Your School Survival Guide to Institutional Racism

Art by Ashley Lukashevsky

Michelle Pantoja

February 10, 2019

Since students are no longer physically segregated by race as a result of the groundbreaking 1954 case of Brown vs Board of Education, we are led to believe that racism in schools has been eradicated. However, this is not the case. Unequal opportunities for students of low-income families, lack of representation in textbooks, and inadequate funding for schools located in predominantly communities of color continue to exist and place students of color at a disadvantage. All children in the United States may have a right and obligation to attend school, but they also have a right to a quality and equal education. However, the institutional racism that exists within the education system is silent, yet destructive to our society. Though it may not appear as explicit physical or verbal displays, racism continues to linger in our system of education, and in several forms. Although significant improvement to educational equity has been made since 1954, huge disparities between students continue to persist and they must not go without notice any longer. Without access to equal opportunities and a representative education system, future generations will not be able to succeed and contribute to the growth of our society.

What is Institutional Racism?

Institutional racism is discrimination and prejudice based on race that is perpetrated by and within institutions and systems of power. Examples of these institutions include the government, schools, and the workforce. In the United States, institutional racism has been responsible for barriers to employment or professional advancement based on race, the creation of exclusionary Indian reservations, racial profiling by security and law enforcement workers, and dehumanizing internment camps. Institutional racism is seen in the creation and enforcement of policies and laws or can be seen in the underrepresentation (or complete lack of representation) of certain racial communities. In order to understand how this type of racism exists in the education system, it is essential to start by defining the roots of this epidemic.

How do Students of Color Fall Behind?

The cycle of disadvantage in the education system begins affecting students at levels as early as elementary school and is perpetrated nationwide by institutional racism. The educational achievement gap is defined as statistically significant and persistent differences in academic performance or educational attainment between different groups of students. Institutional racism plays a main role in the cause of these gaps. Due to the lack of extra support like after-school tutoring and assistive aides in class in low-income communities, students can easily fall behind and get left behind. As long as government funding continues to cut funding towards education, specifically targeting these vulnerable communities, achievement gaps will continue to grow. These gaps tend to be between students of color and white students, yet are the widest between Black and white students. Differences in student achievement across the nation are evident in results of standardized tests and rates of progress throughout K-12. According to national statistics from the US Department of Education, students of color have been disproportionately disadvantaged at every educational level, from elementary school to high school. These differences are especially prevalent in STEM areas in which schools with low-funding cannot afford up-to-date technology or lab materials. The chronic and persistent cycle of racial inequity in schools is prevalent across the nation and its existence must be acknowledge in order to begin making significant changes and improvements.

How Does This Gap Happen?

The factors that cause the achievement gap are multilayered and complex, stemming from social and economic systemic differences. Some of the most common ones include:

1. Economic Differences

Though not all academic disadvantages necessarily begin within low-income communities, this is a common gateway to students of color falling behind academically. Within these communities, less federal funding for schools tends to be provided, causing significant disparities in school resources and supplies. Without adequate funding for growing and developing schools, institutions are forced to use outdated material, overpopulate small classrooms, and pay teachers an unlivable wage, leading to a shortage of teachers or the hiring of less-qualified teachers. Schools additionally do not have access to important resources such as new textbooks, extra-curricular activities or honors programs, or technology, a resource that is being used more and more at schools nationwide. Due to the lack of funding, students of color fall behind due to the lack of equivalent learning opportunities as peers in wealthier and more advanced schools.

2. Lack of Culturally Diverse Teaching Practices

Other causes of the achievement gap include insensitivity to different cultures by instructors and curricula. White teachers comprise 82.7% of teachers in all public schools, while student populations do not reflect these percentages. In contrast, only 50% of public school students in the nation are white. Educators, like most people, grow up and live in communities that reflect their background, and may have limited opportunities to interact with people from other racial, ethnic, language, and social-class groups. Despite changes in teacher preparation and professional development in recent decades, many teachers continue to lack the culturally sensitive knowledge or awareness needed to connect with their students. Especially if they are already being paid a very low wage, teachers will not be able to go out of their way to do extra-curricular trainings or activities on cultural awareness in their practices. Cultural misunderstandings may make students feel uncomfortable in their schoolwork or abilities, further compromising their education. Students may not feel comfortable participating in class or sharing their work with teachers, causing them to fall behind.

Additionally, curricula in most schools is mainly Euro-centric and one-sided. In order for students to feel connected to their education, material should be culturally diverse and inclusive. By feeling connected to their educations, students will be more enthusiastic and motivated to do their work and will enjoy learning more, causing them to do better. Inclusive education additionally impacts students of color by giving them the opportunity to see historic figures that look like them and to read about their ancestors. Although they may have their language, culture, and practices rooted in from their homelife, learning about it at an academic institution of power is powerful and symbolic. While society can invalidate different identities and cultures, a representative curriculum will prove to students the power and value of their own identities and inspire them to do well in school.

3. Internalized Beliefs about Ability

Students of color and students from low-income families tend to face an additional form of systemic violence, as they grow up being told by society that they will never succeed and are not valuable. They constantly receive messages about their ability throughout their lives and have experienced being behind academically so long that they have internalized these messages. Students of color, specifically boys, are encouraged to participate in sports as the only pathway of success out of their communities. Other students are not even presented with options of higher education because counselors or other adults assume that they will not succeed at higher institutions based on their socioeconomic status. Students then internalize messages like this and become hopeless, giving up doing well in school. If we are to allow students the equal opportunity to grow, we must eradicate our own discriminatory perceptions that we unload on children.

Have There Been Attempts at Eliminating the Achievement Gap?

There have been numerous contributions in the effort to close this gap, such as specific scholarships for students of color and advocacy for funding low-income school districts. The first of these progressive efforts was the implementation of affirmative action policies in universities. Originally a tool intended to provide equal opportunities for members of minority groups and women in hiring processes for employment in 1964, affirmative action policies became extended to the determination of college admissions in 1978.

However, this policy created to create equality received much backlash. People began arguing that students of color were getting special treatment and taking up space for other (white) qualified students. While affirmative action does have the power to admit more students of color, this does not mean that unqualified students are just being admitted due to their race. Affirmative action also does not mean that universities are running out of space for other applicants. White individuals have a systemic advantage in society and affirmative action simply gives students of color the same opportunity during the admission process that they were not receiving beforehand.

In order to ensure that attempts at closing the achievement gap are successful, we must recognize our own implicit biases and discriminatory actions that prohibit the progress of these actions. While more access to students of color in higher education has grown due to specific actions and policies, racism continues to infiltrate the education system. In a recent 2018 court case, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University, the plaintiff argued that race should not be considerable factor in college admissions. He argued that, instead, applications should be “color-blind.” While the judge ruled against his argument, this example shows that even forty years later, individuals continue to see policies like affirmative action as attacks on the white-dominated higher education field. Events like this are wakeup calls to our nation that implicit biases continue to exist, regardless of how visible it is. As seen in these examples, individuals with exclusionary and discriminatory ideals will fight against the creation of these progressive tools. Though it may be impossible to change everyone’s minds and eliminate ideas of racism and discrimination, we must not lose hope and continue to fight hard for equal and representative education.

What Would Happen Without Inclusive Measures like Affirmative Action Policies?

Although it seems like it would make the playing field level and equal for all, enforcing “color-blind” admission processes is just another form of racism. By willingly ignoring race, we are ignoring the identity and ultimately the existence of people of color in the United States. It is imperative that we do not erase the stories and experiences of students, thus allowing them to openly share their diverse stories. The playing field is not currently level for all students in the education system or the workplace due to overpowering systemic racism and removing racially-based admission policies will only widen the gap significantly.

Necessary steps towards equal opportunities and representation in the education system—like the elimination of biases and adequate funding towards schools—must be implemented to eradicate the educational achievement gap. We have seen students flourish with the addition of culturally diverse curricula and ethnic studies. We know that affirmative action policies increase the number of underrepresented students in higher education. We have seen the difference additional funding to afford after-school programs and newer technology makes in students’ success. We see these differences in the systems that surround us every day and we cannot let it continue. Without action, disparities between students of color and white students will continue to grow exponentially. We will see the continuation and strengthening of a predominantly white male-dominated government, workforce, and academia in the United States. By ignoring the systemic discrimination people of color face in the U.S. every single day, we are doing ourselves a disservice by upholding the white supremacy in a country of such diversity.

What can we do now?

Although change in the education system seems like a hefty task, it is not impossible to achieve. Everyone and anyone can help make a change, regardless of their background or availability. Anyone can be an activist, and you can start with one of the following suggestions:

· Acknowledge the institutional racism that exists in our education systems and refuse to stay silent about its effects on our communities.

· Join organizations or stand in alliance with organizations that are working to develop new curricula and safe, diverse space for our students to grow.

· Be a voice for students that may not have the social platform to voice these concerns or frustrations due to age or lack of resources.

· Spread the word of resources, like scholarships and internship programs, specialized for students of color.

· Be a mentor to a student and support their ideas and dreams.

· Above all, it is imperative that we, as a society, work to eliminate all forms of discrimination in our communities.

We cannot minimize these differences found in our education system and society and must be open to change in order to progress. Institutional racism is an epidemic that has affected us all and it is up to us to eliminate it. By transforming our collective culture, we can pave the road to a more inclusive, representative, and equal society that represents us.

References

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Academics, K-12. Origins and Causes of the Achievement Gap. n.d. <https://www.k12academics.com/achievement-gap-united-states/origins-causes-achievement-gap>.

CEPA, Stanford. Racial and Ethnic Achievement Gaps. n.d. <https://cepa.stanford.edu/educational-opportunity-monitoring-project/achievement-gaps/race/#first>.

Corwin. Common Causes of the Achievement Gaps . n.d. <https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/equity-causes-of-achievement-gaps>.

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Lockheart, P.R. The lawsuit against Harvard that could change affirmative action in college admissions, explained. 2018. <https://www.vox.com/2018/10/18/17984108/harvard-asian-americans-affirmative-action-racial-discrimination>.

McBride, Alex. Landmark Cases-Regents of University of California v. Bakke (1978). n.d. <https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_regents.html>.

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Ramakrishnan, Karthick and Janelle Wong. Survey Roundup: Asian American Attitudes on Affirmative Action. 2018. <http://aapidata.com/blog/asianam-affirmative-action-surveys/>.