Equity initiatives and critical race theory (CRT) have recently emerged as an urgent agenda for K-12 schools. Jung-ah Choi argues that CRT is a useful framework but that teaching CRT principles to young children may have deleterious effects. In particular, it could undermine two bedrock notions: educational equality and meritocracy. It is not children but adults (specifically, educators) who need to focus on how racism has shaped school policies, curricula, instructional methods, and day-to-day interactions.
ChoiJ. (2017). Why I’m not involved: Parental involvement from a parent’s perspective. Phi Delta Kappan, 99 (3), 46–49.
2.
ChoiJ. (2018). Teaching vulnerably: Pedagogical strategies for immigrant professors. In HuiY. (Ed.), Voices of Asian Americans in America’s higher education: Unheard Stories. Information Age Publishing.
3.
FreireP. (2018) Pedagogy of the oppressed (4th ed.). Bloomsbury Academic. (Original work published 1970)
4.
KingL. J. (2022). Racial literacies and social studies: Curriculum, instruction, and learning: Research and practice in social studies series. Teachers College Press.
5.
Ladson-BillingsG. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. John Wiley & Sons.
6.
Ladson-BillingsG. (Ed.). (2003). Critical race theory perspectives on the social studies: The profession, policies, and curriculum. Information Age Publishing.
7.
LynnM.DixsonA.D. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of critical race theory in education. Routledge.
8.
VickeryA.E.RodríguezN.N. (Eds.). (2022). Critical race theory and social studies futures: From the nightmare of racial realism to dreaming out loud. Teachers College Press.