The consciousness gap in education - an equity imperative | Dorinda Carter Andrews | TEDxLansingED

Summary

The speaker addresses the societal normalization of white supremacy and the lack of critical discussion on power, privilege, and oppression, which contribute to racial and socio-economic disparities in education. They share a personal story of being underestimated in school due to racial bias and emphasize the need for educators to engage in critical self-reflection to understand their own biases and the systemic issues at play. The speaker advocates for a shift from one-time diversity workshops to ongoing, embedded professional development that challenges educators to be more critically conscious and work towards equity in education.

Takeaways

• 🤔 The speaker humorously suggests that racial and socio-economic issues are often overlooked in everyday conversations, highlighting a societal tendency to avoid discussing these topics.
• 🏫 Schools are not adequately preparing students to respect cultural differences, which contributes to the perpetuation of racial and socio-economic inequities.
• 🌐 Racism and other forms of oppression are significant barriers to academic achievement for students of color and low-income students.
• 🔍 The inability to address issues of power is a major obstacle in bridging the racial and cultural divide in education.
• 🎓 The speaker's personal story illustrates how teachers' lack of understanding and low expectations can negatively impact students, especially those who are mislabeled as needing remediation.
• 👩‍🏫 Teacher education and professional development often fail to prepare educators to address issues of race, culture, and power effectively.
• 🤝 Educators need to engage in critical self-reflection to become more aware of their biases and how these can impact their teaching practices.
• 🌟 The concept of meritocracy is debunked, emphasizing that hard work alone is not enough to overcome systemic barriers faced by students of color and those in poverty.
• 🌈 Educators must recognize that they cannot be colorblind and must actively work to address the cultural mismatch in the classroom.
• 🌟 The speaker calls for a critical love that involves knowing one another better to work towards equity and respect across cultural differences.

Q & A

What are the topics that society often avoids discussing at the dinner table according to the speaker?

The speaker suggests that society often avoids discussing topics like white supremacy, whiteness as a cultural norm, power, privilege, and oppression at the dinner table.

How does the speaker describe the current state of education in terms of addressing racial and socio-economic inequities?

The speaker describes the current state of education as inadequate in addressing racial and socio-economic inequities, stating that schools do not prepare adults and young people to respect each other across cultural differences and that racism and other forms of oppression are still major impediments to academic performance.

What personal story does the speaker share to illustrate the impact of teacher bias on student potential?

The speaker shares a story from their childhood where a teacher mislabeled them as needing academic remediation instead of the academic challenge they actually needed, leading to the speaker being sent to the principal's office and almost being tested for special education. However, it was discovered that the speaker was actually gifted and skipped a grade.

What does the speaker suggest is a reason for the lack of preparedness among teachers to address issues of race and culture in education?

The speaker suggests that teacher education programs and professional development have not prepared teachers for these experiences, and that there is a low level of critical awareness about issues of race, culture, and power in teaching and learning.

What three questions does the speaker ask educators to consider in their work?

The speaker asks educators to consider: 1) How their own social location shapes their mindset and practices in teaching; 2) What they need to know about culture, power, and difference that they currently don't know; and 3) How they can be more critically conscious leaders and instructors.

What is the first big idea the speaker introduces to help educators understand issues of race and power?

The first big idea is understanding that there is a system and culture of power that oppresses and suppresses other cultures to maintain itself, rooted in racial and social class hierarchy.

Why is it important for educators to not be color blind or color mute according to the speaker?

It is important for educators to not be color blind or color mute because the teaching force is predominantly white and there is an inherent cultural mismatch with a diverse student population. Educators need to recognize and address this to achieve equitable outcomes.

What does the speaker say about the concept of meritocracy in education?

The speaker argues that meritocracy is a myth, as the idea that hard work and effort alone can lead to success does not account for systemic barriers such as racism and classism that disproportionately affect students of color and those living in poverty.

How does the speaker relate the idea of 'critical love' to the work of educators?

The speaker relates 'critical love' to the work of educators by suggesting that it involves knowing one another better, which leads to learning how to work and respect each other across cultural differences. This type of love is necessary for the transformative work educators need to do.

What action does the speaker challenge the audience to take after the presentation?

The speaker challenges the audience to have conversations about racial inequity in education, discuss the system of white supremacy and whiteness as a cultural norm, and take concrete actions to change issues of power, privilege, and oppression in education and society.

What does the speaker mean when they say 'a system cannot fail those it was never designed to protect'?

The speaker means that the educational system was not designed to serve all students equally, particularly students of color and those living in poverty, and therefore it is not a failure of the system that these students are disadvantaged; it is a reflection of its inherent design.