According to a survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center, when educators were asked about the extent to which the textbooks they use accurately and fully represent the experiences of people of color, 20% responded with "a lot." This is despite the evidence that curricula often overlook or disregard the historical contributions of people of color, and that certain activities like slavery simulations are still being used in some classrooms.
The survey involved 1,150 teachers, principals, and district leaders who were asked to evaluate the representation of people of color in their textbooks. Out of the respondents, 22% claimed that their textbooks represented people of color "a lot." Nearly half of the respondents, 49%, believed that their textbooks accurately represented people of color to some extent. It was found that educators of color were more likely to answer "none" or "a little" when asked about the accuracy of their schools’ or districts’ textbooks in representing people of color, as compared to their white counterparts.
The survey found that 83% of the participants identified as white, which is consistent with data from the National Center for Education Statistics, indicating that around 80% of teachers and principals in the country are white. Additionally, the most recent data from AASA, the School Superintendents Association, shows that approximately 90% of superintendents are white. Due to the demographics of the participants aligning with the national demographics of educators, the EdWeek Research Center did not receive enough responses from individuals who are not white to provide valid breakdowns by race other than white and educators of color.
These findings come at a time when the nation is grappling with issues concerning how racism influences key institutions, including schools and law enforcement. The results shed light on longstanding problems in K-12 education, where Black, brown, and indigenous individuals are often underrepresented in various subjects, such as history, literature, and STEM. The survey feedback contradicts studies that have criticized instruction for neglecting the perspectives and contributions of people of color. Educators have highlighted the concept of "curriculum violence," which includes lessons that can potentially traumatize students of color, such as those that involve simulating or reenacting slavery. The results also raise questions about the viewpoint within a K-12 system predominantly led by white adults, despite the majority of students being people of color. It is important to consider how well white teachers recognize racial inequalities in the textbooks they use. The wording of the survey question may have also influenced the responses, as respondents might have interpreted "some" to mean that certain subjects have better representation than others, or that textbooks in general only partially fulfill the task of accurately representing the experiences of people of color.
Rena Mateja Walker Burr, an 11th-grade student at Cleveland High School in Seattle, who identifies as Black, expressed surprise at the number of people who claimed they didn’t see any issues with the representation of people of color in their textbooks. Based on her own experiences, she believes that these books do not fully or accurately portray individuals who look like her.
The individual stated that regardless of the materials and resources we utilize, the history curriculum we are presenting is still heavily focused on white perspectives. The individual finds it difficult to comprehend how we can claim that our resources accurately depict the experiences of people of color. According to the way state standards are formulated, her 5th grade students begin learning about American history with the arrival of European colonists, and only briefly touch on the history of indigenous people or enslaved Africans when their stories intersect with those of European Americans. Currently, she is working on revising the 5th grade unit on the Civil War to emphasize the significance of slavery and its impact on the formation of the United States. She plans to use the "teaching hard history" framework developed by Teaching Tolerance for this revision.
The EdWeek Research Center provided data analysis for this article. For more information about the center’s work, please visit their website.
