that the problem and possible solutions are not as simple as I once thought they were. It is much bigger than ‘If teachers would just do this….’ or ‘If only parents would do that…’ or ‘Minority students just need to….’ And while issues are definitely brought to light, there have been some great discussions so far in the course about what can be done, and how I can help bridge the achievement gap. This class has made me more aware of the issues and has furthered my desire to continue learning about problems and possible solutions.”

As Ms. Johnson mentioned here, she has examined her own values and beliefs while at the same time examining the sociopolitical landscape that shapes policy and practice and can limit the opportunities of whole social groups. This is a critical understanding for citizens and future educators to understand and guide their actions and practices. This also is at the heart, Jesuit education.

Learn more about Regis University’s Teacher Education degree programs and certificates.

kelli-woodrowKelli Woodrow, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Education, Regis University CPS earned her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Michigan, a licensure endorsement in bilingual ECE-Adult Education from Los Angeles District Intern Program, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Colorado. Dr. Woodrow has taught in rural Michigan as a K-12, state-sponsored Migrant Education Teacher; Urban Los Angeles as a bilingual kindergarten and 1st grade teacher; and Urban Denver as a bilingual 6th and 7th grade science and ESL teacher and a 4th grade multi-subject teacher. In 2007 she received her Ph.D. in Social Foundations, Policy, and Practice in Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder, with an emphasis on Educational Anthropology. Since that time, Dr. Woodrow has worked at Regis University in Graduate Licensure and Dual Language programs and has focused on developing teacher education courses and programs that promote social justice and equity.

 

References:
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106-116.
Gay, G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.
Ladson‐Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into practice, 34(3), 159-165.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2009). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. John Wiley & Sons.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2009). Critical Race Theory in Education. Routledge International Handbook of Critical Education, 110.
Villegas, A. M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Educating culturally responsive teachers: A coherent approach. Suny Press.
Villegas, A. M., & Lucas, T. (2007). The culturally responsive teacher.Educational Leadership, 64(6), 28.

Resources:
http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/PDA%20Critical%20Practices.pdf

 


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