Bias in Curricula
Native American Bias in K-12 Literature
There are many artifacts used in curricula that illustrate a racial bias towards marginalized groups. American Indians are one such group adversely affected by stereotypical and offensive portrayals in educational material and literature. Native Americans are typically not even mentioned in American history textbooks past 6th grade curriculum. When they are referenced, it is often in terms of Pilgrims and Thanksgiving. Other times they are depicted as adversaries to be defeated in the "settling" of the West. As far as most Americans have been taught in the educational system, Native Americans virtually ceased to exist after 1890. In addition, there exists a very pervasive and subtle dehumanizing Native American stereotype that has become ingrained in American popular culture (i.e., sports teams, Halloween costumes, etc.). These misrepresentations -- and the misperceptions that follow - are commonly held by all Americans, and have the power to impact Indian children themselves.
For example, The Indian in the Cupboard is a beloved children's book by British author Lynne Reid Banks. It was first published in 1980 and has received numerous awards, and was made into a film in 1995. However, for Native Americans, this is an incredibly biased work that perpetuates common myths and stereotypes. The miniature toy Indian that comes to life is the first example of bias in this abstract. Native Americans are objectified in this depiction. In addition, he is described as an Iroquois warrior, but is dressed as a movie...
Bias High stake assessments High stake assessments are purposed to improve the achievement of students. They are aimed at holding individuals accountable for their performance in the tests. However, the system is far from achieving its goals. The high stake assessment does not improve learning in fact the system creates disparities in the system. Only a few students benefit from these assessments while the rest do not get any benefit from
Query: How can we overcome sexual harassment in our schools? Sexual harassment needs to be framed as a community issue and not as isolated incidents. A complex issue, sexual harassment becomes embedded in a culture of violence, one that condones normative gender bias and other forms of power abuses. Resolving the problem of sexual harassment in our schools requires honest self-insight, into the values that guide the organization. On a conscious
Children's Lit Montano urges a rigorous critical examination of children's literature for racism, linguicism, sexism, and bias. The importance of critical examination is to empower teachers, students, and parents to recognize the root causes of bias, prejudice, and stereotype. The function is not simply to point out obvious instances of racism, linguicism, sexism, and other biases. Moreover, it is not enough to include literature written from multicultural perspectives in classroom syllabi.
Gender Role Analysis How Gender is Shaped by Education How Gender is Shaped by Public Policy How Gender is Shaped in the Workplace This report discusses the role played by social institutions such as schools, workplaces and policy making institutions in the shaping of gender roles and norms in society. These institutions hold control over desired resources such as information, wealth and social progress. They control the distribution of these resources by making it
local school district has recently implemented a program designed to assist students that are currently in need of training in English as a Second Language (ESL). Many of these ESL students hail from a country and/or culture that features other languages other than English which puts them at a distinct disadvantage in schools that teach primarily using the English language, both verbally and in written form. What the school
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