Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum

 Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: 

And Other Conversations About Race 

294 pages Publisher: Basic Books; Revised edition (January 17, 2003) $16.95

Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see black youth seated together in the cafeteria. Of course, it's not just the black kids sitting together-the white, Latino, Asian Pacific, and, in some regions, American Indian youth are clustered in their own groups, too. The same phenomenon can be observed in college dining halls, faculty lounges, and corporate cafeterias. What is going on here? Is this self-segregation a problem we should try to fix, or a coping strategy we should support? How can we get past our reluctance to talk about racial issues to even discuss it? And what about all the other questions we and our children have about race? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, asserts that we do not know how to talk about our racial differences: Whites are afraid of using the wrong words and being perceived as "racist" while parents of color are afraid of exposing their children to painful racial realities too soon. Using real-life examples and the latest research, Tatum presents strong evidence that straight talk about our racial identities-whatever they may be-is essential if we are serious about facilitating communication across racial and ethnic divides. We have waited far too long to begin our conversations about race. This remarkable book, infused with great wisdom and humanity, has already helped hundreds of thousands of readers figure out where to start.

            Read an Interview with Beverly Daniel Tatum here.

Young, Gifted, and Black: Promoting High Achievement among African-American Students by Claude Steele, Theresa Perry and Asa Hilliard

        Young, Gifted, and Black: Promoting High 

Achievement among African-American Students

            192 pages Publisher: Beacon Press (February 2, 2004) $16.00   

Young, Gifted, and Black is a unique joint effort by three leading African-American scholars to radically reframe the debates swirling around the achievement of African-American students in school.
In three separate but allied essays, Theresa Perry, Claude Steele, and Asa Hilliard place students' social identity as African-Americans at the very center of the discussion. They all argue that the unique social and cultural position Black students occupy, in a society which often devalues and stereotypes African American identity, fundamentally shapes students' experience of school and sets up unique obstacles. And they all argue that a proper understanding of the forces at work can lead to practical, powerful methods for promoting high achievement at all levels.
Theresa Perry argues that African-American students face dilemmas, founded in the experience of race and ethnicity in America, that make the task of achievement distinctive and difficult. (For instance: "How do I commit myself to achieve, to work hard over time in school, if I cannot predict when or under what circumstances this hard work will be acknowledged and recognized?") She uncovers a rich and powerful African- American philosophy of education, historically forged against such obstacles and capable of addressing them, by reading African-American narratives from Frederick Douglass to Maya Angelou. She carefully critiques the most popular theoretical explanations for group differences in achievement. And she lays out how educators today-in a post-civil rights era-can draw on theory and on the historical power of the African-American philosophy and tradition of education to reorganize the school experience of African-American students. 
Claude Steele reports stunningly clear empirical psychological evidence that when Black students believe they are being judged as members of a stereotyped group rather than as individuals, they do worse on tests. He finds the mechanism, which he calls "stereotype threat," to be a quite general one, affecting women's performance in mathematics, for instance, where stereotypes about gender operate. He analyzes the subtle psychology of stereotype threat and reflects on the broad implications of his research for education, suggesting techniques-based again on evidence from controlled psychological experiments - that teachers and mentors and schools can use to counter stereotype threat's powerful effect. 
Asa Hilliard's ends essay, against a variety of false theories and misguided views of African American achievement, and focuses on actual schools and programs and teachers around the country that allow African-American students achieve at high levels, describing what they are like and what makes them work. 
Young, Gifted, and Black will change the way we think and talk about African American student achievement and will be necessary reading on this topic for years to come.

          Preview here.

Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do by Claude Steele

               Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do   

256 pages, Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 

Reprint edition (April 4, 2011) $15.95

The acclaimed social psychologist offers an insider’s look at his research and groundbreaking findings on stereotypes and identity. Claude M. Steele, who has been called “one of the few great social psychologists,” offers a vivid first-person account of the research that supports his groundbreaking conclusions on stereotypes and identity. He sheds new light on American social phenomena from racial and gender gaps in test scores to the belief in the superior athletic prowess of black men, and lays out a plan for mitigating these “stereotype threats” and reshaping American identities.

Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools by Glenn Singleton

 Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for 

Achieving Equity in Schools 

312 pages Publisher: Corwin; Second Edition (October 21, 2014) $36.95

Create a system wide plan for transforming the district office, schools, and classrooms into places that truly support ALL students achieving their highest levels!

This updated edition of the bestseller continues to explain the need for candid, courageous conversations about race so that educators may understand why achievement inequality persists and learn how they can develop a curriculum that promotes true educational equity and excellence.

·    Revised Courageous Conversation Compass

·    Racial autobiographies

·    Case study on St. Paul Public Schools, which has stayed on track with the Courageous Conversation protocol and framework

·    Links to video segments of the author describing the work

·    Activities and checklists for school and district leaders

·    Action and implementation steps

What's Going on in Children's Literature? Article Resource List

This post page is a work in progress...the plan is a list of articles on the subject of diversity in children's lit.

Tackling Diversity: One Writer's Story by James Preller

How to Read a Racist Book to Your Kids

How to Really Read Racist Books to Your Kids

10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children's books for Sexism and Racism

Lee & Low Books

We're the People

28 Black Picture Books That Aren’t About Boycotts, Buses or Basketball

The Brown Bookshelf

Author Marie Bradby

Unmaking the White Default: Writing About Race by Vicky Smith

Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School by Mica Pollack

           Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School

           389 pages Publisher: The New Press (June 1, 2008) $24.95 

Which acts by educators are "racist" and which are "antiracist"? How can an educator constructively discuss complex issues of race with students and colleagues? In Everyday Antiracism, leading educators deal with the most challenging questions about race in school, offering invaluable and effective advice.
Contributors including Beverly Daniel Tatum, Sonia Nieto, and Pedro Noguera describe concrete ways to analyze classroom interactions that may or may not be "racial," deal with racial inequality and "diversity," and teach to high standards across racial lines. Topics range from using racial incidents as teachable moments and responding to the "n-word" to valuing students' home worlds, dealing daily with achievement gaps, and helping parents fight ethnic and racial misconceptions about their children. Questions following each essay prompt readers to examine and discuss everyday issues of race and opportunity in their own classrooms and schools.
For educators and parents determined to move beyond frustrations about race, Everyday Antiracism is an essential tool.

The Trouble With Black Boys: ...And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education by Pedro Noguera

The Trouble With Black Boys: ...And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, 

and the Future of Public Education 

368 pages Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (June 9, 2009) $19.95

For many years to come, race will continue to be a source of controversy and conflict in American society. For many of us it will continue to shape where we live, pray, go to school, and socialize. We cannot simply wish away the existence of race or racism, but we can take steps to lessen the ways in which the categories trap and confine us. Educators, who should be committed to helping young people realize their intellectual potential as they make their way toward adulthood, have a responsibility to help them find ways to expand identities related to race so that they can experience the fullest possibility of all that they may become. In this brutally honest-yet ultimately hopeful- book Pedro Noguera examines the many facets of race in schools and society and reveals what it will take to improve outcomes for all students. From achievement gaps to immigration, Noguera offers a rich and compelling picture of a complex issue that affects all of us.

Racial Politics and The Elusive Quest for Excellence and Equity in Education by Pedro A. Noguera

          The Role and Influence of Environmental and Cultural Factors on the Academic Performance of African American Males

2016 Educational Equity in Action June 20-21, 2016 at University of Minnesota