The How, the What, and the Who: Balancing Oppression and Hope in Social Studies Classrooms

• In Event: In Our Feelings: Exploring Emotionality in (Teacher) Education

Abstract

Given increasing diversity in the U.S. student population as well as heightened collective awareness around issues of racial injustice in the country, teachers are more than ever tasked with teaching challenging histories of oppression. To do so, teachers must personally and publicly acknowledge the roots of racism and marginalization in American history and recognize the lasting impact that oppression has on communities today while also sharing stories of hope and resistance with students. This paper studies the practices that teachers use to achieve these goals in classrooms focused specifically on issues of race and racism. The paper finds that teaching strategies that can be grouped into “the how,” “the what,” and “the who” provide a useful framework for teacher practice.

Author

• Julia R. Jeffries, McKinsey & Company