Child specialists and psychologists have found that children endorse stereotypes and exhibit prejudice by the time they enter formal schooling (Bigler & Wright, 2014). Within the psychology community remains debate over the pros and cons of teaching children about prejudice, discrimination, and intergroup relations. Bigler & Wright (2014), in a thorough literature search, found that negative “risks” could include harmful feelings or fear, vulnerability to “stereotype threat,” out-group mistrust, or an even strengthened reinforcement of stereotypes among children. In contrast, the benefits of teaching children about intergroup biases include them being able to explain social group differences to peers, rejection of discrimination, and a protection of self-esteem among children in historically marginalized groups. Child developmentalists are still figuring out the most effective, child-appropriate ways to teach kids in school about discrimination and prejudice, as there are certainly debates on this topic.

https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12057

It is critical that we acknowledge our place within the Massachusetts education system. We both graduated from school districts that are more than 75% white (DESE, 2021). As white individuals we were able to receive many benefits from our Massachusetts education experiences and were not disadvantaged by the racial disparities that exist. We recognize our privilege and acknowledge the need for changes to create an equitable and excellent experience for everyone. The quality of education that has allowed Massachusetts to receive such high education rankings should be accessible to all students (MEEP, 2018).

DESE – Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2021). 2020-21 enrollment by race/gender statewide report(District). https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/enrollmentbyracegender.aspx

MEEP – Massachusetts Education Equity Partnership. (2018, September). One for some – The massachusetts education equity partnership. One for Some. https://number1forsome.org/

The primary goal of this letter is to inform and educate, rather than accuse and shame. We felt that this statement of appreciation would add to the character and goodwill of this letter; we truly are grateful for our primary and secondary education experiences. It was our intent to express this gratitude while also using it to fuel our constructive criticism of the Massachusetts public school system. We chose to write this letter and chose Massachusetts specifically because as natives of the state and products of the school system, we care about the welfare and education of our successors at our high schools. To create a culture of anti-racism and to address systemic racism in Massachusetts and beyond, starting within the education system and at a young age is, ideally, a start at achieving equity. Children as young as three months old prefer own-race faces (Kelly et al., 2005). Furthermore, adults continue to delay conversations on race with children because they underestimate the psychological processing of race among children (Wilton & Apfelbaum, 2020). While we must do so in age-appropriate ways, it is important that educators and parents contribute to a color-conscious dialogue to promote anti-prejudice and anti-bias efforts.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000851

doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2005.0434a.x

In this letter, we are challenging the current educational curriculum requirements for United States history courses in Massachusetts, particularly Black history and the lasting effects of slavery. Although Massachusetts still has work to do in teaching students about slavery, the state education system has performed much better than other states at discussing slavery at all. In Massachusetts, it is required of teachers to discuss slavery at all; in fact, the history and social studies framework mentions the keyword “slavery” 104 times (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2018). In contrast, Louisiana mentions “slavery” four times and Idaho does two times. Very few states at all cover the enslavement of Indigenous people, despite it being a widespread issue throughout the U.S. during most of the 19th Century (Heim, 2019).

Quiz to test your knowledge on the history slavery in the U.S.: https://www.washingtonpost.com/test-your-knowledge-on-the-history-of-us-slavery/96b42b72-6540-45d1-af88-f297c81afa3c_quiz.html?itid=lk_readmore_manual_48

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/08/28/what-do-students-learn-about-slavery-it-depends-where-they-live/

https://www.splcenter.org/20180131/teaching-hard-history

https://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/hss/2018-12.pdf

In addition to the home, school is where most children and adolescents spend most of their time, making school an essential location for socialization with other children and adults. For children, the school serves as a place to support the whole child—where they often develop much of their opinions and relationships at school (Flook, 2019). Because of the extensive time spent in school, this is why a color-conscious approach to race is so crucial; in addition, parents often neglect to speak about race and racism with their children. Brigitte Vittrup (2018) found that only 30% of white mothers with children ages 4-7 years old (N=107) took a color-conscious approach when talking about race with their children. The remaining 70% of these white mothers took a color-blind approach to discuss race or did not discuss race with their children at all.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_ways_schools_can_support_the_whole_child.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X16676858

Adolescents spend a majority of their time in the classroom. The experiences they have there can have a profound impact on their development and academic performance. The incorporation of race and racism into the curriculum, or lack thereof, can influence the way that students perceive and understand their own racial identity and the racial identity of others. When educators take a color-blind approach, they may think they are avoiding prejudicial thinking and the development of bias. However, the color-blind approach can actually do the opposite of this, by reinforcing that race does not matter and the racial identities of BIPOC students do not need to be acknowledged. The color-conscious approach acknowledges and affirms students’ racial identities. This approach has been show to be beneficial in promoting positive student outcomes. Class materials, ongoing dialogues, and curriculums that incorporate and promote an understanding of race and racism have been shown to improve students’ academic performance (Tatum, 1999).

https://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=14892

For a period of time, colorblind ideology was viewed as the appropriate approach to race socialization. Popular multicultural education resources emphasized the importance of not acknowledging race (Choi, 2008). Historically, there are many contributing factors to the development of this ideology. Following the Jim Crow era, an emphasis was placed on the colorblind ideology and equality. Secondly, the nationalistic ideology emphasizes the importance of one unified identity. However, nationalism serves to strip individuals of their unique cultural identifiers. Another contributor is the belief in meritocracy, often perpetuated through the American Dream (Knowles et al., 2014). This false belief minimizes the impacts of racism by asserting that status is earned through hard work. The combination of all these beliefs perpetuated the use of the colorblind approach for a long period of time. With the new research that has emerged, it is necessary to actively work towards unlearning colorblindness and the false beliefs associated with it.

Choi, J.-A. (2008). Unlearning Colorblind Ideologies in Education Class. Educational Foundations, Summer-Fall, 53-71. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ857639.pdf

Knowles et al. (2014) – Deny distance or dismantle – How White Americans manage a privileged identity

Although to many it might seem obvious that we must preach equity and color-consciousness to students, there is a large population of people who disagree. In fact, a website called whataretheylearning.com was designed to track school districts and what students are being taught about critical race theory, Black Lives Matter, and equity. The creator of this website claims that these ideas are “cynical, pessimistic, and divisive that almost no one outside a group of professional activists actually believes,” (“What Are They Learning?”, 2021). Furthermore, many people believe that children are too young, or there is no space in the curriculum, or it is not the educator’s place to discuss race (USC Rossier School of Education, 2021). The purpose of this letter is to also attempt to debunk some of those beliefs, as there is much evidence that a color-conscious approach to race is beneficial to students and teachers. Farago, Davidson, & Byrd (2019) report—in their book chapter of the Handbook of Children and Prejudice—report some of the benefits of a color-conscious education. Prejudice reduction, reduction in racial disparities in classroom discipline by teachers, and the eradicatation of barriers for minority students in education are all benefits to color-conscious education (Farago et al. 2019). In a 2007 study, children aged 6-11 assigned to receive a history lesson that covered slavery in-depth had less biased attitudes than children in the control condition (Hughes et al., 2007). Evidence shows that color-conscious approaches can help reduce bias and prejudice from a young age.

https://whataretheylearning.com/about/

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12228-7_7

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01096.x

https://rossieronline.usc.edu/youth-and-racism/racism-in-the-classroom

This review, published this past summer, examines the status of racial diversity in Massachusetts schools, as well as the actions of the state. In the past decade, the number of segregated schools in the state has increased. However, more than half of the districts with intensely segregated schools have the resources and demographic potential to create districtwide, diverse schools. In the lowest rated schools (Schneider et al., 2020), BIPOC students are disproportionately represented compared to overall demographics. This creates the illusion of a relationship between race and performance, but it actually reflects inadequacies of the DESE accountability framework, which can further promote segregation by diverting white families away from more segregated schools. The authors encourage the DESE and the state overall to prioritize racial integration and improve the existing accountability framework so that it does not perpetuate a cycle of segregation (Schneider et al., 2020).

https://cecr.ed.psu.edu/sites/default/files/Demography_Report_FINAL_7.24.20.pdf