Considerable research has focused on trying to identify and address essential factors contributing to the persisting United States racial achievement gap. Research demonstrates that these contributing factors exist both within the school and classroom walls, as well as externally in the home environment or during summer months (see here and here ). Many of these factors such as summer learning loss and limited school resources are addressable through policy shifts or better funding distribution. However, several serious contributors are substantially more difficult to recognize and resolve as they are happening in the unconscious, such as teachers implicit racial bias.
Implicit biases are unconscious beliefs or stereotypes that impact someone’s understanding, actions, and decisions resulting in either favourable or unfavourable assessments. While all people hold implicit biases, it is particularly detrimental when teachers behave, set expectations, and assess students according to their racial biases (see here). In a study conducted by Patricia and Zygmunt, 302 elementary school teachers participated in the Implicit Association Test, which is the most commonly used method for examining implicit racial biases (see here). The findings illustrated “96% of the teachers in the study preferred white students to their black peers” (see here).
Image from Lick-Wilmerding
So how do teachers implicit biases connect to the racial achievement gap? Mortenson (2018) conducted a study analyzing whether implicit racial bias is an accurate predictor of student achievement levels. Mortenson first examined whether there was a difference between 10th- and 12th-grade standardized math test scores between white students and black students. The results demonstrated that in both grades black students scored lower than white students. Additionally, Mortenson examined “the relationship between a teacher’s assessment of a student’s ability and engagement and the student’s race” and found that teachers ratings of students varied significantly according to the students race (see here). For example, as evidenced in the table below when the math teachers were asked to rate their students effort the results showed that the teachers believed 71% of white students worked hard to attain good grades compared to only 57% of black students (see here).
In contrast to what people may believe, research shows that teachers implicit racial biases may continue to increase as classrooms continue to become more diverse. In a study conducted by Clark and Weinstein (2008), it was found that teachers bias toward racial minority students in the classroom often increased as the number of racial minority students in the classroom increased. Furthermore, the study demonstrated a relationship between the racial achievement gap and the racial diversity of elementary school student in the classroom and the extent to which teachers treatment differed according to high versus low achieving students (see here).
When implicit racial biases intentionally or unintentionally influence teachers expectations and assessments, it has been found that their daily interactions with the students significantly impact their assessment of their students ability and engagement. Further, these assessments are then internalized by the minority students and are reflected in their classroom behaviours and academic performance altogether contributing to the perpetuating racial achievement gap (see here).
Post By: Sophie Wood