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Jenae Casalnuovo
Professor Jennifer Lucko
EDUC 4010
13 November 2016
Final Project:
Incorporating Race in Curriculum
Introduction

As college student who discussed race and racism in a class for first the first time as a
twenty-year-old, I felt wholly perplexed. It seemed absurd to me that a topic that affects every
individuals identity and the societal climate of both the United States and the world was brushed
aside in my early education. Upon talking to my classmates, I realized that my experience was
the norm. Even in my own thought processes, I could note the negative effects of this exclusion.
I was able to ignore my white privilege, all while benefitting from the same system that was
oppressing my peers. I believed we lived in a post-racial society and saw no harm in being
colorblind. I began to wonder whether this exclusion of race matters in school curriculum was a
result of my primary school teachers prioritizing different standards, or if it was a result of a
systematic omission of this topic in state standards. Thus, I began my project by researching
whether any California education standards exist that address either race or racism.
After exploring the Common Core standards, I came to the conclusion that there are no
standards in place that directly address these topics. There are some units of study in the social
studies curriculum that allow for an easy integration of racism topics in regard to historical

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events, but the same cannot be said for modern-day concerns of racism. This is problematic in
itself because it can lead students to believing that racism is simply an issue of the past (Martell,
2016b).
When I realized that no specific standards were in effect, I began to wonder how easy it is
for educators to propose changes to a states standards. While I could not find any specific
information about this on the Common Cores website, I discovered an article that chronicles
how individuals in New York initiated a proposal of revisions. Educators and parents created two
committees comprised of more than 130 people. Together, they agreed on edits to New Yorks
Common Core that would result in changing 55% of its math standards and 60% of its English
language arts standards. They presented this to the Department of Education, who then released
it to the public to receive more feedback. It will be submitted to the states Board of Regents at
the beginning of 2017 to be voted upon (Bump, 2016).
Although it was helpful to know that there were some options to pursue, I felt
disheartened by how involved (and potentially slow) the process of progress could be to change
state education standards. Just because a standard does not exist, however, does not mean
educators are incapable of addressing it within the lines of their existing curriculum. That seemed
to be a quicker solution than involving Californias Board of Education and Board of Regents
without taking any other action. I wanted to articulate an immediate game plan for teachers to
pursue while also engaging in this policy change process. This led me to my overall research
question: How can teachers incorporate race and racism into pre-existing standards?
Many of the articles I found look at race in pedagogy through the lens of Critical Race
Theory to address how educators perceive race/racism. I believe this is the starting point to

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considering how educators will discuss these topics with their students. The theory asserts that
race is a significant factor in determining inequity in the United States; U.S. society is based on
property rights, not human rights; and the intersection of race and property provides a tool
through which humans can understand social inequity (Martell, 2016b). Milner and Laughter
(2015) used this perspective to identify five problematic mindsets of teachers that need to be
deconstructed in order to create an equitable classroom. These mindsets include: (1)
acknowledging racial backgrounds equates to racism; (2) teachers should treat all students the
same regardless of race; (3) race is to be in the classroom because it is irrelevant; (4) racism has
ended; and (5) we live in a post-racial society. Such mindsets negate, dishonor, and ignore
students racial identities, and thus need to be altered before teachers can successfully integrate
racial topics into their curriculum (Milner & Laughter, 2015).
It is also necessary to address how teachers view their role regarding racism, given that it
can affect how they implement related curriculum. Teachers often see themselves as either
working against racial prejudice (tolerance-oriented) or working against racial inequity (equityoriented) (Martell, 2016a). Those who take on tolerance-oriented approaches can fall into the
habits of avoiding and diminishing racial conversations, whereas those who take on equityoriented approaches are more likely to address racial issues in a constructive manner. This divide
between educator approaches is evidence of the need for increased attention to teaching about
race in teacher preparation programs, to then prepare teachers to discuss race effectively in their
own future classrooms (Martel, 2016a). One proposed method to change preservice teachers
outlooks is exposing them to historical documentary films. Such films can assist professors of
education with understanding white preservice teachers recognition of their own understandings

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of racism, as well as their difficulty with owning their whiteness. Professors can show these
films and lead a reflective analysis that asks preservice teachers to consider to their own
identities in relationship to oppressive and/or racist individuals from history (Buchanan, 2016).
Changing teacher mindsets and addressing race/racism in classes is a pressing problem
because of students current perceptions. Jessop and Williams (2009) conducted a study that
revealed major themes in their students understanding of race and racism. They found that while
ethnic categories have limited value in illuminating students experiences, race remains pertinent
where racism persists. In addition, their students were reluctant to take action against racism
because they found antiracist strategies to be removed from their everyday lives. They also took
issue with the patchiness of cultural diversity in their curriculum (Jessop & Williams, 2009).
Similar findings resulted from Martells (2016b) study, in which he determined that his white
students thought racism was less prevalent than his students of color. His white students also
thought that racism was more of an individual problem, rather than a systematic problem related
to structural inequity. This is a reality he wanted to change, given that it does not lead to the
deconstruction and consequent elimination of racism (Martell, 2016b).
Before discussing race and racism in classes, Phan et al. (2009) suggest implementing six
engagement guidelines to ensure a safe, respectful environment. The guidelines include: (1)
being thoroughly prepared in order to establish academic legitimacy; (2) creating clear class
rules that require mutual respect and participation; (3) exposing students to their own racial
identities; (4) providing students with the opportunity to explore racially-sensitive topics on their
own; (5) showing students effective antiracist strategies; and (6) promoting openness,
approachability, fairness, and safety through specific strategies. The strategies provided entail

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validating all experiences, modeling appropriate sharing behaviors, being physically interactive,
and empowering students (Phan et. al, 2009). The researchers state that following these
guidelines will set teachers up to effectively teach about racism and oppression. They also
mention the importance of refining race-related curriculum to address challenges regarding
student silence, withdrawal, interracial conflicts, and any concerns about the objectivity of the
teacher (Phan et. al, 2009).
In regard to specific lesson plans that can be implemented in the classroom, I found a
video on YouTube titled The Myth of Race, Debunked in 3 Minutes that discusses the lack of
biology behind separate races. It is student-friendly, brief, and engaging. This could be a helpful
resource to kickstart conversations about race given that it educates students about how their
preconceptions about race are likely not grounded in fact, but rather stereotypes or prejudices.
Following this video, there are many follow-up lessons that teachers can integrate throughout the
year. Tolerance.org is a website run by the Southern Poverty Law Center that offers samples of
equity-related lesson plans. The lessons are broken down into categories, such as race/ethnicity,
the Civil Rights Movement, and immigration.
An overview of a provided math lesson plan for fourth through seventh grade students
focuses on unequal employment in the U.S. It incorporates ideas of race and racism, because
students are asked to examine and interpret unemployment data of Latino, African American, and
white individuals from 2007-2009. It also addresses the essential questions of how data can help
us understand the nature of a problem and why it is important to be accurate in mathematical
evaluations. After the students use basic math skills to analyze the differences in the
unemployment rates between the different races in pairs or small groups, the teacher leads a class

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conversation about these differences. The intent of the discussion is to encourage the students to
reflect upon whether these differences seem equitable, and whether there is any chance they are
scientifically-based. This is just one example of lesson plans provided on the website. It also
contains resources for professional development, film kits, and related publications, making it a
useful resource for educators who want to promote equity while discussing race and racism.
Such lessons and conversations are extremely relevant to education today due to the
aforementioned existing problematic mindsets maintained by both educators and students.

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Annotated Bibliography

Buchanan, L.B. (2016). Elementary preservice teachers navigation of racism and whiteness
through inquiry with historical documentary film. The Journal of Social Studies
Research, 40(3), 137-154.

The author, a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, studies

the education of 17 white undergraduate preservice elementary school teachers in
relationship to racism. Specifically, she is interested in how documentary films
can teach students about race. All participants range from 20-25 years old. Her
class meets every week for three hours for the entirety of the 15-week semester,
but she only conducts her study during weeks 2-5. It focuses on using historical
documentary films to educate preservice teachers about racism and how to discuss
racism in an elementary school setting. She uses short answer responses, audio
recordings of the class conversations, and written reflection/anticipation guides
filled out by her participants to collect data. She discovers that the films can assist
professors with understanding preservice teachers perspective recognition/
empathy and difficulty owning their whiteness. She addresses the implications of
critical race theory in social studies education and the importance of white
individuals learning about white privilege. This is relevant because it
demonstrates that using an integrated approach to teaching historical inquiry can
allow educators to examine controversial topics like racism and whiteness through
film.

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Bump, B. (2016). View proposed changes to New Yorks Common Core standards. Retrieved
from http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/View-proposed-changes-to-New-York-sCommon-Core-9236715.php.

The author reveals New Yorks Department of Educations draft revisions to

their Common Core standards and explicates how the revisions were proposed.
The changes address making curriculum more age-appropriate and regrouping
standards tomato them easier to implement. The author explains that educators
and parents created two committees, totaling in over 130 individuals, to
brainstorm possible changes to the Common Core. They decided upon revisions
that would change 55% of the math standards and 60% of the English language
arts standards. After agreeing upon the standards, they presented them to the
Department of Education, who later released the revisions to the public to receive
further feedback. She notes that this department will submit a final draft of
revisions to New Yorks Board of Regents in the start of 2017 for a vote. This is a
relevant case study because it provides an example of how changes can be made
in a states curriculum through the Common Core, and what departments need to
be involved.

Jessop, T., & Williams, A. (2009). Equivocal tales about identity, racism and the curriculum.
Teaching in Higher Education, 14(1), 95-106.

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The authors are professors at the University of Winchester in the United

Kingdom. They research whether their Higher Education (HE) curriculum is an
effective tool to develop a racially inclusive experience for all students. This is a
small-scale study of the ethnic minority students at a small university in the south
of England, which is an example of purposive sampling. They collect data
through semi-structured interview conversations with eight participants. The
interviews cover the biography, history, ethnicity, culture, religious beliefs,
curriculum, pedagogy, and social/working lives of the participants. They
discover three major themes: (1) ethnic categories have limited value in shedding
light on student experience; (2) ethnicity and race remain pertinent where racism
persists, yet students are reluctant to take action against racism; and (3) students
desire a more consistently diverse, globally relevant, and inclusive curriculum.
This study speaks to the significance of incorporating race and racism in school
curriculum.

Martell, C. C. (2016). Approaches to teaching race in elementary social studies: A case study of
preservice teachers. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 40(3), 1-13.

The author, from Boston Universitys School of Education, researches whether

there is a need for increased education about racism for preservice elementary
school teachers. He feels they must understand both the individual prejudice and
systematic discrimination that occurs in society to inspire more equitable teaching

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practices. All eight participants are preservice elementary school teachers enrolled
in a teacher preparation program at a large urban university in the northeast. He
uses a multiple case design to collect data over a one-year period, consisting of
both the participants social studies methods course and student teaching
practicum. He collects data through 16 interviews, 16 observations, classroom
artifacts, and completed assignments. The researcher finds that there is a division
between participants who see their role as working against racial prejudice
(tolerance-oriented) and working against racial inequity (equity-oriented). The
tolerance-oriented teachers portray racism as a individual stance, rather than a
systematic form of discrimination, which he finds problematic because it
normalizes racism as a part of American culture. This study is evidence of the
increased need for attention on teaching about race in teacher preparation
programs.

Martell, C. C. (2016). Divergent views of race: Examining whiteness in the U.S. history
classroom. Social Studies Research and Practice, 11(1), 93-111.

The author, a high school U.S. history teacher and a professor at Boston
University, uses critical race theory as a lens through which he can examine his
students conceptions about racism. His school is diverse both economically and
ethnically. Using student surveys, interviews, observations, classroom artifacts,
and student work, he finds that his white students believe racism no longer exists

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in the present-day, whereas his students of color believe it is still extremely
prevalent. His white students also believe that only a small number of individuals
exhibit racism, which the students of color disagree with. This research is an
example of the importance of teaching about race/racism in the classroom,
because some students, particularly students who experience racial privilege, are
not even aware that it exists or that they might be perpetrating it unknowingly.
The author also notes the importance of illuminating that racism is a system of
disadvantage, rather than just expressions of individualistic practice.

Milner, H. R., & Laughter, J.C. (2015). But good intentions are not enough: Preparing teachers to
center race and poverty. The Urban Review, 47, 341-363.

The authors are social scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and the
University of Tennessee, respectively. They draw from critical race theory to
determine if educators are aware of the interconnections of race and poverty.
Their ultimate goal is to ensure that students of color in poverty have a better
chance of succeeding in the United States. Milner and Laughter collect their data
through their work with hundreds of preservice and inservice teachers in the U.S.,
United Kingdom, and Canada. They observe their preservice preparation courses,
inservice classrooms, and conduct interviews. The researchers find that teachers
usually feel comfortable discussing teaching practices focused on poverty and
socioeconomic status, but not race. Many of these teachers thus adopt colorblind

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attitudes, therefore negating, dishonoring, and ignoring their students racial
identities. They suggest three policy and practice recommendations to combat this
issue, including a reform of teacher education curriculum to emphasize a
study of race, poverty, and the nexus between race and poverty. This study has
similar results as the previously mentioned studies conducted by Buchanan (2016)
and Martell (2016).

Phan, P., Vugia, H., Wright, P., Woods, D. R., Chu, M., & Jones, T. (2009). Teaching note: A
social work programs experience in teaching about race in the curriculum. Journal of
Social Work Education, 45(2), 325- 333.

These social workers and professors from California State University East Bay
study the effectiveness of a new Master of Social Work (MSW) course that
explores race, gender, and inequality. In order to determine which parts of the
course yield positive results, the researchers conduct four 2-hour student focus
groups, two field-instructor focus groups, and seek expert, external
consultations. They determine that the success of this course is based upon its
two-pronged approach of refining the curriculum and developing unifying
guidelines on how to productively engage students in discussion about these
issues. The curriculum refinement involves addressing the challenges of silence,
withdrawal, interracial conflict, and fear/concern about the professors
objectiveness. The guidelines include fostering academic legitimacy,

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establishing class rules, promoting openness and safety, introducing the concept
of identity reflection, asking students to understand the history of their own
oppression, and exposing students to effective professional antiracist strategies.
These instructor guidelines are applicable to all educators who intend on
discussing race and racism, not just to those in the social work field.