The Other Elephant in the (Class)room

Cheryl E. Matias is a full professor in the School of Leadership and Educational Sciences at the University of San Diego. Paul C. Gorski is the founder of the Equity Literacy Institute and author of Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap, Second Edition.

Contents Introduction Cheryl E. Matias and Paul C. Gorski ?1 Part I: White Liberalism and the Illusion of Transformative Intent 1. ?"Peel It Like an Onion": A Proactive Challenge to White Liberalism Inside a Progressive Teachers Union ?21 Theresa Montano and Betty Forrester Introduction ?21 White Liberalism: Inside the Onion ?22 "It Can't Just Be About Racial Justice" ?23 White Liberalism, Racial Microaggressions, and Racial Battle Fatigue ?24 Putting Race at the Center ?24 Racial Justice Is Social Justice Work ?25 You Don't See Me: Womxn of Color Are Union Leaders! ?27 Sustaining Our Spirits With Action From White Liberalism to Racial Justice ?29 2. ?The End of Altruism: Moving From White Hero Discourse to Racial Justice Praxis ?32 J.P.B. Gerald Introduction ?32 Altruism and Conceptualizations of White Heroism ?33 Altruism as Obstacle to Racial Justice ?34 From Altruism to Racial Justice Praxis ?35 Conclusion ?39 3. ?Exposing the Other Elephant: White Liberal Discourses and the (Re)Production of Racism in K-12 Education ?41 Lindsay Lyons and Cherie Bridges Patrick Introduction ?41 From Deficit Narratives to Systemic Change ?42 How We Interpret White Liberalism ?43 White Liberalism in Action ?44 Disproportionate Discipline and School Leadership ?45 Disproportionate Discipline Beyond Schools ?46 Moving Toward Racial Justice ?48 4. ?How Toxic Positivity Prevents Equity for ESOL Students: Getting Uncomfortable for the Sake of Equity ?51 Elisabeth Chan, Lavette Coney, and Heidi Faust Introduction ?51 Language, Race, and ESOL ?52 Understanding Toxic Positivity and ELs ?52 Scenarios ?54 Conclusion ?56 Part II: White Liberalism in Diversity, Equity, Inclusiveness, and Belonging Efforts 5. ?Colorblindness, White Paternalism, and the Limits of School Desegregation and Diversity Reform ?61 Anna Kushner Colorblindness ?63 White Paternalism ?65 Conclusion ?68 6. ?Deploying White Liberal Antiracism to Avoid Accountability: Racial Appropriation in Educational Leadership ?71 Tracey A. Benson The Initial Training: Planting the Seeds of Discomfort ?73 Collective Derailment: The Characters of White "Liberal" Fragility ?75 Taking Responsibility: My Three Fundamental Oversights ?79 A Bitter End: Weaponizing White Fragility and Enacting White Rage ?81 A Way Forward: Changing the Paradigm ?84 Truth and Reconciliation ?87 7. ?"We Aren't Going There Today!": Unpacking and Challenging White Liberalism, Racial Silence, and What Kids Are "Ready" for in the Early Childhood Classroom ?89 Andrea C. Minkoff and Katherine Wood White Liberalism, White Fragility, and Racial Silence ?91 White Liberal Racial Silencing in the Early Childhood Classroom ?92 Challenging White Liberalism, Racial Silence, and What Kids Are "Ready" for in the Early Childhood Classroom ?94 Part III: White Liberalism in Curriculum and Instruction 8. ?White Teachers' Black Historical Consciousness: Can We Teach Black History? ?101 Brianne Pitts, Daniel Tulino, and Greg Simmons Can "Good" White Liberals Teach Black History? ?101 Purpose and Definitions ?102 Examples in Practice ?104 From BHM to BHC ?105 Enacting the BHC Framework ?106 Conclusion ?109 9. ?Overpromising and Underdelivering: White Liberal Narratives in Arts Education ?111 Alina Campana and Amelia M. Kraehe A Vignette ?113 The "Arts Teach Social Emotional Skills" Narrative ?114 "The Arts Bridge Differences" Narrative ?115 Recommendations ?117 10. ?White Liberalism in the U.S. History Curriculum: Issues of Diversity and Accountability ?121 Chris Seeger and Maria Gabriela Paz Introduction ?121 The Diversity Problem ?122 Individual Versus Group Representation ?123 The Privilege of Individuality ?125 Avoiding Accountability ?126 Teaching U.S. History Through a Racial Justice Lens ?127 Part IV: White Liberalism in Popular Programs and Initiatives 11. ?Liberalism to Liberation: Reimagining Montessori Education ?133 Daisy Han and Katie Kitchens Introduction ?133 Dr. Maria Montessori: The Hero, Legend, and Racist ?134 Demystifying the Deity ?135 The White Liberal Montessori Practice ?136 What Is Liberation? ?140 Conclusion ?144 12. ?White Liberalism, Racism, and Restorative Justice in Schools ?146 Crystena Parker-Shandal How RJE Reproduces Racism Through White Liberal Ideologies ?147 Principles to Guide Antiracist RJE ?150 Moving Forward With Authentic Efforts for Racial Justice Through Restorative Justice ?153 13. ?Seeing Systems: The Case for Systemically Trauma-Informed Practice Instead of White Saviorism ?156 Debi Khasnabis, Simona Goldin, and Addison Duane Introduction ?156 Understanding Systems and Trauma-Informed Practice ?157 White Liberalism and Trauma-Informed Practice ?158 From Savior to SysTIP ?163 Conclusion ?166 14. ?Interrupting the White Liberalism of Social Emotional Learning ?169 Jennifer C. Dauphinais and Jenna Kamrass Morvay Introduction ?169 Letters ?171 Recommendations ?177 Conclusion ?179 15. ?White Liberalism, Positive Behavior Supports, and Black, Indigenous Students of Color: "We're Teaching Them to Do School" ?180 Jeanne Connelly Whiteness and White Liberalism in Schools ?181 Case Study: Culturally Responsive Practices and Positive Behavior Supports ?182 Tensions Between PBIS and Culturally Responsive Practices (CRPS) ?183 Transformative Practices: BISOC ?186 Transformative Opportunities in Disability Critical Race Theory ?187 Conclusion ?189 Notes ?191 Index ?192 About the Editors and Contributors ?199