Racial bias in preschool teachers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious how this plays out in your schools?

I saw bias play out at my child's summer camp. I knew many of the children from my kids school- black and white - all typical kids and typically behaved good children. At camp it seemed only the kids of color - who were age 4 and 5 - were being threatened to be kicked out of camp for stuff that seemed pretty typical behavior for kids.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/09/27/yale-study-suggests-racial-bias-among-preschool-teachers/

Only pre school? -- get used to it, grows with the grades. People just get better at dressing their bias as something else.

Such as behaving appropriately, studying, and aiming to get good grades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read about the study on NPR this morning.

The participants didn't know the kids in the study. I wonder if the implicit bias is still a problem after the teachers get to know the student.

I guess I'm naively hoping that after the teachers see that the kids are well behaved the implicit bias become less of an issue.

You are incredibly naive.

Bias against AA boys, and low expectations for AA and Latino kids in general are enormous problems in education.

[Anonymous]

My daughter plays with with a boy (we are white, he is black) from our neighborhood. He does not go to her school. One day when they were playing at our house they were playing school and he was the teacher and he sent a bunch of the kids to the principal. I asked him what happened, he says he gets sent to the principal a lot because he can't sit still.

He's in 1st grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fact is that, if a misbehaving classmate--of any race--hits, bites, bullies, etc., a kid of any race, the parents of the victim will want, nay, demand, that appropriate action be taken against the perpetrator. Equal punishment foe equal misdeeds, of course. But the buck always stops when it's personal. The rest is just blather.

It's the schools job to make sure they are treating all students the same. Information about the student who was misbehaving cannot legally be provided to the parents of the victim, no matter how vocal and angry the parents of the victim are.

I trust my child's school to do the right thing, and to make sure that my child is taken care of. I also trust that if my child misbehaves there will be an appropriate consequence, and that another student will receive an appropriate consequence if they pick on my child. But its not my call what the consequence is - its the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read about the study on NPR this morning.

The participants didn't know the kids in the study. I wonder if the implicit bias is still a problem after the teachers get to know the student.

I guess I'm naively hoping that after the teachers see that the kids are well behaved the implicit bias become less of an issue.

You are incredibly naive.

Bias against AA boys, and low expectations for AA and Latino kids in general are enormous problems in education.

It isn't the school's job to set exspectations. That is why parents who care work so hard to get their kids in environments that foster drive and good peer pressure. So many minority families sit back and wait for the solutions to come to them and point fingers for others to fix stuff that is unfixable. At some point one must realize that if you go to Roosevelt you have a high chance of failing and if that isn't what you want maybe you should hustle to get out of there. Or sit back and wait for other people to fix your problems and see how that goes, your choice. I am sorry but the life trajectory of some kid born poor with uneducated parents will never be the same as a kid born to wealthy and educated parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read about the study on NPR this morning.

The participants didn't know the kids in the study. I wonder if the implicit bias is still a problem after the teachers get to know the student.

I guess I'm naively hoping that after the teachers see that the kids are well behaved the implicit bias become less of an issue.

You are incredibly naive.

Bias against AA boys, and low expectations for AA and Latino kids in general are enormous problems in education.

It isn't the school's job to set exspectations. That is why parents who care work so hard to get their kids in environments that foster drive and good peer pressure. So many minority families sit back and wait for the solutions to come to them and point fingers for others to fix stuff that is unfixable. At some point one must realize that if you go to Roosevelt you have a high chance of failing and if that isn't what you want maybe you should hustle to get out of there. Or sit back and wait for other people to fix your problems and see how that goes, your choice. I am sorry but the life trajectory of some kid born poor with uneducated parents will never be the same as a kid born to wealthy and educated parents.

Are you 12 years old? It is the schools job to set expectations. The teachers have jobs to do without prejudice. Get off the internet pick up a book you sound like Donald Trump. Minority families =poor really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact is that, if a misbehaving classmate--of any race--hits, bites, bullies, etc., a kid of any race, the parents of the victim will want, nay, demand, that appropriate action be taken against the perpetrator. Equal punishment foe equal misdeeds, of course. But the buck always stops when it's personal. The rest is just blather.

It's the schools job to make sure they are treating all students the same. Information about the student who was misbehaving cannot legally be provided to the parents of the victim, no matter how vocal and angry the parents of the victim are.

I trust my child's school to do the right thing, and to make sure that my child is taken care of. I also trust that if my child misbehaves there will be an appropriate consequence, and that another student will receive an appropriate consequence if they pick on my child. But its not my call what the consequence is - its the schools.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in the AA community need to start encouraging reverse bias. Look to hire well-qualified AA candidates -- recruit them, interview them, hire them. Then, after they are hired, look out for them, mentor them, and promote them. Ivy league alums do that openly and proudly. The AA community needs to do that openly and proudly.

DC has a large AA community and as such, there should be lots of AA preschool teachers. If there is not an not AA preschool teacher in every school in DC, then the AA community needs to start encouraging AA teachers to be applying for those spots, taking them, and nurturing our future generation.

If it is the AA preschool teachers are the ones discriminating against AA preschoolers, that is a problem for the AA community to resolve. Every member of the AA community should be looking out for every child (black or white, but especially AA). If you see an AA parent who hurts a AA child, it is your job to speak up as a fellow member of the AA community. You make sure that child is loved, fed, cared for. You offer to pick up that child from school and talk to his/her teachers. You don't just sit there and watch a parent be mean to any child.

As the member of a minority group who has a long history of discrimination and mistreatment, I have watched us look out for each other. The AA community needs to do the same. Obviously there is no excuse for discrimination ever but if you know it is happening, at the very least, move your child to a school environment where they can be safe and loved.

But yet you bitch about this when white people do this very thing and label it privilege. I would say what you suggest would be a problem but honestly even if it happens it won't possibly be in numbers enough to move the needle.

I am the PP who you quote and am white. There is 100% white privilege and most whites would agree with me. Why can't there be black privilege? It just takes a commitment from the AA community to make it happen. I am a member of the Jewish community and have been outraged at the hatred from others because I need to take off early on Friday nights to celebrate my "Sunday". Yeah, I'd like to end it but meanwhile, I am going to look for a Jewish employer who won't discriminate against me. Every person in today's day and age has been discriminated against, even white males, but AA men have had more than there fair share and it's overdue for the larger AA community (including white parents, etc) to get together and at the very least protect these innocent preschoolers -- it's breaking my heart and bringing me to tears at what is happening to our future generation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in the AA community need to start encouraging reverse bias. Look to hire well-qualified AA candidates -- recruit them, interview them, hire them. Then, after they are hired, look out for them, mentor them, and promote them. Ivy league alums do that openly and proudly. The AA community needs to do that openly and proudly.

DC has a large AA community and as such, there should be lots of AA preschool teachers. If there is not an not AA preschool teacher in every school in DC, then the AA community needs to start encouraging AA teachers to be applying for those spots, taking them, and nurturing our future generation.

If it is the AA preschool teachers are the ones discriminating against AA preschoolers, that is a problem for the AA community to resolve. Every member of the AA community should be looking out for every child (black or white, but especially AA). If you see an AA parent who hurts a AA child, it is your job to speak up as a fellow member of the AA community. You make sure that child is loved, fed, cared for. You offer to pick up that child from school and talk to his/her teachers. You don't just sit there and watch a parent be mean to any child.

As the member of a minority group who has a long history of discrimination and mistreatment, I have watched us look out for each other. The AA community needs to do the same. Obviously there is no excuse for discrimination ever but if you know it is happening, at the very least, move your child to a school environment where they can be safe and loved.

+1

I totally agree that the black community needs to ensure adequate faculty representation in our schools. My DC is truly a sweet, well behaved child. DC attended a predominantly AA school last year and was truly loved and looked after by the faculty. We lotteried into a HRC this year (so, of course took the spot) and are doubting our decision. We don't see that same kind of concern for our child at this school, which has minimal AA faculty, and can't help but wonder if racial bias is at play, and if the love for school, teachers and learning DC had last year will dwindle away in this new environment.

Please share your school if possible to do so without giving your identity. Also, I recommend Sela where there is a high AA community but also a very dedicated and high SES parents -- the few Jewish (mostly white) families commute from very far to make this school succeed and are (as a very traditional value) dedicated to education and academic rigor in the school, beyond the bi-lingual aspect.