Dive Brief:
- As racial biases in policing have gained a national spotlight due to recent incidents in Ferguson, MO, and elsewhere, so to are racial biases in schools.
- Education Week is the most recent media outlet to investigate the issue, launching a yearlong series called "Beyond Bias: Countering Stereotypes in School" to examine how educators are working to overcome those hurdles.
- The series looks at how schools near Ferguson have tackled the pressing social justice questions around police brutality and race that have rocked the city and surrounding area, with the district's new superintendent and his equity focus highlighted along with reviews of the district's discipline policy and its renewed focus on mental health.
Dive Insight:
It seems to be a big moment for schools grappling with the question of their roles in perpetuating racism and other forms of bias. Integration and racial disparities have gotten a fair bit of attention in mainstream media outlets, including the New York Times, This American Life, and NPR. And President Barack Obama and other federal education leaders have been promoting the administration's My Brother's Keeper initiative and others intended to draw attention to the ways racism is at work in American society and schools.
Education Week's series promises to explore both the dilemmas and the potential solutions school are exploring, which could aid schools just beginning to take on the challenge.