Unexamined Racial Biases Among White Teachers: Utilizing Critical Multiculturalism to Move From Silence to Empowerment

• In Event: Race and Privilege in Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Students of color are increasingly represented in America’s classrooms. Many white teachers, the majority of the teaching force, are often ill-prepared to serve students of color, and often hold internalized biases regarding their academic potential. Framed within a critical multicultural perspective, we argue in this discussion that white teachers must engage in reflexive praxis around issues of race, privilege, and power, and that this practice must begin during teachers’ pre-service training. Specifically, we explore unexamined biases among white teachers and their impact on student achievement, the power of positive expectations on achievement, and strategies for implementing a critical multicultural, anti-racist curriculum that promotes student voice and empowerment, and includes the transmission of counter-narratives and stories to students of color.

Authors

• Cassandra L. Tavaras, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Tina M. Durand, Wheelock College