Talking Race in the Classroom

This lively book will help new and veteran teachers develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to successfully address racial controversies in their classrooms. The author first explains what race and racism mean and why we need to talk about these topics in schools. Then, based on an in-depth study of a high school classroom, she shows what happened when teachers and students talked about race and racism in a history and language arts classroom. Throughout the book she guides teachers in ways to discuss important issues—from civil rights to institutional racism—that will ultimately help teachers and students to change school culture.

Features:

• Analysis of actual classroom dialogues, illustrating the often-rough conversations that teachers and students engage in while learning to talk constructively about race and racism.
• Useful questions, resources, and activities to help teachers get started.
• Ideas and strategies that teachers can use to get students to address race and racism critically in the classroom.

Jane Bolgatz taught high school social studies and language arts for 7 years. She is now an assistant professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education in New York City.

“Race is too important and too controversial a topic to be treated without careful understanding of the complexities surrounding it. Talking Race in the Classroom is a practical guide to discussing an issue that has confounded educators for years and that is essential for preparing young people to become thoughtful citizens in the 21st century.”
Pedro Noguera, author of City Schools and the American Dream