Chapter 25

Race, Class, Gender, and Disability in Current Textbooks

Christine E. Sleeter & Carl A. Grant

·        According to “A Nation at Risk,” a couple of area’s of curriculum that need to be studied are both the skills and content of curriculum

·        “A Nation at Risk” recommended “that graduation requirements in English, social studies, mathematics, science, and computer science be increased” (pg. 279).

·        “A Nation at Risk” “argued for eliminating nonessentials in the curriculum without really defining what makes a body of knowledge nonessential” (pg. 279).  

·        Allan Bloom, explains “How higher education has failed democracy and impoverished the souls of today’s students” (pg. 279).  Bloom also argues “for a college curriculum based on the Great Books of Western tradition and guided by the fundamental work of Western philosophy, especially ancient Greek philosophy” (pg. 279).

·        E. D. Hirsch, asks “Why have our schools failed to fulfill their fundamental acculturative responsibility?” (pg. 279).

·        Hirsch discusses the importance of cultural literacy in all area’s of education, and “recommends a list of facts that all Americans should know” (pg. 279).

·        All of the above discussions about curriculum, “ignored or gave only passing attention to the inequality based on race, sex, disability, and social class that continues to exist in the schools’ curriculum” (pg. 280).

·        Who attends university?  What race, sex, social class, etc?  From the research done, it seems that white and middle class students are the majority at major universities.

·        “Curricular materials project images of society, as well as of other aspects of culture such as what constitutes good literature, legitimate political activity, and so forth.  The fact that one can debate the validity of such images, and that such images often uphold socially constructed unequal relationships, is hidden” (pg. 280).

·        One important aspect of curriculum to keep in mind is that “curriculum always represents somebody’s versions of what constitutes important knowledge and a legitimate worldview” (pg. 280).

·        Textbooks are one way of controlling curriculum.

·        In this way, “curriculum usually serves as a means of social control.  It legitimates existing social relations and the status of those who dominate, and does so in a way that implies that there are no alternative versions of the world, and that the interpretation being taught in school is, indeed, undisputed fact” (pg. 281).

·        “Knowledge helps shape power and social activity (or lack of it)” (pg. 281).

·        Until recently, textbooks and other curricular materials were blatantly dominated by White wealthy men” (pg. 281).

·        The 1908’s witnessed “a resurgence of traditional White male voices in the struggle over what knowledge should be taught” (pg. 281).

·        What this chapter will examine, is how the “writers and publishers of today’s textbooks selected knowledge of various American racial, social class, gender, and disability groups” (pg. 281).

Existing Textbook Analyses  

·        There were several analyses on racial bias of textbooks done in the 1970’s.

·        These analyses were completed in the 1970’s and while people may believe that the problem was solved, our actual knowledge on racial bias in today’s texts is sketchy. 

·        Reading and social studies texts have been analyzed.  Science texts have received some attention, but math textbooks have not.

·        This chapter will show the extent to which “the dominance of White pervades the various subject areas, discuss patterns in the portrayal of various racial groups, and demonstrate the extent to which current issues of concern to various racial groups are presented” (pg. 282).

·        There are more numerous and up-to-date analyses of sex bias in recent textbooks.

·        This chapter will differentiate between both sexes in texts as well as differentiating between the different races.

·        Most previous textbook analyses leave out social class and disability.

·        This chapter will discuss both social class and disability.

·        “This chapter examines the treatment of various groups across four subject areas.  It shows how America’s diversity is projected to children through the school day and their school career, and the extent to which children are challenged in any subject area to think about discrimination and oppression” (pg. 282).

Methodology

·        Forty-seven textbooks were examined.  The textbooks were written between 1980 and 1988 and for grades 1 - 8.

·        The four subject areas that were examined were:  English, social studies, science, and math.

·        The authors developed a textbook analysis instrument.  This instrument was “based on various instruments that had been developed and used elsewhere” (pg.  282).

·        The analysis instrument consisted of six different analyses:  “picture analysis, anthology analysis, ‘people to study’ analysis, language analysis, story-line analysis, and miscellaneous” (pg. 282).

·        Picture analysis involved “tallying who is in each picture, categorized by sex, race (Asian American, Black American, Hispanic American, American Indian), and disability” (pg. 282).

·        “The anthology analysis is for analyzing each story in readers” (pg. 282).

·        The ‘people to study’ analysis “involves tallying the race and sex of each person mentioned in the text” (pg. 282).

·        The language analysis “involves examining language in the text for sexist usage” (pg. 283).

·        The story-line analysis “is used primarily with social studies texts.  In involves analyzing which group receives the most sustained attention, which group(s) resolves problems, how other groups appear, the extent to which these other groups cause or resolve problems, and who the author intends the reader to sympathize with or learn most about” (pg. 283).

·        Other miscellaneous analyses “may lend themselves to a particular book” (pg. 283).

·        This chapter will show how each subject area treats “different racial groups, both sexes, the social classes, and people with disabilities” (pg. 283).

Social Studies

·        Fourteen social studies textbooks were examined.  There were nine different publishers.

·        Race, gender, disability, and social class were examined for social studies.  As well as the six different analyses.

·        “People of color collectively are not portrayed as solvers of their own problems” (pg. 285).

·        “Discussions of these problems are presented from a White point of view and usually do not explain in sufficient detail the harshness of White men in power and why many problems that people of color face today are the result of the racism, classism, and sexism of long ago” (pg.286).

·        “The story line also does not include information or discussions about relationships between different groups of color” (pg. 286).

·        Males have more pictures than females, and there are more pictures of white females than females of color.

·        “In the story line, ‘her-story’ is undertold or presented as an afterthought” (pg. 286).

·        “Pictures of showing people with disabilities are virtually absent” (pg. 286).

·        “The varying socioeconomic conditions that have always existed in this country are virtually absent form the books” (pg. 286).

Reading/Language Arts

·        Fifteen reading and language arts textbooks were examined.  There were eight different publishers.  There were eleven readers or anthologies, and four skill books. 

·        Race, gender, disability, and social class were examined for Reading/Language Arts.  As well as the six different analyses.

·        Identifying Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in pictures is often difficult, …” (pg. 288).

·        “Overall, these reading and language arts books depict people of various colors and both sexes, but they do very little to help young people learn about issues related to diversity or even to learn that issues exist.  They also do fairly little to help young people develop an understanding of different American cultural groups” (pg. 289/290).

Science

·        Ten science textbooks were examined.  There were six different publishers.

·        Race, gender, disability, and social class were examined for science.  As well as the six different analyses.

·        “One book mentions how Mayan Indians observed the sky; otherwise, the books do not address scientific contributions of Native Americans” (pg. 291).

·        “The books discuss famous White scientists and Whites’ contributions to science.  Whites are seen as ingenious, curious, and dedicated to solving many of life’s problems through science” (pg. 291).

Mathematics

·        Eight mathematics textbooks were examined.  There were five different publishers.

·        Race, gender, disability, and social class were examined for mathematics.  As well as the six different analyses.

·        “The most common single role in which Blacks appear, with the exception of student, is that of athlete” (pg. 292).

·        “The main impression the books give about Whites is that they are numerous and everywhere” (pg. 295).

·        “To varying degrees, however, the texts also assume and encourage material consumption” (pg. 294).

Discussion

·        “Students are presented in classrooms with usually only one version of reality.

·        “That version embodies certain interests, reifies certain interpretations and value judgments, and gives prominence to some pieces of knowledge while rendering others invisible” (pg. 294).

·        “Even if students forget, ignore, or reject what they encounter in textbooks, textbook content is still important because it withholds, obscures, and renders unimportant many ideas and areas of knowledge” (pg. 294).

·        By examining the four subject areas, it clearly shows “the extent to which the experiences, concerns, accomplishments, and issues of different groups appear on the curricular agenda.  Whites consistently dominate textbooks …” (pg. 294).

·        “Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans appear mainly as figures on the landscape with virtually no history or contemporary ethnic experience, and no sense of the ethnic diversity within each group is presented” (pg. 294).

·        Native Americans appear mainly as historical figures, although there are a few contemporary stories in reading books” (pg. 294).

·        “Very little interaction among different groups of color is shown” (pg. 294).  Different groups were only shown interacting with Whites.

·        “The books contain very little about contemporary race relations or issues for which these groups are currently struggling” (pg. 295).

·        “They convey an image of harmonious blending of different colors of people, dominated by White people, and suggest that everyone is happy with current arrangements” (pg. 295).

·        “The books have successfully addressed gender issues mainly by eliminating most sexist language” (pg. 295).

·        “Males dominate in most books; but even in books in which females have a major presence, females of color are shown fairly little” (pg. 295).

·        “Social class is not treated in the books much at all.  The great majority of people and situations presented are middle – class or involve at least a modest level of financial status” (pg. 295).

·        “Disability is ignored as well” (pg. 295).

·        The beginning of this chapter expressed Bloom’s “concern about the American mind becoming closed, and Hirsch is concerned about the extent to which schools are promoting cultural literacy” (pg. 295).

·        So are the authors of this chapter.  “Our analysis of current textbooks clearly shows the extent to which the curriculum focuses on the White male and downplays or simply ignores the accomplishments and concerns of Americans who are of color, female, poor, and/or disabled” (pg. 295).

·        The analysis of the different textbooks shows that White males still dominate in today’s texts.  White females are second and racial minority groups are last.

·        “Educators also have claimed that attention to White women, Blacks, Native Americans, and other groups is superficial, forced, and occasionally ridiculous” (pg. 296).

·        “Textbooks participate in social control when they render socially constructed relations among groups as natural. The vision of social relations that the textbooks we analyzed for the most part project is one of harmony and equal opportunity – anyone can do or become whatever he or she wants; problems among people are mainly individual in nature and in the end are resolved” (pg. 296).

·        “Textbooks further participate in social control when they ‘select in’ some ideas and domains of knowledge and ‘select out’ others” (pg. 296).

·        “Our analysis shows that any group that receives scant attention, regardless of their representation in the population, tends to be treated superficially and piecemeal” (pg. 297).

·        Each different group in America and Canada need to receive equal amounts of attention.

·        We could achieve this by reducing the amount of attention given to White males and by “orienting more of the curriculum around real human experiences and less of it around bland, fictitious stories, skills taught out of the context of human experience, or content involving meaningless activities” (pg. 297).

·        “Curriculum design might begin by selecting concepts, experiences, images, and contributions that should be taught about each racial, gender, social class, and disability group, then weaving this throughout the curriculum” (pg. 297).

Conclusion

·        “Treatment of diversity in textbooks has not improved much over the past fifteen years or so, generally, although a few textbooks have improved in specific, limited ways” (pg. 297).

·        “Textbooks need to be scrutinized carefully, and those that fail to educate children meaningfully about America’s diversity and its history of oppression should not be bought and used” (pg. 297).

·        The same goes for Canada.  Teachers and schools need to be wary about what they are teaching children.  We do not live in an all-white, perfect world.  We need to teach our children the reality of the world.  The old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words,” what if the pictures we show our children are false?  They will see and learn, not what they should, but what we are not speaking.

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