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Ethan Moore
Mrs. Jackie Burr, Instructor
English 1010 Section 2
3 April 2014
Integrating Classrooms: Educating US Students on Race and Ethnicity
In the early years of our nations history, specifically in the 1800s, the ethnic composition
of the country began to shift towards encompassing a more diverse citizenry. However, not all
of the members of the nations population were considered citizens of the United States.
Slavery, prejudices, and racial oppression were rampant throughout the country. It was not until
the latter half of the twentieth century that these injustices were somewhat remedied. Racism as
an institution has evolved over the years to conform to the society in which it presents itself, and
even though the problem seems to have been resolved decades ago, it still exists in everyday life.
From stereotyping other races to subtly incorporating a sense of racial supremacy in social
studies curricula, the problem is far from disappearing from the nations education system
(Brown 251-252).
As most people are aware, racism is an issue that is present in todays society. However,
racial injustice is not a recent problem, as it has manifested itself over the course of many
centuries. Because of this, the dilemma faced today is not racism itself, but rather how we can
change the perceptions of our nation to create a more fully integrated society. Keffrelyn D.
Brown references this by saying that [the] gap in critical sociocultural knowledge about race
helps limit the opportunities K-12 students have to learn about the systematic nature of racism
(249). Just as Brown stated, society as a whole lacks the knowledge to combat racism itself,
especially in the setting of the classroom. This racism that occurs in the classroom for whatever
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reason must be stopped, as it is preventing students from receiving the complete education and
acceptance that they desire when attending school. One of the only ways to combat the problem
of racial injustice in the classroom is through educating students more fully on the topic of
ethnicity and race and informing them of the racism occurring in modern society.
Many types of racism occur in the classroom that, unfortunately, many members of
society living in predominantly white areas do not even recognize. These types of racism can be
collectively referred to as aversive racism. Rodenborg and Boisen address the issue of
aversive racism by categorizing those people who take part in it. These are people who think
they do not hold any bias towards minorities, but in reality, they discriminate against people of
other races without realizing it (566). This aversive racism does not only occur between students
in an educational setting, however. Sarah Pearce of Goldsmiths College in London conducted a
study in which student teachers discussed with her the racism they found in the classrooms they
had been assigned to work in. In most of the situations that are presented, it was the teachers
who were inadvertently discriminating by enforcing practices that were predominantly white or
Christian (455-72). If society ever plans on diminishing the dominance of the institution of
racism, the elder members of society must be the ones to teach values of acceptance and respect
to the youth. The youth of this generation will eventually become the elders of the next, so these
values must be instilled in them today by the adults in their lives. Pearce says it best when she
states that this debate about race and difference could lead to greater self awareness among
existing teachers and ultimately to changes in policy and practice (470).
One of the major problems with the teaching style of many educators today is that they
tend to teach with a bias, preferring one point of view over another. The problem with this is
that it does not offer students the opportunity to formulate their own opinions on certain subject
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matter. Carlos Hoyt Jr. says that [e]ducation should not be indoctrination into a particular
school of thought (232). He later asserts that [w]e do our students a disservice by
indoctrinating them into a belief system (233). Teachers who are certified to instruct in the
classroom setting often do not realize that they are accomplishing such a task by the style of their
teaching. However, when looked at closely, these teachers subtly are imposing their wills and
beliefs on their students. What needs to take place in these classroom settings is a more unbiased
approach on the teachers part. Along with providing a more unbiased opinion on the topics
discussed, such as historical racism, Brown discusses the importance of being open about the
subject of race in the classroom:
Although K-12 school settings represent an important space for students to
acquire critical sociocultural knowledge about race and racism, this process often
does not occur because teachers commonly steer clear of teaching about racism,
even in subject areas like social studies where the topic is relevant and
appropriate. (250)
Not all teachers participate in these practices of subtle injustice and discrimination. Some
have even incorporated race and ethnicity into their teaching quite significantly. There are many
teachers who have implemented systems of equality in their classrooms, and this number
continues to slowly grow. One such teacher is Mala German, who conducted a study by
incorporating an intervention entitled Tree of Life into an elementary classroom setting in
England. The purpose of the study was to have students become more interactive with people
around them of different races and cultures while feeling more comfortable with their own
heritage (78). German did not simply stop at increasing cross-cultural interaction and discussion,
however. At the beginning of the study, she also asked the students about topics such as what
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culture is. As the Tree of Life experiment progressed, the students gained a greater
understanding of what culture is as demonstrated by the data collected. Twenty-eight students
reported learning more about their own background and culture, twenty-three claimed that they
learned about others background, and though it may not be as large of a number, ten reported
that there was less racism (see fig. 1). The last of these three topics, having less racism in our
society, is the ultimate goal. Though only ten students reported that there was less racism in the
class, this improvement is significantly better than not having any change at all. By teaching
these students about the race and culture of other students, racism in the classroom decreased,
invoking the idea that students elsewhere need to be subjected to learning more about other
cultures. By doing so, a change may in fact be experienced pertaining to the amount of racism
felt in todays education system.
There are many incidences where college campuses have been large contributors to the
racism felt by the minority population. Karin L. Griffin is one person who experienced racism
throughout all of her primary and secondary schooling, even from her own ethnic group, all the
way through earning a degree and pursuing a career as an academic librarian. Near the







Fig. 1. Data pertaining to the Tree of Life project, collected by German in 2013.
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beginning of the account of her younger years, she feels rejected by her peers because she
attended a white-dominant school. As she continues throughout her life, she eventually decides
to attend university and is accepted to the institution of her choice. Many of her peers at the
time, however, believed that she was accepted into the university simply because of the
American policy of affirmative action, even though she was accepted into the program based on
her own laurels (79-80). This is an example of the social assumptions society makes today based
off of a persons race. Even though the policy of affirmative action has become null and void
over the years, people of todays society continue to believe that it plays a role in situations such
as these. Griffin proves these people wrong however, when she discusses the U.S. Supreme
Court case entitled Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. It amended the state
constitution of California to include a new section: consideration of race as a factor in
admissions to state post-secondary institutions is prohibited (80). This example further
demonstrates the need for society to educate children more fully on the topic of race with an
unbiased, factually correct point of view to prevent racially-based assumptions such as these.
In the classroom, racism can be seen through the teaching style of the educator, the
interactions between students, and even through the curriculum itself. These issues can be
combatted through the implementation of a more involved study of race and ethnicity throughout
the nations education system. Also, students must be more open to interactions with their peers
in order to create a more integrated society. Though there are many steps that can be taken to
limit the amount of racism occurring in the school setting such as these, there will never be a
complete solution. The only option that we have is to keep pressing forward, instilling the idea
of a multi-cultural society into the minds of the youth, hoping that someday, they will take what
was given to them in order to create a better future for people of any ethnic background.
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America has always been a land devoted to the acceptance and freedom of all men, yet there is
still plenty to do in order to ensure that this will remain a possibility in the future. Ultimately,
there is no such thing as a perfect society, but there is still good to be found in pursuing it.
Racism is a problem that will forever present itself to the public-eye, but we can ensure that the
severity of such an institution will be diminished for the welfare of future generations.














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Works Cited
Brown, Keffrelyn D. Breaking The Cycle Of Sisyphus: Social Education And The Acquisition
Of Critical Sociocultural Knowledge About Race And Racism In The United States.
Social Studies 102.6 (2011): 249-255. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
German, Mala. Developing Our Cultural Strengths: Using The 'Tree Of Life' Strength-Based,
Narrative Therapy Intervention In Schools, To Enhance Self-Esteem, Cultural
Understanding And To Challenge Racism. Educational & Child Psychology 30.4
(2013): 75-99. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
German, Mala. Table 2a: What pupils liked and learned from the Tree of Life project. Chart.
Educational & Child Psychology 30.4 (2013): 83. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1
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Griffin, Karin L. Pursuing Tenure And Promotion In The Academy: A Librarian's Cautionary
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Hoyt Jr., Carlos. The Pedagogy Of The Meaning Of Racism: Reconciling A Discordant
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2014.
Pearce, Sarah. Confronting Dominant Whiteness In The Primary Classroom: Progressive
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455-472. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Rodenborg, Nancy A., and Laura A. Boisen. Aversive Racism And Intergroup Contact
Theories: Cultural Competence In A Segregated World. Journal Of Social Work
Education 49.4 (2013): 564-579. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.