Race Talk in Preschool: Academic Readiness and Participation During Shared-Book Reading

• In Event: 42.083 - Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: 42.083-8 - Examining Race and Transgender Identity Politics in Early Childhood Literacy, School Discipline, and Pedagogy

Abstract

As US preschool teachers read books about racial diversity, they are in a powerful position to engage children in dialogue about conceptualizations of race. Yet preschool teachers may silence these topics based on personal, developmental, or political concerns. Further, pressures to ensure children are equipped with language and literacy “readiness” skills may legitimize the silencing of these discussions during shared-book readings. This study examined how preschool teachers facilitated talk about skin color during shared-book readings with young children. Using critical discourse analysis, I found that teachers emphasized language and literacy “readiness” skills through recitation, discussing skin color as a politically neutral construct, without acknowledging the word “race” or its deeply embedded meanings in the United States.

Author

• Margaret R. Beneke, University of Washington - Seattle