For my research essay I will be examining discrimination/ racism within the education system and the experiences minorities go through versus white students in America. In the book “ Naming Racism: A Conceptual Look at Internalized Racism in U.S Schools”, written by Lindsay Perez Huber, Robin N. Johnson, and Rita Kohli, the author is evaluating the “conscious and unconscious acceptance of a racial hierarchy where whites are consistently ranked above People of Color”. We can see in our country, especially today, that there is an argument of racial hierarchy within the American school system both private and public. As a nation that claims “justice for all” and is a proud nation of multicultural citizens, the educational system should not consist of racial hierarchies and privileges amongst its students based on race and skin color. A white student is often given more opportunities, acceptance, attention from teachers, and advantages compared to a minority student. Oftentimes we see minority students struggle during schooling and resort to blaming themselves, believing they are not smart enough to complete certain tasks given to them by their teachers. Could this be because of the racial hierarchies within the school systems in the U.S? There are statistics of wide gaps in the educational achievement of white students compared to minority students, specifically black and hispanic.
Five Sources:
Background: This article evaluates the “conscious and unconscious acceptance of a racial hierarchy where whites are consistently ranked above People of Color”. It also takes a look at internalized racism and the effects it has on students in America. It utilizes Critical Race Theory and examines the experiences of white students versus students of Color.
How I intend to use it: I intend on using this article to support my hypothesis on the factor of unequal experiences amongst students based on race and skin color. Also to make a point on how internalized racism affects a students academic experience in the classroom.
Background: this article speaks on Affirmative Action and the most recent effects of Affirmative Action on minorities now. It also talks about the nature of inequality in the education system.
How I intend to use it: I intend to use this article to help my argument when it comes to factual information on affirmative action. I also want to take a little bit of a deep dive on the nature of the inequality in the education system and how that affects the reality of minority students in America.
Background: This article goes into detail about the achievement gap in education between white and black students. It goes over the evidence of disparities, the discipline divide, and goes into the statistics of the graduation rate of white students compared to black students.
How I intend to use it: I want to show the recent statistics of the graduation rate between white and black students. I also want to include the achievement gap and help the audience become aware of the fact that there is an achievement gap to begin with and why school is harder to go through for black students compared to their white counterparts.
Background: This article takes a deep dive into the racial differences in the education system in the U.S. It goes over the famous Brown v. Board of Education case, racial disparities in elementary and secondary schools, shows a table chart of the achievement gaps in those primary schools, and gives many charts on the statistics of different schooling achievements for minority students from elementary through college.
How I intend to use this: I intend on using this article to provide my audience with information on the case of Brown v. Board of Education and its relevance to our reality now. I also want the reader to understand where racial inequalities in the school system starts and its gradual effects on minority students starting in elementary school all the way through high school and even college. I also want to use the charts it provides to show the reader the statistics visually.
Background: Lastly, this article goes over the most recent information on inequality in the education system. It talks about school discipline and also the quality and accessibility of education. How I intend to use this: I intend on using this article to help me captivate the audience on the quality of education that minority students receive in this country and the difference in quality compared to the education white students receive. I also want to emphasize the accessibility of education.
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 