The Need for Researching the Effects of the Colorblind Perspective
And it’s Impact on the Curriculum in Our Nation’s Schools
Matthew Williams
EDU 514
Summer 2008
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Table of Content
I. Introduction
Problem Statement & Purpose
Rationale
Project Objective
Definition of Terms
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II. Review of Literature
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III. Research Methodology
Research Design
Research Procedure
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IV. Results & Conclusion
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V. Supplementary Suggestions
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References
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I. Introduction
A. Problem Statement & Purpose
Even though it has been fifty-four years since the landmark Supreme Court
decision in Brown v. Board of Education that end segregation in the United States public
schools, the American dream of educational equality is still far from realization. Every
day teachers across our nation are faced with the challenge of bring this dream to fruition
in an every growing diversified student population. Because of this, many communities
that were traditionally monocultural or monoracial are now experiencing a significant
population shift in the number of students of color which is increasing the diversity and
tension between racial and ethnic groups in their public schools. These demographic
changes have caused many school districts around the country to incorporate a colorblind
ideology that is supposed to end racial discrimination by treating individuals based on
their individual actions and character, not by the color of their skin. The problem with
using the colorblind ideology as the cornerstone for a school’s educational framework is
that it will ultimately lead to the development of laissez-faire racism that refuses to
acknowledge the lack of personal understanding about how race and the color of your
skin shapes individual life experiences by excluding the disadvantages that Blacks and
other people of color face in our society.
The purpose of this project is to research and highlight the negative impact that
the colorblind perspective can have on the quality of education that Black and ethnic
minority students receive in our nation’s schools and recommend a number of effective
teaching strategies that encourage the inclusion of multicultural perspectives that will
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enhance the learning experiences of all students regardless of their race, ethnicity, or
gender.
B. Rationale
Why is there a need to research and recommend alternative schooling policies and
practices that will achieve racial equality in our public schools then the ones purposed by
the colorblindness perspective? This need exist because by not challenging this
perspective we are doing a great injustice to our children that will not only reverse the
accomplishments that we have gain over the last fifty years in trying to establish a
educational system that acknowledges and includes the diversity of all the people in our
country, but one that will take us back to segregated schools were Whites can appear to
embrace equality for all, while maintaining a belief in the inferiority of Black individuals.
The colorblindness perspective claims to embrace the American ideal of individualism by
transferring group based explanations of disparities between Blacks and Whites to
individual based rationales that fail to acknowledge and address Black students particular
backgrounds and needs to stimulate academic success and true equality.
C. Project Objectives
a. The objectives of this project are:
1. Research and recommend effective ways of countering the superficial
racial inequalities of the colorblindness perspective in our nation’s
schools.
2. To offer supplementary suggestions.
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D. Definition of Terms
1. Colorblind Perspective – is the belief stated or implied through actions, that the
ultimate goal in ending racial discrimination is best served by treating individuals qua
individuals—that is, on the content of character, not on the color of their skin.
2. Laissez-fair Racism – is racism that disadvantages Blacks by refusing to acknowledge
the group’s disadvantages.
3. Culturally relevant teaching – provides a means for students to maintain their cultural
integrity while succeeding academically. Teachers are to help students to recognize,
understand and analyze social inequities.
4. Culturally responsive teaching – takes into consideration the students’ experiences,
culture characteristics and perspectives as a medium for providing effective teaching.
5. Desegregation - is the process of ending racial segregation. Most commonly used in
reference to the desegregation of the public school system in the United States after the
Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
6. Multicultural education – is fundamental perspective that cuts across all subject areas,
as well as addresses the history and experiences of people who have been left out of the
school’s curricula. Its goal is to help all to deal with all the cultural and racial differences
that we come across in our society.
II. Review of Literature
The issue of race has historically been a social expression of power and privilege
in the United States since its inception two hundred and thirty-two years ago. While there
have been many attempts throughout our history to correct past indiscretion committed
against people of color the protean nature of racial derogation has run parallel to the
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restless flux of our nation’s history. Indeed, race has served as a basis on which legal
rights are measured, status determined, opportunities allocated, and the freedom one is
accorded, but it was not until the passing of the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of
Education in 1954 that the separate-but-equal doctrine that had held sway in American
for over a half century; a period in which the color of your skin determined virtually
every public benefit one could enjoy including what school you attended or what public
restroom you were allowed to use was finally laid to rest. It was this court decision that
set desegregation of our public schools in motion and made admission into public schools
on a (racially) nondiscriminatory basis a federal law (Reynolds, 1983 p. 6). In the fiftyfour years since the passing of this historic landmark court decision, the American dream
of educational equity is still far from reality. “There are still many school systems
throughout our country that do not provide equal educational experiences for all their
students, or allow students of color access to the most beneficial academic programs and
cocurricular experiences” (Lipman 2002, p.383). With the on set of globalization over the
last thirty years, communities across the nation have begun to experience an influx of
immigrants from diverse populations that have triggered the development of a climate of
fear and animosity between White and Black community members. To overcome these
fears and animosity many communities have turned to their educational systems to
develop and institute academic policies and programs that are based on the colorblind
perspective in “which racial or ethnic group membership is irrelevant to the way
individuals are treated” (Rist, 1974, Found in Banks, 2007, p.271). Support for the use of
colorblind policies and programs is solely based in the belief that race no longer
constitutes a significant barrier to social equality in America, and that the only way for
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the school systems to be truly fair for all participants, is by to completely ignoring the
culture and individualism of diverse groups in our population by treating them solely as
individuals. The end result of this type of policy on the schools curriculum is not the
eradication of racism from our society, but the redrawing of the color-line under the guise
of fairness and racial equality (Freeman, 2005, p. 191).
Opponents to the use of the colorblind perspective in our nation’s schools like
Eric Freeman argue that “in rendering invisible the salience of race, the goal of
colorblindness polices is to make advantage appear as a logical consequence of the
natural order of things. The non-recognition of race as a form of political power tacitly
enables the colorblind ideal to steer education policy toward the reinforcement of the
dominant culture as the norm and the maintenance of hegemonic social arrangements”
(Freeman, 2005, p.190). For while there have been only a few case studies conducted
over the last decade on the impact of colorblindness polices in school, the case study
conducted at Wexler Middle School by Janet Schofield (1989) overwhelming found that
“colorblindness stunted the growth of intergroup relations, handicapping students’ ability
to form relationships with students in other racial groups. Furthermore, she found that the
educators at Wexler explained race-based disparities in attainment and discipline with
stereotypes about individual Black students’ intelligence, family life, or motivation. This
type of pejorative attribution from Whites in position of power reinforces White
hegemony and virtually bars those Black students from academic success” (Tarca, 2005,
p.107). It was until 2003 that refutable evidence from Andrews High School showed the
detrimental impact that colorblindness policies can have on the academic success of
Black students. “In that year required disaggregation of state test data by race, native
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language, and economic disadvantage revealed that among 11th graders who took the
state assessment test 78.6% of the Black scored below the basic proficiency standards in
reading compared to only 35.2% of White students. In mathematics 88% of Black
students scored below the proficiency standards compared to only 44% of White
students” (Tarca, 2005, p.107). These disparities between the academic accomplishments
between White and Black student undoubtedly show the inequalities in the type of
education that Black students can except to receive in a school that utilizes the colorblind
perspective.
For the teachers that find themselves working in this type of school setting will
more than likely to be given a curriculum that does not include or encourage the use of
multicultural teaching activities in their instruction, because “by declaring that race has
lost its social relevance, colorblindness deliberately masks the systemic nature of racial
stratification by marginalizing groups to neutralize challenges to the existing racial order
(Freeman, 2005, p.191). Therefore these teachers must develop alternative learning
activates that are both culturally responsive and culturally relevant for all their student,
but that will also meet to the guidelines laid out in their states educational learning
standards and curriculum. By implement multicultural teaching methods and strategies in
their classrooms they will be able to overcome the socially constructed basis and
stereotypes prevalently contained in the colorblind perspective.
In order to accomplish these goals, John McNeil has developed four different
criterions to help teachers find materials and activities that will help make learning more
multicultural meaningful for diverse student populations. McNeil’s first criterion is
Intrinsic Qualities. The most important attribute of intrinsic qualities is that “the learner is
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important as an individual, that his well-being is vital in itself, is held as a legal right and
as education’s moral commitment. The leaner is then regarded as an end, rather than a
means. Hence learning activities should be planned so that individual differences are
respected and so learners have maximum freedom, consistent with the general welfare, to
develop as they desire” (McNeil, 1976, p.3). Activities developed on this criterion will
allow students to develop in undetermined ways, but should enable the student to develop
socially acceptable characteristics. In my classroom I will use this strategy to develop
activities that are meaningful relevant to my student’s out-of-school experience to help
them tie their life experiences to the material we are covering in class.
The second criterion McNeil suggests is Instructional Values that basically
requires that if you are going to give instruction on something, do in a way so that your
students learn something of value from it. “ When an activity does not result in some
expected or desired outcome—when the learners do not acquire the kind of skill,
attitudes, or knowledge sought through the activity—then the activity is “invalid.” The
criterion of instrumental values demands evidence that the activity is creating desirable
responses in the learner. There is no inherent value in the activity it self” (McNeil, 1976,
p.9). Before I can meet this criterion, I must ensure that my students are capable of not
only being able to perform the tasks of an activity I provide them, but also, that they can
accurately demonstrate their understanding of the concepts they are applying by
completing the assigned task.
McNeil’s third criterion is Individualization. “Individualization requires attending
to two kinds of data about the learners who are engage in the activity. One needs an
indication that the learner has the background necessary for successful participation in the
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activity, and one should have reason for believing that the learner will find the activity
satisfying or rewarding” (McNeil, 1976, p.23). Before I can assign an assignment to my
students, I must first know whether or not they have the ability and background
knowledge that will enable them to successfully complete it. Knowing my students
backgrounds, prior knowledge and their cognitive ability will help me better plan
activities that will be more inclusive and hands on to keep my students motivated and
engaged.
The fourth and finale criterion provided by McNeil is Efficiency. “This criterion
states take we need to take into consideration the costs in energy, time, materials, and the
like” (McNeil, 1976, p.33). As teachers we must always try to be aware of the limits that
an activity may place on the students, the school, and the community resources before
planning any activity. In order to achieve efficiency we must apply the three principles of
economy, variation, and simplicity.
The Principle of Economy “states that it is wise to select learning opportunities
that will contribute to several objectives rather than just one" (McNeil, 1976, p.33). A
good time to use this principle would if you were planning a field trip to a local museum
where students could apply what they have been learning about in the unit lessons leading
up to the trip.
The Principle of Variation “states that we should use different learning activities
to achieve a single objective” (McNeil, 1976, p.36). As teachers we should use a variety
of teaching methods and styles to engage all types of learners. By utilizing a number of
alternative sources that offer alternative perspectives from various individuals and groups
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of people that have contributed to our nation will help incorporate diversity in mu
classroom.
And the Principle of Simplicity “states that teachers should try to make it easier
for the learner to recognize patterns that might not be seen in a more complex
environment” (McNeil, 1976, p. 37). Now this does not mean that we should dumb-down
the curricula to make it so easy that our students do not have to try, but it means is that
we should make our learning activities so that our students can simplify what they are
learning into clear, succinct points, so they can retain and recall the information easier.
III. Research Methodology
A. Research Design
A. Bibliographical research
B. Research Procedure
A. By utilizing books, articles, and the Internet to ascertain effective teaching
strategies and criteria that can be used to effectively incorporate
multicultural perspectives into the curriculum content that is researched
and developed to counter the effects of the colorblind perspective.
IV. Results and Conclusion
The results of my research show that there is a need for continued research on the
effects of the use of the colorblind perspective in our nation’s schools. For while the both
sides of the issue present legitimate reasons for why they agree or disagree with this form
of educational policy, my position on the matter is that if this policy continues to spread
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across our nation everything our society has gained over the last half century in the realm
of civil right and social equality will be lost and replaced by the second phase of separatebut-equal period in our nation’s history. By allowing a policy that declares that the best
way to end discrimination in our country is by treating individuals based on their
character not by the color of ones skin, but then completely ignoring the culture and
individualism of diverse groups in our population is discrimination in itself.
By developing my lesson plans and activities based on the four criterion outlined
in McNeil’s article will help me create a more inclusive multicultural learning
environment that will counter the ideology of the colorblind perspective.
V. Supplementary Suggestions
1. By acknowledging and dealing explicitly with issues of injustice and
oppression I will provide my students with a truly multicultural education that
acknowledges and address the social injustices that have been covered up by the
mythological mainstream interpretation of our nation’s cultural history.
2. I will teach my student to stand up and fight for social justice for all the
members of our society regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation so
that we may one day truly be the nation where all men are create equal.
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References
Banks, J. A., & McGee-Banks, C. A. (Eds.). (2007). Multicultural Education Issues and
Perspectives (6th ed.). Danvers, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Freeman, E. (2005, August 1). No Child Left Behind and the Denigration of Race. Equity
and Excellence in Education, 38(3), 190-199. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
No. EJ695461) Retrieved May 29, 2008, from ERIC database.
Lipman, P. (2002). Making the Global City, Making Inequality: The Political Economy
and Cultural Politics of Chicago School Policy. American Educational Research Journal,
39, 379-419. Retrieved May 29, 2008, from ERIC database.
McNeil, J. D. (1976). The Design and Selection of Learning Activities. Boston, MA:
Little Brown and Company
Reynolds, W. B. (1983). Legitimizing Race as a Decision Making Criterion: Where Are
We Going? Department of Justice, 1-21. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
ED229498) Retrieved May 29, 2008(ERIC Document Reproduction Service No
ED229498), from ERIC database.
Tarca, K. (2005). Colorblind in Control: The Risk of Resisting Difference Amid
Demographic Change. Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies
Association, 38(2), 99-120. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.EJ722544)
Retrieved May 29, 2008, from ERIC database.
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