Achieving Equity and Justice in Early Childhood EducationJen Neitzel, Ph.D. and Ebonyse Mead, Ed.D.

www.educationalequityinstitute.com

About Today’s Session1. A lot of content is going to be provided.2. Some of the content may make you feel

uncomfortable or a variety of emotions. 3. Please unmute yourselves or type any

questions that you may have in the chat box. We will answer as we go.

4. Thank you for your patience!

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS• Mother of a 17-year-old son

• Collect African American Barbie dolls

• Love Shrimp & Grits & Sweet Iced Tea

• Favorite TV shows This Is Us, Black-ish & HTGAWM

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

• Mother of three boys (ages 16, 14, and 10)

• Love singing and Broadway musicals

• Diehard UNC fan• College basketball season is my favorite time of the year.

POLL: Who is here today?

Participant ObjectivesAt the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to:

1. Define equity, racism and implicit bias;2. Identify key barriers within early learning settings

that perpetuate inequitable outcomes for Black children; and

3. Develop greater self-awareness about themselves so that they can alter their practices within the classroom to promote equity.

Establishing Our Group Norms

Brave spaces to discuss, exchange, learn and be vulnerable

Speak your truth

Lean into the discomfort and lean into each other for support

Commit to non-closure

Assume positive intent

Seek intentional learning

AssumptionsWe all believe that a student’s color should not fate him or her to negative outcomes.

Discussing equity and race is uncomfortable.

Creating discomfort without providing effective strategies is not productive.

In discussing equity and taking steps, we will make mistakes.

Connect the dots using four straight lines without lifting your pen.

ANSWER

An Emphasis on Healing• A long-term commitment to

racial healing

• Racial equity cannot be achieved without racial healing.

• Each group impacted by racism and white supremacy must heal.

• Individual, family, and community healing is imminent.

Why We Must Heal• Since the inception of the United States,

structural racism and white supremacy have been deeply entrenched in our society.

• Given the insidious nature of racism, we all have been victimized by and internalized racist ideologies.

• Engaging in racial equity work goes beyond educating White people about white privilege and reflecting on implicit racial biases.

• Racial equity work requires an atonement of past harms, reconciling present injustices, and building a socially just future.

Reflecting on Culturally Diverse Children, Families, and Communities

How can I better serve culturally diverse children, families and communities?What do I need to become a culturally competent and responsive practitioner?What does my program need to be more inclusive of diverse children and families?What barriers exist that prevents me or (my program) from being more inclusive and equitable?

Difference between Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity

Diversity: people are

represented

Inclusion: people are

empowered their voices are heard

Equity:results from

policies, practices, and programs

When you hear the word ‘racism,’ what

thoughts and/or feelings does it bring to

mind?

What is race?

Race: a contrived sociopolitical way to categorize people based on skin color, and hair texture, a common ancestry, and cultural and moral attributes (York,2016; Golash- Boza, 2018).

Four Levels of Racism

Internalized

Interpersonal

Institutional

Structural

Internalized Racism • Lies within individuals

• These are our private beliefs and biases about race and racism, influenced by our culture.

• Internalized racism can take many different forms, including racial prejudice toward other people of a different race (Center for Social Justice).

Interpersonal Racism • Occurs between individuals• These are biases that occur

when individuals interact with others and their private racial beliefs affect their public interactions.

• Examples include racial slurs, bigotry, hate crimes and racial violence (Center for Social Justice).

Structural Racism • Racial bias among institutions

and across society

• Involves the cumulative and compounding effects of an array of societal factors that systematically privilege White people and disadvantage people of color (e.g., history, culture, ideology and interactions of institutions and policies) (Center for Social Inclusion)

Institutional Racism• Occurs within institutions

and systems of power• Unfair policies and

discriminatory practices of particular institutions (e.g., schools, workplaces, the criminal justice system, child welfare system) that routinely produce racially inequitable outcomes for people of color and advantages for White people (Center for Social Justice)

Racial inequities

Criminal Justice/Law

Education

Employment

Health Care

Food

Housing

To Understand Equity, We Also Must Understand Privilege

• Privilege: a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people (Merriam-Webster, 2016)

• Racial Equity: Racial identity no longer predicts access to education or success in life because we have worked to identify and eliminate policies and practices that privilege one group, but oppress another (National Equity Project, n. d.)

Let’s talk about White privilege…..• What does this phrase mean to you?

White Privilege: “Advantages that are taken for granted by whites and that cannot be similarly enjoyed by people of color in the same context (e.g., government, community, workplace, schools)” (McIntosh, 2012)

• What are some advantages that go along with having white skin?

• What does white advantage look like with the early childhood educational system?

Equity and Disciplinary Practices

• 5,000 preschoolers were suspended at least once and nearly 2,500 were suspended a second time (2014)

• Black preschoolers: 3.6 times more likely to be suspended than their White peers (2016)Black children: 18 percent of the

preschool population, but 48% of suspensions (2014)

• Boys: 49% of the preschool population, but 82% of all suspensions (2014)

Studies spanning 40 years show that Black children are up to four

times more likely to be suspended than White students.

(Bradshaw et al., 2010; Children’s Defense Fund, 1975; Milner, 2013; Skiba et al., 2011)

Role of Implicit Bias in School Discipline• Stereotypes about Black children still present within

schools

• Conditions where individuals tend to rely on unconscious attitudes:

• Situations with incomplete or ambiguous information• Presence of time constraints• Fatigue is present

• Particularly relevant for teachers who make quick decisions about student behavior

What exactly is implicit bias? • Activated involuntarily (i.e., individual not aware of

biases) • Pervasive and robust • Does not necessarily align with our declared beliefs• Media often reinforce negative stereotypes and

prejudices• Malleable, but can be unlearned and replaced with new

mental associations

Cannot discuss implicit racial bias without understanding its relationship to structural racism

Implicit Bias in Early Childhood• Early education staff tend to

observe Black children more closely, especially when they expect challenging behaviors.

• The nature of the implicit bias seems to differ based on the race of the early educator.

• Same-race empathetic response

Gilliam, Maupin, Reyes, Accavitti, & Shic, 2016

https://news.yale.edu/2016/09/27/implicit-bias-may-explain-high-preschool-expulsion-rates-black-children

Implicit Racial Bias and Black Children

Criminals Threatening and Aggressive

Older than their actual age, less

childlike/less innocentSassy/Loud (girls)

Black Children

Equity and Instructional Practices• Students of color tend to experience

lower quality instructional practices than their White peers (Phillips et al., 1994; Pianta et al., 2002)

• Black children generally experience lower quality activity settings and receive fewer rich, stimulating experiences than White children (Early et al., 2010)

Implicit Bias and Educational Attainment• Influences teachers’ expectations for student achievement

• Increased number of Black children placed in special education

• Fewer Black children placed in gifted education

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Equity and Teacher-Child Relationships

Black children tend to have relationships with their teachers

that are less positive than those formed

with White children(Walker, Alter, & Landers, 2013)

Black children have more negative and

conflictual relationships with

teachers than White children

(e.g., Hughes, Gleason, & Zhang, 2005; Kesner, 2000; Murray &

Murray, 2004)

“Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline”• Preschool-to-prison pipeline was coined to describe the

disproportionate number of young Black children who are suspended or expelled from early learning environments.

• Exclusionary practices: • Result in interrupted education• Increase the likelihood that Black children experience repeated

suspensions and expulsions both in early childhood and beyond• Are related to later academic achievement and school dropout rates• Entrance into the criminal justice system

By kindergarten entry, many children have been labeled and sorted into categories

according to behavior, which has negative effects on children’s self-worth, their perception of school as being safe and

supportive, and is directly related to chronic absenteeism and suspension.

(Center for Social and Emotional Education and Education Commission of the States, 2007)

What messages are we giving kids about their

worth?

Addressing Equity in Education

• We are entrenched in “first generation” equity work©. Isolated or ‘band aid’ interventions Based upon a blame the victim mentality (Black

children and families are at-risk and in need of fixing) Unwillingness to identify and address root causes

First Generation Equity Work©Makes us feel like we are doing something meaningful

Allows us to stay in a place of comfort

Maintains the opportunity and achievement gaps

Does little to address root causes

Second Generation Equity Work• Borrowed from Guralnick (1993): Early intervention was in the midst of a

rapid period of change Marked by a movement away from

superficial analyses regarding the effectiveness of services and supports for young children with disabilities

Researchers and policy makers were being pushed to ask more specific questions and develop a more nuanced understanding about how to meet the needs of young children and their families.

Moving Into Second Generation Equity Work• Will require a unique commitment and determination• Let go of the traditional ‘band aid’ approach to

education and intervention• Push through some discomfort to understand the

structural barriers and root causes as well as our own role in perpetuating disparities

• Keen understanding of how our systems were set up and how they have morphed over time

“Not everything that can be faced can be changed, but

nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

James Baldwin

What is Whiteness?

• Whiteness is viewed as the norm, the standard for universal human values by which all others are viewed and to which they are compared (Roediger, 1991).

• “Authority of experience” vs. “oppression of experience”

• Affluent White whiteness

Whiteness as Property

The phrase captures the reality that being perceived as White carries more than a mere racial classification. It is a social and institutional status and identity with legal, political,

economic, and social rights and privileges that are denied to others (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017).

The phrase Whiteness as Property was coined by Cheryl Harris in 1993. The phrase has been used to capture the social

and economic advantages of Whiteness.

White Supremacy

The inherent belief that white people are superior to all other racialized groups

and should therefore dominant society (Roediger,

1991).

White supremacy is a racist ideology that assigns value,

morality, goodness, and humanity to the white group

while casting people and communities of color as (worth

less) criminal, and inhuman and "undeserving."

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

White Supremacy

• White Supremacy does not refer to individual White people and their individual intentions.

• It is a political, economic, and social order based on the historical and current accumulation of structural power that privileges White people as a group (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017).

False Narratives of White Supremacy• Whiteness places value on certain experiences within

society, including social, educational, financial, etc.

• Whiteness tells us that superior education, wealth, and materialism are the gold standard of success in our society.

• Whiteness dictates dress, hairstyles, attractiveness, tone of voice, behavior, how to show respect, etc.

• Whiteness tells individuals what it means to be a boy/man or girl/woman within society.

False Narratives of White Supremacy within Education• Whiteness dictates how and what children are taught.• Whiteness tells us what achievement looks like (e.g.,early

learning standards, grades, test scores).• Whiteness determines what high-quality education looks

like (i.e., teacher as purveyor of knowledge, child as recipient of knowledge).

• Whiteness does not allow for the acknowledgement of multiple intelligences.

• Whiteness dictates what behaviors are acceptable/not acceptable in school.

The educational system was set up to enable and perpetuate white supremacy.

• Who could learn• Who got funding/resources and how much• Where children learned • Forced(s) Black children to learn in an educational system

that was not set up for them• Myth of meritocracy• Use of curricula, teaching methods, assessments, and

environmental scales designed by White people • Controlling of bodies, emotions, knowledge, access

Cumulative Effects of Racism in Early Childhood• Who is the primary workforce in early childhood education?

• Are early educators provided a living wage?• Is there equal access to high-quality learning environments across SES?

• How do we view children and families who are living in poverty?

• How are helping children and families heal from historical and racial trauma?

Check In• What emotions are you feeling right now?• Does this new way of thinking about education cause you discomfort? Maybe some amount of fear?

• What reactions do you have?

Equity and COVID 19• How has COVID 19 contributed to the ongoing inequities in education?

• What will be the lasting effects of COVID 19 on Black children and families living in poverty?

• What can we do to work towards equity during the pandemic?

Current Equity Work is Grounded in Colorblindness

• Belief that there is no racial hierarchy• Failure to consider the permanence of race’s role

within our nation’s institutions• Reliance on band aid interventions or approaches• Sustains White as the norm and ensures this

cultural frame of reference for all behaviors, interactions, and experiences as well as the establishment of policies and practices

Colorblind Racism• Colorblindness actually

prevents us from thinking critically about race.

• It allows to avoid talking about racial inequity in schools.

• Colorblindness actually leads to more biases.

What does colorblind racism look like?

Examples of what we say: What it means?

“I don’t see race/color.”“I believe that we’re all equal.”

“Race doesn’t matter.”“I don’t want to talk about race.”“I don’t truly see you (e.g., your color, your experiences, your culture).”

How the Educational System Perpetuates White Supremacy• What curricula do we use? Who designed them? Do they represent a

strengths-based approach or a deficit model?• How do we determine academic achievement? What assessments do we use?

What worldview do they represent?• How do we determine high-quality education? What worldview does the

instruction represent?• What ideal of achievement are we promoting? The right college? The right

job? What school readiness skills are important?• How do we educate future teachers? • Is academic achievement the primary goal of education? • Does our educational system promote conformity?• Does our educational system, knowingly or unknowingly, perpetuate

hierarchies within our society (e.g., patriarchy, class, race)?

Envisioning a Transformed Educational System• Focusing on the intellectual and spiritual growth of our children

• Schools as places for healing – children, families, teachers, staff

• Providing meaningful connections between content and real-life experiences

• Altering what we teach and how we teach it• Revising our ideals for academic achievement and life success – “true revolution of values” (MLK, 1968)

What This Means for the Educational System…..

• Revised academic/learning standards and how we measure achievement

• New curricula that are focused on providing culturally responsive anti-bias practices

• Replace false narratives about our history and society• New definitions of high-quality and ways for measuring it

• Provide a holistic education that is focused on mind-body-spirit for children, families, teachers, and staff

• Building community – within schools and within classrooms

• Include and empower a diverse set of voices to guide the transformation

Achieving Equity and Social Justice in Education• Focus on outcomes is important, but we also must:• Examine the root causes of inequities,

including what they look like in everyday practice.

• Eliminate policies, practices, and attitudes that perpetuate disparate outcomes.

• Enact policies and practices that address the root causes of inequity and promote better outcomes.

(National Council of Teachers of English, 2016)

Systems Level Change

Focused on addressing the root causes of social problems

An intentional process that is designed to fundamentally alter the components and structures that perpetuate inequities

Shift the circumstances that are holding a problem in place (e.g., policies, practices)

Alter the power dynamics that maintain the current barriers and structures

Barriers to Systems Change• The status quo of entrenched systems• Power, control, lack of equity within the system

itself• Siloed systems and services• ‘Check the box’ mentality• “White saviorism, ”“White guilt,” “White

complacency,” “Whiteness”

New Way of Thinking about Systems Change“A greater national focus on the criticality of educational equity is needed in order to mobilize the masses and invite everyone to be a part of the solution. Only when every person on the street realizes the role she can play in this movement; can we begin to change the conversations about education.”

Shaheen Mistri

What is Needed Right Now• Deep understanding of the issues and approach needed to achieve lasting change – improving quality is not enough

• Changes in policies (e.g., hiring, discipline, special education, teacher prep, early learning standards, funding)

• Investment in intensive pre- and in-service professional development (e.g., behavior management, trauma, CRAB)

• Commitment to helping children, families, and communities heal from historical, racial, and multigenerational trauma

Equity vs. Justice (2nd Generation Equity Work)

Becoming an Anti-Racist Educator

Become self-aware, understand your own cultural identity how your culture shows up

Get comfortable using language such as

White Supremacy, Whiteness, and White

Supremacy Culture

Understand the meaning of White

Privilege and use your privilege to lead for

racial equity

Call out racism when you see it. Check

yourself

Form racial caucus group, or truth telling

sessions in your community

Continue professional development in anti-

racist and racial equity work

Contact Information

Jen Neitzel, Ph.D.• jen.neitzel@outlook.com

Ebonyse Mead, Ed.D.• emead76@gmail.com

• www.educationalequityinstitute.com