Implicit Bias in the Classroom

Doug, or DJ as his friends called him, sat in his fifth grade reading class bored out of his mind.  Everyday in class Ms.Wright went on and on about books and characters that meant nothing to him.  Sure, he read the books and did his homework daily, but it didn't matter.  Ms. Wright never called on him or highlighted his work like she did some of the other kids.  So he just did his best to suffer through until his favorite class, science, started.  Now his science class was amazing!  He was often the group leader and he felt included instead of invisible.  Ms. Wiggins even posted some of his work on the bulletin board, which made DJ feel proud and want to work even harder.

What's the difference in these two classrooms?  It could be a simple, yet impactful concept known as implicit bias.  Implicit bias is the subconscious bias we all have and sometimes show towards others.  In the classroom, this can cause teachers to subconsciously believe that boys of color do not care about their education.  It can even make teachers feel that black boys are somehow dangerous in comparison to their white peers. 

When the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights released school discipline data earlier this year, there was a clear racial disparity that raised the specter of implicit bias in the classroom. For example, a black student is three times more likely to be suspended or expelled than a white student. Furthermore, although black students comprise only 16 percent of all student enrollment, they represent a staggering 31 percent of students “subjected to a school-related arrest.”

So what's a teacher to do?  There is no one right answer and certainly no quick fix to this issue.  It starts with awareness and understanding.  Here's what you should know:

• We all have some degree of implicit bias towards other people
• Racial bias is not the same as racism
• Saying (or believing) "I don't see color" is not a solution and is even offensive to many people of color
• Uncovering implicit bias and guarding against it is a responsible and necessary step
• There are numerous implicit bias tests, including one from the Southern Poverty Law Center,  Implicit Association Test to uncover these hidden biases.

There are students like DJ in classrooms all across America.  DJ and all children deserve the gift of reading.  As teachers, we must be mindful of our biases and not allow them to deprive a child of the magic that happens when he reads a book.  Happy Reading!