Equity in the American Classroom

It is widely held that America is made of diverse populations. In this regard it is imperative that American schools provide a culturally sensitive education. Without the tenets of a culturally sensitive education, marginalized populations experience low academic achievement, cultural bias, and are often misrepresented and misunderstood in the classroom. This case study attempts to answer the research question, in what ways does a mandated culturally-sensitive curriculum impact the classroom environment; a 7-month long study follows 23 educators as they implement an anti-bias curriculum in their classrooms at a private school in Northern California. The research in this area is predominantly centered on the Lindsey’s Cultural Proficiency Continuum, which follows a school organization’s attempt to move from pre-competence to the proficient level of cultural awareness. As this study was underway, America became immersed in a social movement that was spurred by the ever-increasing accounts of police brutality against people of color. Under this lens, a slew of new voices was amplified and amongst those was educator Bettina Love. Love’s work suggests that the Lindsey’s Cultural Proficiency Continuum is not enough to impact the change needed to uproot 400 years of systemic educational oppression. This case study finds that the anti-bias curriculum had a positive effect on the classroom environment, however, contrasted with Love’s work it is clear that education needs more than the Cultural Proficiency Continuum. Love advocates for an Abolitionist Teaching Movement, which describes an educator’s work that aims to end the oppression of marginalized populations in education today. This research study looks in depth at both the Lindsey’s and Love’s work and concludes that the Abolitionist Teaching Movement is where the research in this field must trend.