From Bell Curve to Achievement Gap: Examining Race and Intelligence in 21st Century Education Policy Discourses

• In Event: Disrupting the Discourse: The Exacerbation and Misuse of the "Achievement Gap" in Research and Practice

Abstract

Purpose
This article documents and examines how centuries-old racist ideologies and representations of Black intellectual inferiority are reflected in contemporary educational policy discourse and practice in the U.S. Drawing from history, sociology, and journalism and media studies, we investigate how racist stereotypes and racialized assumptions of Black educational inferiority have been advanced through two prevailing and related narratives: the bell curve and the achievement gap, and their implications for educational equity and justice efforts in the 21st century.

Conceptual Framework
It has been twenty-five years since social scientists Herrnstein and Murray (1994) published their New York Times best-selling book, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, which attributed racial differences in intelligence to genetics. Controversial in nature, the book reignited debates about race and intelligence, advancing the ideological belief that blacks are innately inferior to whites and thus, policies and resources intended to address racial inequality in society were misguided and meaningless. These ideologies of race and intelligence are representative of the scientific racism that has played an important role in shaping U.S. social and education policy, namely its assertion of Black intellectual and educational inferiority (Author, 2013; Hilliard, 2012; Selden, 1999; Tucker, 1994). For centuries, these characteristics have been caricaturized in popular media through archetypes such as Uncle Tom, Jim Crow minstrel, Sambo, the Welfare Queen and many others (Bogle, 1973; hooks, 1992; Jackson, 2006; Jewell, 1993). This ideology has undergirded historically enduring stereotypes of Black people as ineducable, simple-minded, lazy, and intellectually deficient (Boylorn, 2008; Collins, 2000; Entman & Rojecki, 2000; hooks, 1992). The stereotype of Black intellectual inferiority has further informed policies in every sector, especially housing, economic, criminal justice, and education. Despite the firestorm of criticism the book received, and the debate it ensued, its recommendations still inform and are reflected in education policy and practice.

Methods and Data Sources
Through a systematic review of research literature published in the twenty-five year period following the 1994 publication of The Bell Curve, we use discourse analysis to better understand how race and intelligence were conceptualized and their implications for education policy discourse and advocacy in the 21st century. We also draw from critical race theory and critical policy analysis to reveal the paradox of race in education research and reform (Author, 2017, 2019) given their role in perpetuating the larger narrative of Black underachievement and intellectual inferiority over time.

Findings and Significance
Through an interdisciplinary and critical approach to deepening our understanding of how race and intelligence have been conceptualized in education, this study will provide insights on how racialized assumptions of Black intelligence have and continue to shape K-12 education research, policy, and practice. We conclude with recommendations for future research and policy considerations.

Authors

• Sonya Douglass, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Juontel White, Teachers College, Columbia University