Critical Examination of Race in the Selection of Literature in an Urban Classroom

• In Event: Facing Current Issues in Urban Education: Race, Class, and Gender

Abstract

Objectives
The topic of literacy has become the focus of policy and research in recent years. The test scores of children of color has been called one of the most pressing problems that has yet to be solved in American education (Nisbett, 2011). The primary issue is that teachers are choosing to provide literature instruction that reflects the teachers’ background and not the students’ background. Thus, culturally, linguistically, ethnically, and economically diverse students have a literacy gap. This literacy gap is also seen when comparing African American and Hispanic students to Caucasian students and high income to low income students (Teale et al., 2007). NAEP scores from 2003 and 2005 revealed that the fourth- and eighth-grade reading score gap in 11 urban districts was significantly larger for students of color than for the general student population (Teale et al., 2007).
Perspectives/Theoretical Framework
Critical theory focuses on “how geography, identity, and culture work to disadvantage particular racialized groups in gaining access to the same opportunities through education, the same sense of belonging through participation in education, and similar education outcomes (Blackmore, 2013, p. 1004) . This study critically examined the type of literature available in elementary classrooms based on the race of the main characters in the literature by race.
Methods/Techniques/Data Source
An urban school district located in southeastern Texas was used to collect the data from elementary school teachers. The participants were asked to list the books read aloud in their classroom or available in their classrooms. The books listed by the teachers were coded based on the race of the main character, type of book, and language of the book. This resulted in 27 categories. The categories were then combined into the following five main categories: White main character, people of color as the main character, cultural/various races represented with no main character, animals/objects, and other/book not found.
Results
The number of books that had White main characters was similar to the number of books that contained animals or objects. This may be because these books are seen as safe. Shannon (1994) argued that both of these types of books could be used to teach multicultural concepts. When combined the number of books that contained main characters of color was half the number of books that contained White main characters and the books that contained animals or objects.
Scholarly Significance
The lack of characters of color also impacts the literacy engagement of children of color. Literacy engagement as evidenced by reading motivation increases reading comprehension. Guthrie (2004) examined NAEP and PISA and suggested that students that are engaged readers can prevail over reading achievement factors (i.e., gender, parental education, and income). After examining PISA data of 15-year-olds in 27 countries, the conclusion was drawn that “the level of a student’s reading engagement is a better predictor of literacy performance than his or her socioeconomic background, indicating that cultivating a student’s interest in reading can help overcome home disadvantage” (OECD, 2004, p. 8).

Author

• Quinita D. Ogletree, Texas A&M University