Challenging Structural Racism in Schools and Society by Teaching Antiracist Local History

• In Event: Challenging Structural Racism: Ecologies of Communities and Educational Policies

Abstract

We live in perilous times, teetering between tyranny and democracy. This research aims to understand whether and how teachers’ understanding of concepts crucial to creating, implementing, and evaluating antiracist pedagogy in their classrooms is incorporated into their teaching. Our questions include: How do the teachers participating in this project come to understand inequalities in housing, education, and medical care as a result of structural racism rather than individual choice and deficiency? How do they conceptualize race, racism, and antiracist policies in housing, education, and medical care? How do they implement the anti-racist curriculum in their classroom? What challenges did they face while implementing it? How did their students respond to it? What’s the effect of teaching anti-racist curriculum on students?

Authors

• David W. Hursh, University of Rochester

• Zhe Chen, University of Rochester