Color in the Classroom: How American Schools Taught Race, 1900-1954
- ISBN-10
- 0199876967
- ISBN-13
- 9780199876969
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 264
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2011-10-05
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Author
- Zoe Burkholder
Description
Between the turn of the twentieth century and the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, the way that American schools taught about "race" changed dramatically. This transformation was engineered by the nation's most prominent anthropologists, including Franz Boas, Ruth Benedict, and Margaret Mead, during World War II. Inspired by scientific racism in Nazi Germany, these activist scholars decided that the best way to fight racial prejudice was to teach what they saw as the truth about race in the institution that had the power to do the most good-American schools. Anthropologists created lesson plans, lectures, courses, and pamphlets designed to revise what they called "the 'race' concept" in American education. They believed that if teachers presented race in scientific and egalitarian terms, conveying human diversity as learned habits of culture rather than innate characteristics, American citizens would become less racist. Although nearly forgotten today, this educational reform movement represents an important component of early civil rights activism that emerged alongside the domestic and global tensions of wartime. Drawing on hundreds of first-hand accounts written by teachers nationwide, Zoë Burkholder traces the influence of this anthropological activism on the way that teachers understood, spoke, and taught about race. She explains how and why teachers readily understood certain theoretical concepts, such as the division of race into three main categories, while they struggled to make sense of more complex models of cultural diversity and structural inequality. As they translated theories into practice, teachers crafted an educational discourse on race that differed significantly from the definition of race produced by scientists at mid-century. Schoolteachers and their approach to race were put into the spotlight with the Brown v. Board of Education case, but the belief that racially integrated schools would eradicate racism in the next generation and eliminate the need for discussion of racial inequality long predated this. Discussions of race in the classroom were silenced during the early Cold War until a new generation of antiracist, "multicultural" educators emerged in the 1970s.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2011-10-05
- 264 pages
- Ebook
- Oxford University Press
-
- 2014-09-12
- 252 pages
- Paperback
- Oxford University Press, USA
-
- 2011-10-05
- 252 pages
- Paperback
- OUP USA
Similar books
-
Teaching Reading with Words in Color
By Caleb GattegnoIn this reprinted edition of Caleb Gattegno's 1967 book Teaching Reading with Words in Color, teachers are guided through the science and practicalities of using this revolutionary literacy approach.
-
The Colors of Excellence: Hiring and Keeping Teachers of Color in Independent Schools
By Pearl Rock Kane, Alfonso J. OrsiniThis book features the findings of a 5-year study on independent schools alongside personal stories by teachers and students of color.
-
The Color of Teaching
By June GordonLooks at the key reasons why students of color are not entering teaching. Containing interviews with over 200 persons of color, this book will enable us to understand the cultural, political and historical forces discouraging teachers.
-
Color Your Classroom - Accents
By ScholasticBright, colorful accents have countless uses around the classroom. Use as name tags, math manipulatives, labels for student folders and files, props for learning centers, and much more! Includes 36 pieces (6 each of 6 colors).
-
Color in the School-Room: A Manual for Teachers (Classic Reprint)
By Milton BradleyAbout the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work.
-
The Innocent Classroom: Dismantling Racial Bias to Support Students of Color
By Alexs PateStrategies that work within the classroom will not necessarily work outside it. In addition, the Innocent Classroom is built one student at a time, and what works for one child will not necessarily work for another.
-
The Brilliant History of Color in Art
By Victoria FinlayHer rich narrative is illustrated in full color throughout with 166 major works of art—most from the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum. Readers of this book will revel in a treasure trove of fun-filled facts and anecdotes.
-
Color, Race, and English Language Teaching: Shades of Meaning
By Andy Curtis, Mary RomneyThe unique contribution of this book is to bring together Critical Race Theory and narrative inquiry and apply them specifically to a largely overlooked area of experience within the field of TESOL: What does it mean to be a TESOL ...
-
Start Smart!: Building Brain Power in the Early Years
By Pamela Byrne Schiller, Pam SchillerChild psychology, learning ability, mental discipline.
-
I Like Colors
By Rozanne Lanczak WilliamsAn emergent-level book that helps students recognize sight words.