White or IPOC Educators Working with Racially Diverse Students

Mother and educator Afrika Afeni Mills reminds white teachers of the following in her writing, “A Letter to White Teachers of My Black Children:“ Our job, if we are doing it right, is to celebrate every child where they are and move them forward with skill, love, courage, and grace. In a nation that claims to believe in educating all children to become engaged citizens, this practice of failing so many students of color, or tracking them based on implicit bias, or pushing them out of schools, or driving them into the criminal justice system, or ignoring them in hopes they’ll simply drop out — this adult behavior in schools perpetuates inequitable systems.”

Research confirms that teacher expectations impact students’ educational outcomes. Given that, “If a black and a white teacher are asked to report their expectations regarding the ultimate educational attainment of a white student, they tend to agree. However, if a black and a white teacher both form expectations about a particular black student, their answers diverge quite a bit. The black teacher tends to have far higher expectations than the white teacher”, it is imperative to engage in anti-bias and anti-racist self-reflection and learning to address these inequities in classrooms.

Educator and instructional coach Akieah Gross reminds that, “While white teachers of all students have an obligation to address, disrupt and deconstruct racism in their classrooms, with their colleagues and in their personal lives, it is not possible unless they have addressed, disrupted and deconstructed the racist thoughts, feelings and actions that influence their prejudices and biases.”

The resources here, whether you are newly entering anti-racist work in education or are deep into your journey, are curated to help you self-reflect, self-educate, and grow your skills as an anti-racist teacher. Jamilah Pitts reminds teachers that, “the silence on the part of white teachers who teach black and brown children is insulting”. Identifying bias and learning more about racism in education is essential to building the skills and cultural contexts to say something, to teach differently, and to make classrooms safer and more welcoming for Black and Brown children while building anti-racist thought in all of your learners.