Shattering the Denial: Protocols for the Classroom and Beyond

206 Pages·2001·1.38 MB·English

by  Karen B. McLean Donaldson

Shattering the Denial:
Protocols for the
Classroom and Beyond
KAREN B. MCLEAN DONALDSON
BERGIN & GARVEY
Shattering the Denial

Shattering the Denial
Protocols for the Classroom and Beyond
KAREN B. M LEAN DONALDSON
C
Foreword by Christine Sleeter
BERGIN & GARVEY
Westport, Connecticut • London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Donaldson, Karen B. McLean.
Shattering the denial : protocols for the classroom and beyond / Karen B. McLean
Donaldson ; foreword by Christine Sleeter.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–89789–777–3 (alk. paper)—ISBN 0–89789–778–1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Discrimination in education—United States. 2. Racism—United States. 3.
Multicultural education—United States. I. Title: Protocols for the classroom and beyond.
II. Title.
LC212.2.D64 2001
305.8′00973—dc21 00–057929
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2001 by Karen B. McLean Donaldson
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00–057929
ISBN: 0–89789–777–3
0–89789–778–1 (pbk.)
First published in 2001
Bergin & Garvey, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.greenwood.com
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Everyreasonableefforthasbeenmadetotracetheownersofcopyrightmaterialsinthisbook,but
insomeinstancesthishasprovenimpossible.Theauthorandpublisherwillbegladtoreceivein-
formationleadingtomorecompleteacknowledgmentsinsubsequentprintingsofthebookandin
the meantime extend their apologies for any omissions.
In Loving Memory of Mrs. Grace Lymas Clark
Mrs.GraceClarkwasborninNewYorkCity,February24,1936,and
died on March 17, 1997, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer.
“Ma” was my mother-in-law, my second mom, and a true friend. She
supportedmeandtherestofthefamilyinallthatwedid.Inwritingthis
book, I owe my confidence and persistent spirit to my gracious
mother-in-law.Whilesickinbedwithcancershestillencouragedmeto
remainsteadfastinmyworkbecauseitwasanimportantcontribution.
Certainlysheknewbestabouthardworkbecausesheraisedfivechildren
whileworkingfull-timejobsallherlife.Shewasveryproudofmeandmy
accomplishmentsbutnothalfasproudasIwillalwaysbeofhers.Ilove
youandImissyou,“Ma.”Thisbookisatestamenttoyourhardworking
spirit and your righteous love for all people.

Contents
Forewordby Christine Sleeter ix
Preface: Voice of an Antiracist Education Practitioner xv
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction 1
Part I. Shattering the Denial: A Geographical Antiracist
Education Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development and
Implementation Study with K–12 Teachers 11
Voice of a Parent: Caught in the Midst of It 13
Chapter 1. A Description 15
Chapter 2. Teacher Race Awareness Survey 23
Chapter 3. Antiracist Curriculum Development Work with
Teachers 33
Chapter 4. Antiracist Education Implementation and a Few
Courageous Teachers 49
Chapter 5. Successful Re-education for Teachers Makes a
Difference for Students 71
viii Contents
Part II. Students Empowered by the Antiracist Teacher Study 75
Voice of One Who Has Lived It 77
Chapter 6. A Recent Poll, Student Antiracist Programs, and the
Social Action of Students 79
Part III. Protocols for the Classroom and Beyond 91
Voice of an Activist and Scholar 93
Chapter 7. Curriculum 520X: Antiracist Education Curriculum
Development and Research via Interactive Television 95
Chapter 8. International Field Trips in Antiracist and
Multicultural Education: South Africa Study Abroad
Program 111
Chapter 9. Kuumba Multicultural Experimental School (KMES)
Research Project 135
Conclusion 151
Epilogue: Voice of an Author 155
Appendix A. Students’ Perceptions of Teacher Race/Diversity
Awareness 157
Appendix B. Teacher Race Awareness Survey I 159
Appendix C. Teacher Race Awareness Midpoint Survey 165
Appendix D. Antiracist Curriculum Development and
Implementation Study: Handbook Participants
Questionnaire 167
Appendix E. Models of Path Analysis Results from the Teacher
Race Awareness Study 169
Selected Bibliography 171
Index 179
Foreword
In Shattering the Denial: Protocols for the Classroom and Beyond, Karen B.
McLeanDonaldsonarguesforcefullythatdatacanserveasammunitionforre-
formingschoolstoservewelltheverydiversestudentpopulationsthatattend
them. This book provides a rich resource of intervention models and data
about changing how teachers think and teach. I would like to contextualize
theissueofschoolreformandteachereducationforanti-racistmulticultural
education within some additional data. Consider the following:
1.Thepopulationofstudentsinschools,particularlypublicschool,contin-
uestobecomemoreandmorediverse.In1976,theK-12publicschoolpopula-
tion in the United States was 75 percent white, 15 percent black, 6 percent
Latino,1percentAsian,and1percentNativeAmerican.By1995,itwas65per-
centwhite,17percentblack,13percentLatino,4percentAsian,and1percent
Native American (U.S. Department of Education, 1998). In twenty years,
schoolpopulationshaddiversifiedmarkedly.Thesefigures,however,oversim-
plifythecomplexityofdiversityinclassrooms.Racialandethniccategoriesmask
hugewithin-groupdifferences;forexample,afirst-generationChinesestudent
and a third-generation Japanese American are both Asian but very different
from each other. The categories also presume distinct racial groups, and they
hidegrowingnumbersofbi-racialormultiethnicstudents.Further,racialand
ethniccategoriesdonotaddressotherformsofdiversityinclassroomssuchas
socialclass,disability,orsexualorientation.Theaverageteachercananticipate