# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: PreK - 3

This article provided a glimpse of possible biases in representing the LGBTQ community in classrooms. However, many of the suggestions that were highlighted (ex. using gender-neutral call-outs like colors or group names, building curriculum and policies that reflect other perspectives) may also blend into the gender bias category, or race category, for example.

We Are Teachers. (n.d.) Making Your School a Safe Space for LGBTQ Students. Retrieved from https://www.weareteachers.com/create-inclusive-environment-for-lgbt-students/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I remember the first time that I read about someone who loved like I do. My palms started to sweat, and I realized for the first time in my life that I was exactly who I was supposed to be. This moment literally changed my outlook on my own life. So many LGBTQ students yearn for this moment, but unfortunately schools have not always been a place where they can have it. Many kids struggle through their time in school, not feeling welcome and also not feeling safe. However, schools make a difference. The five strategies below provide action-oriented practices that can positively impact your LGBTQ students' experience while they are in school.

1. Have inclusive and representative curriculum.

Students benefit when they can see people who they can relate to in their school and in the curriculum they are learning. Such curriculum can take many forms. Consider the books that are assigned in your English and literature classes and on your school's library bookshelves. Are books written by authors who are LGBTQ being read in your elementary classrooms ? What about adding Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe , a fantastic YA novel, and others like it to your school library?

Ask yourself in what other ways can you incorporate stories about LGBTQ people, families, and communities in your classrooms. After all, inclusive curriculum doesn't have to start and stop with books. Perhaps encourage your staff to design math problems that represent difference. Consider the sources you are using to teach your students US history. For instance, in your study of the Civil Rights Movement, have you ever highlighted Bayard Rustin , an activist who was Martin Luther King Jr.'s advisor and identified as a gay man? It would be a fresh approach to the subject, and your entire school community would benefit.

2. Have pedagogy for everyone.

Boys over here; girls over there! Have you ever used gender as a tool to separate students into groups? I have. However, what I failed to realize at the time is that this practice, while convenient, doesn't necessarily include transgender students . It's another method of exclusion. When you think about it, separating students-or even items or ideas-by gender often isn't necessary. It also presents an unnecessary complication for some students, and they may suffer academically as a result.

An easy fix is to use a color system to quickly assign students into groups. Now it can be: Greens over here; oranges over there. At the beginning of the year, encourage your teachers to choose four colors to use for organizing students. Students can return to these groups quickly. And teachers can always switch things up as the year goes on. It accomplishes the same goal but includes all students, regardless of their gender identity.

3. Acknowledge the LGBTQ community during the school year.

It's one thing to be accepted and another to be celebrated. This is something I did not get to experience enough as a child. Ask any teacher, and they'll tell you how much engagement increases when kids feel recognized. Even though Pride Month happens when most students are gone for summer break, October is LGBTQ History Month . Consider celebrating this month with your school community by highlighting significant LGBTQ figures. Talk with your students about Marsha P. Johnson , one of the catalysts of the LGBTQ rights movement. Does your school have an LGBTQ student group that you might partner with for school-wide programming during October? Are they receiving sufficient school resources to build a vibrant LGBTQ and ally community in your school?

A great way to push against heteronormativity, the assumption that everyone is heterosexual in which all societal norms are derived from, is to find ways to include programming that celebrates LGBTQ pride during the month of October throughout the rest of the school year. I currently work within a higher education context at Lehigh University in the Pride Center for Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Countless parents, current and prospective students, and community members consistently tell us that our presence alone makes our community safer for LGBTQ students at Lehigh.

4. Learn and grow with your staff.

Learning about and supporting the LGBTQ community can be an intimidating pursuit. What happens when you say the wrong thing? Do you know what to do when you make a mistake and use the wrong pronoun? (What are !?)

Incorporating training and professional development opportunities that are focused on learning about and supporting LGBTQ students and staff is a must. The GLSEN National School Climate Survey notes that over half of student respondents identified the source of negative comments they heard about the LGBTQ community as coming from school staff. This is a staggering number that reveals the necessity of training school staff and also holding them accountable when mistakes occur. Even as someone who identifies as queer, making mistakes regarding sexuality and gender identity is part of my daily routine. However, it is not about stopping yourself from saying the wrong thing or excluding someone; rather, it is also about the way that you respond when you make them.

Plan yearly, ongoing training for diversity and inclusion across all forms of difference. You can even engage in some of your own self-work. It will allow you to answer questions like: What questions do you have about LGBTQ students? What are some of the internal biases that you carry into your school? These trainings are crucial to establishing an inclusive school environment .

5. Have a comprehensive policy that explicitly includes LGBTQ students.

Working to build a community where people respect one another is a surprisingly difficult undertaking. The four strategies mentioned above are all dependent upon implementing a policy that is equitable and will long outlast your tenure as a school leader. Are there policies in place at your school that support and affirm students regardless of their sexual orientation? Can your transgender students access the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity?

Consider undergoing a policy audit on all existing anti-bullying policies to see if they explicitly protect and support your LGBTQ student population. In addition to policy created directly for LGBTQ students, try implementing a comprehensive sex ed curriculum . Policy matched with programmatic support will go a long way in shifting ideologies of exclusion. They'll also shift the culture of your school toward one of respect, dignity, and affirmation for all students.

A final reminder: It is okay not to get everything right. In the pursuit of equity for LGBTQ students, there will be missteps. Rather than letting these impede progress, learn from them and practice vulnerability and transparency within your school communities. Your school will become a richer, more vibrant place, and everyone will have the opportunity to love being there.
Join the great conversations going on about school leadership in our Facebook groups at Plus, check out seven tips for a more gender-inclusive classroom. Principal Life and High School Principal Life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Making Your School a Safe Space for LGBTQ Students - WeAreTeachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I remember the first time that I read about someone who loved like I do. My palms started to sweat, and I realized for the first time in my life that I was exactly who I was supposed to be. This moment literally changed my outlook on my own life.

# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: PreK

This article outlined several biases that could exist in a classroom (ex. age, race, disability, gender) and provided example scenarios of ways students may display bias, as well as alternate ways of presenting information to students to redirect their thinking.

Wolpert, E. (1997). Redefining the Norm: Early Childhood Anti-Bias Strategies. Retrieved from https://www.teachingforchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ec_redefiningthenorm_english.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: PreK - 3

This article provided a number of suggestions for teachers to ensure that they are not introducing or tolerating bias in their classroom. For example, the article suggested that African-American boys can often be treated as though their behaviors are a reflection of adults, rather than that of the age they actually are. Recognizing this outcome and how it would impact the classroom is one of the many explorations this article features.

Scholastic. (n.d.) Bias-Proof Your Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/bias-proof-your-classroom/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Educator Gail Thompson has written numerous books, including the book Up Where We Belong, on the challenges faced by what she calls "America's stepchildren" - black, Latino, Southeast Asian, Native American, and white, low-income students. Instructor talked with Thompson about what teachers can do to improve their own practice.

1. Be honest with yourself
Admit that you are not color blind. Practically no one is. "There are various common mind-sets that teachers aren't even aware of, which are rooted in biased beliefs," says Thompson. So she prescribes what she calls a "checkup from the neck up."

Ask yourself these questions:

Do I truly believe that all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background, are capable of being academically successful?

Do I have beliefs about their home lives or community that prevent me from seeing their academic potential?

Do I treat students how I want my own children to be treated by their teacher?

2. Show that you care
When Thompson surveyed an underperforming school in California, black students were twice as likely as white students to believe that "most of their teachers didn't like them," even though nearly all the teachers answered that they cared about their students' welfare. Clearly, teachers' caring doesn't always get communicated effectively. Remember to ask how your students are doing, listen to their answers, learn about their distinct cultures and interests, and show patience and kindness, Thompson suggests.

3. Treat students their age
According to several studies, white adults tend to engage in "adultification" of black children, especially of boys. "Instead of viewing black students' behavior as that of children," Thompson explains, "they viewed the boys as if they were adults"-and ratcheted up punishment accordingly. Remember to grant all of your students the same status as children, and recognize the innocence and vulnerability that status entails.

4. Don't judge parents too quickly
Thompson notes that some teachers may blame students' academic problems on bad parenting. "Most African-American parents do care about their children's education," Thompson writes, "but they may express caring differently from how white middle-class and upper-class parents do." Black parents, Thompson found, ask about school, listen to their children read, and express interest in grades, but are less likely to help with homework. Working-class parents and single parents may also be less likely to attend parents' nights and parent-teacher conferences, not because they care less about education, but because to attend might present a major inconvenience or financial hardship.

5. Don't tolerate racism from your students
It is important to set strict classroom rules on teasing and the use of racist or other derogatory comments: "Leadership sets the tone - be it the teacher, the principal, or the parent - about what's acceptable and what's not," explains Thompson. "And when the leader sets a tone that says, 'We're not going to condone certain behaviors, and every child is going to be treated fairly,' it works."

6. Maintain expectations
At a recent workshop, says Thompson, "a black principal at a school that is 76 percent black told me his biggest battle was getting teachers to raise their expectations. And that's not uncommon. Sometimes teachers assume that black students can't do the work that kids in white, affluent, and middle-class communities can do, and so they lower the expectations. The result? Standards are very low."

7. Take testing seriously
"Although I have problems with the current high-stakes testing movement," says Thompson, "it's important that teachers take it seriously. Students often feel that because they are not spending time preparing, the tests must not be that important. I hear high school students, particularly African-American boys, say, 'The tests don't matter.'"

8. Treat your problem child as a "star pupil"
Thompson challenges teachers to "select a student about whom you've formed a negative opinion," and for 21 consecutive school days, force yourself to view and treat this student as if he or she were the brightest student in your class. "If you actually try this experiment, even once," says Thompson, "it just might change your teaching forever."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Educator Gail Thompson has written numerous books, including the book Up Where We Belong, on the challenges faced by what she calls "America's stepchildren" - black, Latino, Southeast Asian, Native American, and white, low-income students. Instructor talked with Thompson about what teachers can do to improve their own practice. 1.

# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: Grades 1 - 3

This article provided a great example of gender bias by outlining a conversation in a classroom regarding the roles of princes and princesses. It provided examples of ways to address the norms surrounding these biases and ways to adapt them. For example, introducing the notion that both princes and princesses could be doing the saving or needed to be saved.

Lesley University. (n.d.). Teaching Young Children to Understand and Accept Differences. Retrieved from https://lesley.edu/article/teaching-young-children-to-understand-and-accept-differences

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching Young Children to Understand and Accept Differences | Lesley University

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Through anti-bias education, early childhood educators can create learning communities that support human differences. Discover how you can foster an empathetic classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: PreK - 3

This article provided a great framework for a basis of addressing bias in the classroom, both personal bias as an educator and bias among students in the classroom. The article also suggested creating a balance of planned anti-bias activities and responding to teachable moments. For example, if a student asks a question or makes a comment regarding the color of someone's skin, it may be an appropriate time to engage in a teachable moment with the student and help re-frame their thinking.

Kuh, L.,  LeeKeenan, D., Given, H., Beneke, M. (2016).

Moving Beyond Anti-Bias Activities: Supporting the Development of Anti-Bias Practices. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/mar2016/moving-beyond-anti-bias-activities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"My dad is thiiiiiis black!"

"Why does she wear that scarf on her head?"

"My mom makes me give toys I don't like to poor kids who don't have any."

"Only girls can be nurses."

These comments, while typical of young children, can stop a teacher in her tracks. How should teachers respond? Children's comments can sometimes fluster both new and experienced teachers-even those who support equity and diversity in schools. While teaching at the Eliot-Pearson Children's School at Tufts University, this article's authors explored what it means to embrace an anti-bias stance every day. They found that adopting an anti-bias perspective requires more than implementing a few well-meaning activities. Instead, doing so asks educators to think differently about their work, take personal and professional risks, and put new ideas and beliefs into practice. The teachers at Eliot-Pearson developed a framework to guide their anti-bias work and support their anti-bias planning and practice as they moved forward (Kuh et al. 2011).

What is anti-bias education?

Anti-bias education is a way of teaching that supports children and their families as they develop a sense of identity in a diverse society. It helps children learn to be proud of themselves and their families, respect a range of human differences, recognize unfairness and bias, and speak up for the rights of others (Derman-Sparks & Edwards 2010). Children tell us every day via their comments, play, and peer interactions that they notice social issues, are curious about differences, and want more information. So what do schools and teachers need to do?

In many ways, anti-bias education may not be so different from the kind of teaching that educators already do. For example, when children notice butterflies in the garden, teachers might notice and respond to children's curiosity as an opportunity for extending curriculum, and then provide books and other materials about life cycles. But when it comes to talking about race, class, gender, family structure, or ability, teachers might consciously, or even unconsciously, avoid elaborating on these topics.

Anti-bias curriculum topics often come from the children, families, and teachers, as well as from historical or current events. Anti-bias education happens in both planned curriculum and natural teachable moments based on children's conversations and play. Teachers have to balance planned anti-bias teaching experiences, such as mixing paint to match skin color, with seizing emergent opportunities to engage children by responding to their questions and observations. This can be challenging, and requires the ability to see anti-bias work as an opportunity to teach (as opposed to overcoming a problem). Embracing an anti-bias stance helps teachers to develop innovative practices tailored to the populations they serve. It might be difficult to know where to start, and there is not always an easy answer. It is important for teachers to find a balance between addressing children's needs and not upsetting families, and at the same time to take a stand that may be socially or politically charged. Does all this belong in the early education setting? Is it part of teaching?

A framework for anti-bias teaching

The Eliot-Pearson Children's School's long-standing commitment to anti-bias education is part of its core values and mission. However, being intentional about anti-bias education across classrooms wasn't always easy. One year, as a curriculum strategy, each classroom focused on a particular issue related to its group of children. The teachers shared documentation and questions about this focus at monthly professional development meetings, getting and giving feedback on curriculum and teaching practices. Topics included same-sex parents, skin color and racial identity, class and power, abilities and challenges, and cultural backgrounds.

To hold themselves accountable for anti-bias work, the program's teachers developed a tool for keeping anti-bias issues alive in the curriculum (see "Framework for Anti-Bias Teaching," p. 59). The work of three of this article's coauthors-Lisa (pre-K), Heidi (kindergarten), and Margaret (mixed-age first and second grade)-illustrates curriculum development prompted by the framework and support for anti-bias work for individual teachers and for the school as a whole. The framework has been modified further and discussed in more detail in Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change (Derman-Sparks, LeeKeenan, & Nimmo 2015).

Entry points

Entry points include identifying, provoking, or uncovering themes children are thinking about or demonstrating in their play. An entry point may be something a family brings to a teacher's attention or something a teacher knows about a family that a child brings to the setting. It may be a topic in the media-such as an election, a demonstration, or a film-that draws attention to a particular issue. In addition to recognizing entry points educators should understand that their responses to children's queries don't have to be instantaneous. They may not know right away how to respond-or whether they even want to explore a particular issue with a group-but the awareness of the topic is an important first step. Identification of entry points is at the beginning of the road map for curriculum planning. It takes place with the understanding that anti-bias issues raised are not problems to be eliminated, but rather opportunities for teaching and learning.

Margaret's First- and Second-Grade Class In this mixed-age inclusive class, teachers hear children saying things like "That's not fair! She gets an easier sheet than me!," "Why does he get to use a rocking chair at meeting? Can I?," and "I am bad at reading." Margaret knows that children's notions of fairness and their perceptions of themselves and others as learners provide entry points to rich conversations. Ability differences and similarities are part of a conversation that starts on the very first day of school.

Heidi's Kindergarten Class When Heidi hears kindergartners say, "This is my ramp. This is a private ramp," and "You can go up any ramp, if you have a lot of money. People with a lot of money can go in anywhere they want," she realizes that children are thinking about issues of ownership, resources, and power. This "a-ha" moment inspires her to pay close attention to the language and understandings children have about social class, wealth, and privilege. As the kindergartners play, she notes that the children's attempts to assert themselves often reference possession ("I got it first"), ownership ("That's mine"), status ("I am the boss"), and cultural capital ("If you don't know this movie, then you don't know how to play").

Lisa's Pre-K Class For sharing time, 4-year-old Julian, who is biracial, shows photographs of an experiment he did at home in which he added cream to his mother's coffee to try to match the color of his own skin. Later, 4-year-old Tywanna tells her lunch tablemates, "I'm lucky because my mom is light and my dad is dark and I am in the middle-a mix!" Hearing this, Lisa and her teaching team realize that children are grappling with racial identity. The teachers decide to work with the class to help children learn language to talk about race together.

For each potential entry point, it is important for educators to identify their feelings related to the anti-bias issue. Teachers may not necessarily know who to talk to about their feelings, and often this is where they get stuck. Their personal experiences may drive their responses, or they may experience discomfort and ignore the topic altogether. For example, Heidi felt overwhelmed and dismayed at the play she observed, based on her own class background. Teachers often change the subject when anti-bias topics come up or redirect children to distract them from the topic at hand. At Eliot-Pearson, the framework helps teachers address ambivalent feelings they have about a topic. Discussing their feelings about a topic with colleagues can help educators gain clarity about how to manage the curriculum.

Margaret's First- and Second-Grade Class Margaret is upset that the children in her classroom are using ability to gain social power. It bothers her that differentiating curriculum based on children's skill levels seems to be provoking competition between students, sometimes hindering their self-confidence and willingness to take academic risks. Margaret worries that by exploring and discussing abilities, children will feel singled out by their differences. Would asking students to admit that they are challenged by some assignments be comfortable or productive? Would a particular child with obvious physical differences be able to participate in the conversation, or would classmates see him as a mascot for inclusion rather than an equal member of the class?

Heidi's Kindergarten Class Heidi struggles with the connections she sees between kindergartners' play and issues of access, possession, and power present in our society. While she feels excited and nervous as the children explore social class concepts, she also worries about approaching a subject that seems taboo even in adult conversation. As she explores her own feelings, she wonders, "What role do teachers play that might be supporting and reinforcing ideas of ownership as power? How do our own class backgrounds affect perceptions of children, and how might our backgrounds equip us, or not, to support the children as they expand their understanding of these ideas?"

For each potential entry point, it is important for educators to identify their feelings related to the antibias issue.

Once the teachers at Eliot-Pearson considered entry points that identified areas of interest to the children and acknowledged their own feelings, they got down to the business of thinking about potential next steps. Documentation is crucial in inspiring teachers' thinking. The documentation process involves raising questions and closely documenting children's experiences. Teachers can take photographs, listen to and record conversations, and observe and videotape children's play. They can continue to bring questions to colleagues, using the documentation to ask questions such as "What are these children working on and why?" and "What can I do in my classroom to support children's exploration and understanding of this topic?"

Initially, the kindergarten teaching team was stuck-unsure about how to explore ideas of possession and power with children this young. Teachers shared their thinking with families and colleagues, learning about the values they thought were important. Teachers began to look at power as a way to consider acts of sharing and giving (rather than having and holding)-encouraging the children to "use their powers for good." They developed activities that asked children to think about times when they had used possession or ownership to assert power, and to generate possible solutions to fairly distributing and using classroom resources and materials

Lisa's Pre-K Class Lisa and the pre-K teaching team review Julian's coffee photographs and, with his parents' knowledge and permission, talk with him further to explore the motivation behind his experiment. He says that he is mulatto (a term that refers to someone of mixed race), but because that term has fallen out of favor in the United States, some teachers feel uncomfortable hearing and using it. Teachers begin keeping track of children's conversations about race and skin color at play, lunch, meeting, and outdoors. Children's comments reveal confusion about what White and Black really mean in relation to skin color. They point to each other's clothing, noting that someone has white pants or a black shirt. As a result, the teachers think about ways to broaden and clarify skin color vocabulary before starting any skin color paint mixing.

Responding

Much of the work up until this phase involved observing, reflecting, documenting, and questioning. In the responding phase, teachers plan and implement intentional, specific experiences. Teachers choose curriculum changes to implement in the moment and through long-term planning. Again, documentation plays a part, as analysis of children's conversations can help teachers choose what to respond to and how to respond. Teachers also offer children the skills and tools they need for specific learning experiences. In the butterfly example (from the opening page), teachers might give children opportunities to explore with magnifying glasses and clipboards before heading out into the garden. Providing children with initial materials and experiences can support their later engagement with deeper content. With anti-bias curriculum, these guided experiences might occur by simply mixing various colors of paint before beginning to explore skin colors.

Margaret's First- and Second-Grade Class Over the course of two months, Margaret invites visitors into the mixed-age classroom to teach and share information about many kinds of ability differences. They discuss a range of ability differences, including physical, sensory, social, emotional, communication, and cognitive. An assistive technology teacher shows the students how some children who are developing expressive language skills use computers to help them communicate their ideas. A local university student tells the children about her own reading challenges and shares a strategy she uses for tracking words on a page. A former student with vision impairment engages the children using humor by animating his voice as he tells a story. Margaret and the children create a classroom book documenting these conversations with visitors. As they revisit the book, they reflect on the idea that everyone has things they are great at and things they are working on. The children ultimately include pages about their own abilities and challenges. One child writes, "I am great at math problems. One thing that is challenging is waiting and raising my hand."

Heidi's Kindergarten Class During a planning session, the kindergarten teachers identify three phrases that are commonly used during the children's negotiation of play: "But I got that first. It's mine," "I have the [toy], so I have to be the boss," and "We should have a rule that the person who has a thing decides the rules for the thing." Heidi talks to the children about these phrases. Children and teachers spend two meetings telling stories about times when these phrases were used to assert power over others. Heidi then presents a provocation: "Should we use the words we talked about at meeting when we use the bikes?" The children immediately chorus, "No, no. Those rules are no good. They're not fair." Over the next three weeks, kindergartners debate and develop a plan for sharing the bikes and wagons, which includes having a sign-up sheet for sharing vehicles and considering the needs of preschoolers, who are often passengers.

Lisa's Pre-K Class Lisa and the preschool team (two White teachers and one Black teacher) spend weeks engaging with the children in sensory- and art-inspired paint-mixing activities. In doing so, the children move beyond the novelty of color mixing to focus on systematically producing a color close to their own skin. Children name their various skin color shades-bologna being the most notable! Children also dramatize the Rosa Parks story to talk about White and Black as terms attributed to whole groups of people who really aren't that exact color, and they discuss the exclusionary practices associated with those terms.

Sharing: Process and outcomes
Teachers at the Eliot-Pearson Children's School regularly use documentation to make learning visible to children, families, and school visitors (Rinaldi 2006). Teachers wanted to share what was happening with the anti-bias work and created documentation to show the scope and depth of the children's learning. The school year culminated in an anti-bias exhibition and gallery walk that was open to the public. Each classroom team made a documentation board that illustrated the different sections of the framework and shared key outcomes of the children's experiences. Visitors could share questions and comments and add their own ideas by responding to several interactive bulletin boards through writing messages on sticky notes.

Margaret's First- and Second-Grade Class Having documented classroom learning and shared the anti-bias work with families and school visitors, Margaret and her team now feel more comfortable discussing abilities and addressing unfair language in the classroom. Margaret notes the increase in children's use of the phrases "what he's [or she's] working on" and "just right" work to explain why different children have different assignments. Children share their diverse abilities with each other by writing comments on sticky notes in response to each other's pages in the classroom book. Margaret notes how children are able to take more academic risks and how she differentiates tasks in heterogeneous skill groups more flexibly, often referencing the classroom book when differences arise.

Heidi's Kindergarten Class The long-term planning time and subsequent use of the sign-up sheet enable kindergartners to plan for using classroom and school resources and to express and negotiate roles, story lines, and connections rather than arguing over who gets a turn and who gets to control the play. Teachers experiment with different ways to dismiss children at choice times, so that no one "got there first." Teachers' efforts to change some classroom structures, in tandem with the plans made for sharing bikes, support teamwork and problem solving in play.

Lisa's Pre-K Class The preschoolers share their learning by inviting families or children's caregivers who have come to school to mix paint to match their own skin colors. With the children as expert color mixers, the classroom visitors create their skin color, experiencing the expanded vocabulary about race that the children developed. On their gallery walk panel, Lisa presents information from research about race so families can see how it connects to the work in the classroom.

Conclusion

It is important to note that throughout this exploration of anti-bias topics, the teachers at the Eliot-Pearson Children's School had some key structures in place that were vital to their ability to sustain the hard work of reflective teaching, especially as related to potentially controversial topics. The following structures were included:

Make a commitment to anti-bias work. The school made anti-bias education a primary focus and was dedicated to trying out new ideas; integrating theory, research, and practice; and building a culture that allowed risk taking and making mistakes-essential components of anti-bias education. For some teachers-even those familiar with anti-bias work-their understandings of this approach broadened. One teacher reflected, "I initially thought anti-bias was about race, but I see that it can incorporate many different types of bias." Another teacher said, "I realized how frequently spontaneous teaching moments occur in the classroom. I became a better listener and was able to use everyday situations as prompts for future whole group discussions."

Use tools for staying on track. Having a tool such as the framework for anti-bias teaching supported educators as they learned to consider anti-bias issues in deeper, more holistic and intentional ways. It also held teachers accountable for keeping anti-bias education in the forefront of their teaching repertoire-implementing purposeful curriculum to move the work in the classroom forward. The framework became a filter through which teachers could discuss, plan, and gauge their work. A second teacher noted, "I feel it is important to be intentional about discussions of difference-that way children are given language and support and teachers are not caught unprepared." Additionally, the framework gave voice to new ways of thinking for teachers and children. One teacher reflected, "Children need language and experiences to broaden their understanding about diversity. The more experiences they have, the more easily they can take an anti-bias approach themselves."

Gain administrative support and dedicated meeting time for anti-bias education work. Making anti-bias education a priority for curriculum development and professional development means providing time, funds, and resources to this effort. Debbie LeeKeenan, the director of the school, made a conscious decision to dedicate staff meeting time to anti-bias work and, as a result, teachers were engaged in monthly professional development sharing and received regular feedback on anti-bias dilemmas. Teachers used a model of critical friendship and specific protocols to guide conversations and review dilemmas and students' work (School Reform Initiative 2012). Teachers then saw staff meetings as a place to "take our data and elicit feedback and reflection from colleagues, which influences our continued implementation of the curriculum." This kind of embedded professional development created trust among teachers and was an important venue for sharing entry points, feelings, thinking, and planning.

Working through the movements of the framework can bring up feelings of discomfort and move teachers to question which topics are introduced and how they are covered in their teaching practices. One teacher admitted, "It is still so hard to set priorities and decide what aspects of all the potential discussions get my attention, air time, group time, and curricular development." But teachers were adamant that the work was worth the effort. Another teacher expressed it this way: "I am a learner too. Curriculum should be about actively exploring a topic with each other. I learned that part of our job as teachers is to aid children and families in areas they may be struggling with. Though our ideas and beliefs may differ, it is still our job to negotiate through these."

Doing this work was not always easy, but it was rich, it shifted practice, and ultimately it was satisfying. Observing children as they have their own "a-ha!" moments-noticing an injustice, developing a new connection to a peer, or building an understanding of the world around them and their own role in making the world a more just place-is inspiring. It is equally satisfying to teachers to have taken a risk and stretched our own learning as a means to provide a deeper and more inclusive education for all.

References

Derman-Sparks, L., & J.O. Edwards. 2010. Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Derman-Sparks, L., D. LeeKeenan, & J. Nimmo. 2015. Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change. Early Childhood Education Series. New York: Teachers College Press; Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Kuh, L.P., D. LeeKeenan, H. Given, & M.R. Beneke. 2011. "Framework for Anti-Bias Teaching." Unpublished curriculum tool. Medford, MA: Eliot-Pearson Children's School, Tufts University.

Rinaldi, C. 2006. In Dialogue With Reggio Emilia: Listening, Researching, and Learning. Contesting Early Childhood series. New York: Rutledge. School Reform Initiative. 2012. Protocols. www.schoolreforminitiative.org.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Moving Beyond Anti-Bias Activities: Supporting the Development of Anti-Bias Practices

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Anti-bias education is a way of teaching that supports children and their families as they develop a sense of identity in a diverse society.

# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: PreK - K

This article discussed a number of ways to address racial bias in a preschool and kindergarten classroom. For example, the author detailed their own experience with racial bias in the classroom and their efforts to ensure students are appreciating their differences as well as identifying the similarities that make them a classroom family.

Hooven, J., Runkle, K., Strouse, L., Woods, M., Frankenberg, E. (2018).

Never too early to learn: Antibias education for young children.

Retrieved from https://kappanonline.org/hooven-never-early-learn-antibias-education-young-children/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Important lessons about race, diversity, and equity can and should be taught to children in early childhood and preschool settings.
In July 2016, Pennsylvania State University took over direct supervision of the Child Care Center at Hort Woods, an on-campus preschool and early learning center that had been run for the previous five years by an outside provider. But the challenge for those of us who work at Hort Woods wasn't just to adapt to new management; we also had to adopt a new mission. Penn State had just begun a universitywide campaign to become a more diverse and inclusive community, and the administration expected no less from the Child Care Center.

The effort to learn about and implement a race-conscious, antibias approach to early childhood education got under way in the fall when we began meeting regularly to discuss our own experiences with race and diversity. Over several weeks, we also participated in professional development activities led by Penn State's affirmative action office. Further, we received technical assistance from experts such as Andrew Grant Thomas of EmbraceRace - a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization - who met separately with parents, administrators, and teachers to share research findings and practical tips for educating children about race.

Taking our cue from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and other leaders in the field, we chose to adopt an antibias education framework comprising four essential goals:

#1. To promote the development of children's positive social identities;

#2. To help children learn accurate language to describe human differences and develop caring, respectful relationships with others (including those who differ in terms of race, gender identity, family structure, religion, socioeconomic class, and ability);

#3. To recognize unfairness and understand that it is hurtful; and

#4. To empower children to respond to situations that are unfair (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

However, we soon found that while it is one thing to voice support for such principles, it is something else entirely to bring them to life in the classroom. Teaching practices are notoriously slow to change, as are deep-seated beliefs and assumptions about race. Moreover, we found it particularly challenging to have productive conversations about these issues during fall 2016, given the racially divisive tone of the presidential campaign under way at the time. Nor did the demographic makeup of our workplace make those conversations any simpler. Because of its connection to a major university - which attracts students, faculty, and staff from all over the country and the world - Penn State's enrollment is fairly diverse, including many students of color (18%) and international students (15%). Hort Woods' enrollment is even more diverse. However, nearly all of us who work there are white, and many of us grew up in the mostly white and rural part of central Pennsylvania that surrounds the university.

Finally, while discussions about race can be difficult for many educators, they tend to be especially difficult for those of us who work with very young children. Children are often presumed to be "innocent" of racial biases, and many adults worry that by talking about race, they might inadvertently lead them to biased views. In fact, though, research suggests that children as young as 15 months old already notice race and express racial preferences; by the time they enter kindergarten, children tend to display racial prejudices that are similar to those of the adults in their lives (Dunham, Baron, & Banaji, 2008; Katz & Kofkin, 1997; Killen, Crystal, & Ruck, 2007).
In our own words
Below, three of us offer firsthand accounts of our experiences to date as we begin to implement a race-conscious, antibias approach in an early childhood setting.
Jennifer: Living up to our commitments
We have many signs posted around our classroom, but only one of them sits in a big wooden frame by our cubbies. Titled "All Children Belong Here. This Is Our Promise To You," it ends, "We are in this together, working for a world where every child is protected and honored, exactly as they are" (excerpted from Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2017). Even more than a sign, it is a commitment, a love letter, and an inspiration for our curriculum and instruction. We promise to nurture children, value them, teach them to be friends with others who are different from them, resist unfairness, and uproot our own biases as adults. Ingrained in this commitment from the educators to the children is the work we each must do on a personal level to examine our own thoughts, feelings, and dispositions so that we are ready and able to make good on our promises.

When we posted the sign, we had no idea where the educational journey would lead, but we wanted children to feel and understand the promise as fully as possible. Over the past several months, we have wandered down many curriculum paths in our classroom with children who are 3 to 5 years old. We studied the colors of our skin, mixed paint to match it, and looked closely in the mirror to notice and draw our features. We learned about racial injustices in U.S. history (and those still occurring today) and talked about what it feels like to be kept out or treated unfairly. And we made a time line with photos of the first single cell organisms, dinosaurs, prehistoric humans, and - almost all the way to the end of the time line - separate drinking water fountains, illustrating just how little time has passed since segregation was legal in this country.

Discussions about race can be difficult for many educators, but they tend to be especially difficult for educators who work with very young children.

While it has been easy for the children in my classroom to notice and list their differences, they are still learning to recognize and appreciate their similarities. In class, we wrestle with questions such as: What do all people need? Does everyone have rights, and what are they? Often, we reread the sign by our cubbies, reminding ourselves why we are discussing these themes. And I get the sense that the lessons are beginning to sink in. Recently, for example, we welcomed a new child into the classroom. A few days later, at circle time, another child shared his thoughts about the newcomer: "Everyone is welcome here. If you have black skin, you are welcome here, just like (our new friend). He has black skin, and he is welcome here." I can't say how much our curriculum contributed to these heartfelt words of welcome, but I do know that we are creating a safe and fair classroom for everyone from our oldest friend to our newest friend.

I still have a lot to learn, too. Growing up in a small rural town in a school system with very few people of color, I received a one-sided view of our country's history, and I've had to challenge my own ways of thinking and interacting with people. But this effort to become an antibias educator has been some of the most essential and rewarding work I have done in my 17-year career.
Katherine: Giving kids the words they need
People disagree as to whether very young children understand concepts like diversity. But in my work with infants and toddlers, I have learned that even at these early ages, children need to learn that differences are OK and that everyone should be comfortable in their own body. Children are always looking, listening, and taking in information from the world around them, so it's important to make the classroom environment as accepting as possible, including by offering a diverse range of toys, pictures, and books.

We started our conversations in my mixed-age infant/toddler classroom about race and diversity by reading Karen Beaumont's book I Like Myself (Harcourt, 2010). While we were reading and discussing the book, I suggested words and phrases for the children to use, such as "I like myself" and "I'm proud I'm me," and I asked them to name specific things they like about themselves. Also, I took various pictures of each child, focusing on their hands, eyes, and mouths. We looked at the photos and talked about the differences they saw, like skin tones and the shapes of kids' mouths. Noticing the range of eye colors in the pictures, one child blurted out, "Kate, our eyes are different!" I took that as an invitation to read aloud Todd Parr's book It's OK to be Different (Little Brown, 2009), which led to a discussion about how some people are blind, some use a wheelchair, some speak another language, and on and on.

I grew up in a time and place where such conversations were hushed, and nobody talked about these kinds of differences. It took me some time to understand how important it is to give children the appropriate language to talk about these things. But I've become hopeful, like all the teachers here, that these conversations will have a lasting impact on these children and that they will learn not to be colorblind but, rather, to understand and use their language to accept and appreciate the differences they see in this diverse world.
Laurie: Talking about race with other adults
As the supervising teacher in a mixed-age preschool classroom, I know that every child, parent, student, and teacher has been shaped by their own life experiences and perceives the world through the filters created by race, gender, ability, socioeconomic status, family structure, religion, and political affiliation. Given how divided our society is along these lines, it shouldn't have surprised me that the decision to implement antibias education practices would spark a debate, testing the cohesiveness of my three-person teaching team.

My first glimpse of the struggle ahead came one afternoon in October 2016. A 4-year-old boy in dramatic play was wearing a blazer and a pearl necklace. "I'm Hillary Clinton, and I'm going to be president! Will you vote for me?" he asked. "I have some problems with my emails, but I'm going to be a good president!" I delighted in seeing this young boy take on the persona of a strong female role model, but the moment ended abruptly when another child yelled out from across the room, "Lock her up!" These children had not escaped the bitter politics of our era, I realized. Nor could their teachers agree on what to do in response or whether it should be their role to intervene when children bring political views into the classroom. Further, because this happened right around the time that we began to focus on issues of race and diversity, our teachers came to associate the theme of antibias education with political debate.

Over the following months, politics continued to seep into the classroom. For example, in March 2017, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning travel to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries, a 4-year-old in our class was left to wonder whether his grandfather's much anticipated visit would be postponed. Preschoolers take the issue of fairness very seriously, and they were consumed with questions about whether the president was being fair. One child announced that she would be going to Washington, D.C., "to fight Donald Trump." During a read-aloud about frogs, another child said, out of the blue, that "Donald Trump is not a good friend," to which a classmate replied, "Yeah, because he isn't fair." In the teacher team, we continued to disagree over whether it was our role to engage the children in discussing politics, but we eventually came to agree on a strategy: We would explain to them that Americans can make things fairer by coming together to talk about their feelings and decide whether to change the law.

The harder challenge was to guide teachers in reflecting on certain beliefs and values that have been taught to them and reinforced throughout their lives. Anybody who takes an honest look at themselves will have to admit that they've behaved in ways that are insensitive or hurtful to members of other groups. But it can be difficult to talk about these things. To challenge our own assumptions about colorblindness, we have to raise issues and use language that probably seems taboo. It's tempting just to remain silent, even though this means denying the struggle that people of color, including many of our children and families, face every day.

For weeks, I worried that the teachers in my team wouldn't make it past this hurdle. Our conversations boiled over into arguments, and it looked like we'd never be able to resolve our conflicting beliefs about politics, gender, and race. Every day, I worried that the teachers would give up on implementing the antibias teaching model and that resignation letters would appear on my desk. I knew an action plan was desperately needed that could help us to grow professionally and rebuild trust and recreate a once-supportive work environment.

I read dozens of articles related to antibias education and race and, at my team's curriculum meetings, asked teachers to read the most powerful articles, think critically, and engage in deep conversations. Sometimes we agreed, sometimes conversations were hard to navigate, and sometimes we walked away with hurt feelings. Each time, I hoped that we would work through this and that we would be stronger for having taken this journey together.

After weeks of debate, my team finally found a simple answer to our dilemma, allowing us to move forward. Antibias education, we agreed, is not tied to a particular political party or value system. It is a nonpartisan tool for supporting children's social-emotional development, affirming their self-worth, addressing race and culture openly in our classrooms, treating all children fairly, and encouraging them to think critically about the problems that our society faces. Through this lens we all see the value of the work ahead.

It can be a daunting task to figure out exactly which language will resonate with particular age groups, but it is essential to do so.

Lessons to date
In some respects, our implementation of an antibias education model has only just begun, and we hope to deepen the work in all of the Child Care Center's classrooms. However, after pursuing this approach for more than a year, we've already learned a number of important lessons about incorporating antibias teaching, particularly about race and diversity, into a preschool setting:
#1. Try not to jump to conclusions.
In an infant/toddler or preschool classroom, teachers have to be exceptionally careful to slow down and avoid making snap judgments when kids talk about complex topics such as race. Young children tend to be very literal, and adults often read much more into their words than they intended. At Hort Woods, for example, a white child recently called a classmate with dark skin a "dirty man," which immediately raised alarm bells among the teachers: Was this child repeating a racist comment heard outside of school? Was an intervention required? As it turned out, the first child had noticed the second child touching some eggs at the lunch table, and he was concerned that his friend might be exposed to salmonella.

When adults are eager to confront racial bias, they can become too quick to see a teachable moment in every remark. In this case, though, to jump on the comment right away would have been a mistake, needlessly signaling anxiety about the subject of race and potentially causing the children to shy away from it.
#2. Look for subtle cues and nonverbal behaviors.
As teachers, parents, and supportive community members, we need to make a conscious choice to engage in courageous conversations with young children. This requires us not just to overcome our own biases and discomfort but also to encourage kids to ask questions, let us know what's on their minds, and show us what's troubling to them. Young children often express their curiosity in subtle and nonverbal ways, so one of us (Misty, our curriculum specialist) has been helping other staff members learn how to be close observers of children's behavior around issues related to race and difference. For example, while many older preschool children have the verbal skills to ask direct and probing questions, toddlers may simply point to someone who looks different than them, or reach out to touch another child's hair or skin. Each of these situations is an invitation for caring adults to scaffold children's learning and help them learn to appreciate differences in others.
#3. Adapt to the age group.
Children of all ages are constantly trying to make sense of the confusing world in which they live. But when teaching about diversity - as with teaching about every other topic - the age of the kids matters a great deal. The words you choose, the concepts you introduce, and the depth of conversation you aim for should all be calibrated to fit the given children. It can be a daunting task to figure out exactly which language will resonate with particular age groups, but it is essential to do so. When it comes to their understanding of race and diversity, a class of infants and toddlers is in a very different place and needs very different kinds of lessons and explanations from a class of 4-year-olds. Relying on a process of reflection to think through topics and conversations one might have with children gives us time to choose our words carefully, evaluate concepts by judging their developmental appropriateness, and translate the subject into words and concepts young children will understand.
#4. Build community.
EmbraceRace talks about the importance of raising racially literate children in community. We have focused on connecting with families, and one of us (Erica) has hosted a series of brown bag discussions to provide parents an opportunity to ask questions about the curriculum and learn about related resources. This has also extended to a recently adopted statement of diversity for the larger network of Penn State child care centers, which lends important institutional support for teachers doing this work and communicates to current and prospective parents the value placed on antiracist, antibias education. The importance of support from leadership is a critical foundation to attain the benefits of diverse classrooms (Hawley, 2007), and it is especially important now, given current societal tensions over issues related to race and immigration.
#5. Be patient with colleagues.
Having peers who can support each other's professional growth is an essential part of taking on antibias education. Supportive coworkers help move us forward to be courageous in leading conversations about diversity and inclusion. Even Laurie's difficult conversations with colleagues ultimately led toward professional growth. The act of working through topics that are challenging, and sometimes uncomfortable, helps us assess our biases and allows the opportunity to dive deep into conversations that influence our practice. Because our teaching team is composed of white women, our initial lens during conversations about race and American institutions comes from a perspective of privilege. By acknowledging racism and systemic oppression, we teach children ways to counter them by explicitly teaching social-emotional skills, breaking down stereotypes, building empathy, and coaching activism.
A concluding thought
This journey can be challenging for early childhood educators, especially for many of us who were raised to be colorblind and to avoid explicit discussions of racial differences. Teachers are always choosing which lines of inquiry to scaffold and extend. It can be tempting to shy away from some of children's more challenging questions and embarrassingly loud declarations. But if these are used as learning opportunities, instead of treated as disruptions, powerful lessons about race can be shared with children of all ages (Kuh et al., 2016).
References
Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J.O. (2010). Antibias education for young children and ourselves. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J.O. (2017, March-April). Living our commitments: A pledge to all children and families. Exchange.

Dunham, Y., Baron, A.S., & Banaji, M.R. (2008). The development of implicit intergroup cognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 12 (7), 248-253.

Hawley, W. (2007). Designing schools that use student diversity to enhance learning of all students. In E. Frankenberg & G. Orfield (Eds.), Lessons in integration: Realizing the promise of racial diversity in American schools (pp. 31-56). Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press.

Katz, P.A. & Kofkin, J.A. (1997). Race, gender, and young children. In S.S. Luthar, J.A. Burack, D. Cicchetti, & J.R. Weisz (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Perspectives on adjustment, risk, and disorder (pp. 51-74). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Killen, M., Crystal, D., & Ruck, M (2007). The social developmental benefits of intergroup contact among children and adolescents. In E. Frankenberg & G. Orfield (Eds.), Lessons in integration: Realizing the promise of racial diversity in American schools (pp. 31-56). Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press.

Kuh, L., LeeKeenan, D., Given, H., & Beneke, M.R. (2016). Moving beyond antibias activities: Supporting the development of antibias practices. Young Children 71 (1).

Originally published in February 2018 Phi Delta Kappan 99 (5), 61-66. © 2018 Phi Delta Kappa International. All rights reserved.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Never too early to learn: Antibias education for young children - kappanonline.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Important lessons about race, diversity, and equity can and should be taught to children in early childhood and preschool settings. In July 2016, Pennsylvania State University took over direct supervision of the Child Care Center at Hort Woods, an on-campus preschool and early learning center that had been run for the previous five years by an outside provider.

# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: PreK - 3

This article features a chart that outlines the stages of basic child development in relation to what they are able to process compared with their age. The chart also gives suggestions for what educators can present students with at that time for optimal results and class discussions. This provides educators with a better understanding of what should be appropriate to discuss with students at a variety of ages.

LeeKeenan, D., Allen, B. (2017). It Can Be Done! Strategies for Embedding Anti-bias Education into Daily Programming. Retrieved from http://www.antibiasleadersece.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ABE-LeeKeenan-Allen.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: PreK- 3

This article highlights a number of stereotypes associated with students living in poverty and provides educators with solutions for appropriate ways to combat those differences in the classroom. For example, the article outlined that one of the predominant outcomes of poverty is children who are struggling with health and nutrition. The author then suggested doing yoga in the classroom to promote the flow of oxygen and ensuring students have physical activity that will release glucose to help them remain healthy.

Jensen, E. (2013).

How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement.

Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may13/vol70/num08/How-Poverty-Affects-Classroom-Engagement.aspx

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Poverty is an uncomfortable word. I'm often asked, "What should I expect from kids from low-income households?" Typically, teachers are unsure what to do differently.

Just as the phrase middle class tells us little about a person, the word poverty typically tells us little about the students we serve. We know, for example, that the poor and middle classes have many overlapping values, including valuing education and the importance of hard work (Gorski, 2008). But if poor people were exactly the same cognitively, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally as those from the middle class, then the exact same teaching provided to both middle-class students and students from poverty would bring the exact same results.

But it doesn't work that way. In one study of 81,000 students across the United States, the students not in Title I programs consistently reported higher levels of engagement than students who were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (Yazzie-Mintz, 2007). Are children from poverty more likely to struggle with engagement in school?

The answer is yes. Seven differences between middle-class and low-income students show up at school. By understanding those differences and how to address them, teachers can help mitigate some of the negative effects of poverty.

But first, my most important suggestion is to get to know your students well. Without respect-and without taking time to connect with your students-these seven factors will mean little.

Overall, poor people are less likely to exercise, get proper diagnoses, receive appropriate and prompt medical attention, or be prescribed appropriate medications or interventions. A study by two prominent neuroscientists suggested that intelligence is linked to health (Gray &amp; Thompson, 2004). The poor have more untreated ear infections and hearing loss issues (Menyuk, 1980); greater exposure to lead (Sargent et al., 1995); and a higher incidence of asthma (Gottlieb, Beiser, &amp; O'Connor, 1995) than middle-class children. Each of these health-related factors can affect attention, reasoning, learning, and memory.

Nutrition plays a crucial role as well. Children who grow up in poor families are exposed to food with lower nutritional value. This can adversely affect them even in the womb (Antonow-Schlorke et al., 2011). Moreover, poor nutrition at breakfast affects gray matter mass in children's brains (Taki et al., 2010). Skipping breakfast is highly prevalent among urban minority youth, and it negatively affects students' academic achievement by adversely affecting cognition and raising absenteeism (Basch, 2011).

When students experience poor nutrition and diminished health practices, it's harder for them to listen, concentrate, and learn. Exposure to lead is correlated with poor working memory and weaker ability to link cause and effect. Kids with ear infections may have trouble with sound discrimination, making it tough to follow directions, do highly demanding auditory processing, and understand the teacher. This can hurt reading ability and other skills. Poor diets also affect behavior. Students can often appear listless (with low energy) or hyperactive (on a sugar "high").

Remember, the two primary foods for the brain are oxygen and glucose; oxygen reacts with glucose to produce energy for cell function. Schools can provide these at zero cost. Having students engage in slow stretching while taking slow deep breaths can increase their oxygenation. Yoga training has been shown to increase metabolic controls so children can better manage themselves.

Recess and physical education contribute to greater oxygen intake and better learning (Winter et al., 2007). Never withhold recess from students for a disciplinary issue; there are countless other ways to let them know they behaved inappropriately. Children need physical education programs at every level to perform well academically. In addition, the use of games, movement, and drama will trigger the release of glucose, stored in the body as glycogen. Proper glucose levels are associated with stronger memory and cognitive function. In short, physical activity will reduce some of the issues associated with poor nutrition and will build student health.

Children who grow up in low socioeconomic conditions typically have a smaller vocabulary than middle-class children do, which raises the risk for academic failure (Walker, Greenwood, Hart, &amp; Carta, 1994). Children from low-income families hear, on average, 13 million words by age 4. In middle-class families, children hear about 26 million words during that same time period. In upper-income families, they hear a staggering 46 million words by age 4-three times as many as their lower-income counterparts (Hart &amp; Risley, 1995). In fact, toddlers from middle- and upper-income families actually used more words in talking to their parents than low-SES mothers used in talking to their own children (Bracey, 2006). This language difference is not subtle; it's a mind-boggling, jaw-dropping cognitive chasm.

A child's vocabulary is part of the brain's tool kit for learning, memory, and cognition. Words help children represent, manipulate, and reframe information. Kids from low-income families are less likely to know the words a teacher uses in class or the words that appear in reading material. When children aren't familiar with words, they don't want to read, often tune out, or feel like school is not for them. Also, many students don't want to risk looking stupid (especially to their peers), so they won't participate in class.

Vocabulary building must form a key part of enrichment experiences for students, and teachers must be relentless about introducing and using new words. Include vocabulary building in engagement activities, such as by creating "trading card" activities, in which students write a vocabulary word on one side of a 3 × 5 card and a sentence using the word correctly on the other. Students can do a "class mixer" and test other students; they give the new word to their partner, and their partner has to use it in a sentence. Teachers can also draw cards from a bowl and ask the class to use the new word in a sentence.

Teachers can incorporate vocabulary practice into daily rituals. For example, the teacher posts a word for the day and when either the teacher or a student uses it-and another student is first to point it out-that student gets a simple privilege. Classroom teams or cooperative groups should present a word for the day to the whole class every day, with teachers reinforcing those words for days and weeks afterward.

Uninformed teachers may think that poor children slouch, slump, and show little effort because they are-or their parents are-lazy. Yet research suggests that parents from poor families work as much as parents of middle- or upper-class families do (Economic Policy Institute, 2002). There's no "inherited laziness" passed down from parents.

One reason many students seem unmotivated is because of lack of hope and optimism. Low socioeconomic status and the accompanying financial hardships are correlated with depressive symptoms (Butterworth, Olesen, &amp; Leach, 2012). Moreover, the passive "I give up" posture may actually be learned helplessness, shown for decades in the research as a symptom of a stress disorder and depression. Research from 60 high-poverty schools tells us that the primary factor in student motivation and achievement isn't the student's home environment; it's the school and the teacher (Irvin, Meece, Byun, Farmer, &amp; Hutchins, 2011). Effort can be taught, and strong teachers do this every day.

Students who show little or no effort are simply giving you feedback. When you liked your teacher, you worked harder. When the learning got you excited, curious, and intrigued, you put out more effort. We've all seen how students will often work much harder in one class than in another. The feedback is about themselves-and about your class.

Take on the challenge. Invest in students who are not putting out effort. In a study of more than 1,800 children from poverty, school engagement was a key factor in whether the student stayed in school (Finn &amp; Rock, 1997).

First, strengthen your relationships with students by revealing more of yourself and learning more about your students. Ask yourself, "What have I done to build relationships and respect? Do my students like me?"

Use more buy-in strategies, such as curiosity builders (a mystery box or bag); excitement and risk ("This idea's a bit crazy; let's make sure we have the number for the fire department, just in case"); and competition ("My last class accomplished _____; let's see what you can do!"). Make the learning more of the students' idea by offering a choice, and involve them more in decision making.

Second, teachers must make connections to students' worlds in ways that help them see a viable reason to play the academic game. Can you tie classroom learning to the real world? Use money, shopping, technology, and their family members to make the learning more relevant. Without clear links between the two, students often experience a demotivating disconnect between the school world and their home life. As a result, they give up.

Third, affirm effort every day in class. Most teachers don't keep track of their comments to students; maybe they should. When teachers give more positives than negatives (a 3:1 ratio is best), they optimize both learning and growth (Fredrickson &amp; Losada, 2005). When affirmed, challenged, and encouraged, students work harder.

Fourth, set high goals and sell students on their chances to reach them. Get them to believe in the goals by showing them real-world success stories of adults who came from the same circumstances the students did and who achieved their goals.

Finally, provide daily feedback so students see that effort matters and that they can adjust it for even greater success. Affirm your students, and let them know how much good you see in them.

Hope is a powerful thing. Research suggests that lower socioeconomic status is often associated with viewing the future as containing more negative events than positive ones (Robb, Simon, &amp; Wardle, 2009). Low or no expectancy ("helplessness") is also related to low socioeconomic status (Odéen et al., 2012). In short, being poor is associated with lowered expectations about future outcomes.

The student's attitude about learning (his or her mind-set) is also a moderately robust predictive factor (Blackwell, Trzesniewski, &amp; Dweck, 2007). Taken together, hope-or the lack of hope-and mind-set-whether you believe that you're simply born smart or that you can grow in intelligence along the way-can be either significant assets or serious liabilities. If students think failure or low performance is likely, they'll probably not bother to try. Similarly, if they think they aren't smart enough and can't succeed, they'll probably not put out any effort.

Teacher and student beliefs about having a fixed amount of "smarts" that the student can't increase will influence engagement and learning. Teach students that their brains can change and grow, that they can even raise their IQs. Provide better-quality feedback (prompt, actionable, and task-specific).

Also, telling students that they have a limited amount of focusing power is likely to disengage many of them (Miller et al., 2012). There's an alternative to saying, "Don't feel bad that you didn't finish. It's late in the day, and we've all got brain drain." Instead, say, "Stick with this just a bit longer. You can do this! Your mind is a powerful force to help you reach your goals."

Don't use comforting phrases that imply that even though a student isn't good at something, he or she has "other" strengths (Cooper, 2012). Instead, focus on affirming and reinforcing effort. Guide students in making smarter strategy choices and cultivating a positive attitude.

Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often perform below those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds on tests of intelligence and academic achievement (Bradley &amp; Corwyn, 2002). Commonly, low-SES children show cognitive problems, including short attention spans, high levels of distractibility, difficulty monitoring the quality of their work, and difficulty generating new solutions to problems (Alloway, Gathercole, Kirkwood, &amp; Elliott, 2009). These issues can make school harder for children from impoverished backgrounds.

Many children who struggle cognitively either act out (exhibit problem behavior) or shut down (show learned helplessness). But cognitive capacity, as well as intelligence, is a teachable skill (Buschkuehl &amp; Jaeggi, 2010).

If you're not teaching core cognitive skills, rethink your teaching methods. Students who struggle with reading, math, and following directions may have weak vocabulary, poor working memory, or poor processing skills. Studies show that high-performing teachers can overcome the problems of underperforming kids (Ferguson, 1998). Like effort, cognitive capacity is teachable.

Focus on the core academic skills that students need the most. Begin with the basics, such as how to organize, study, take notes, prioritize, and remember key ideas. Then teach problem-solving, processing, and working-memory skills.

Start small. Teach students immediate recall of words, then phrases, then whole sentences. This will help them remember the directions you give in class and will support them as they learn how to do mental computations. This will take tons of encouragement, positive feedback, and persistence. Later, you can use this foundation to build higher-level skills.

When children's early experiences are chaotic and one or both of the parents are absent, the developing brain often becomes insecure and stressed. Three-quarters of all children from poverty have a single-parent caregiver.

In homes of those from poverty, children commonly get twice as many reprimands as positive comments, compared with a 3:1 ratio of positives to negatives in middle-class homes (Risley &amp; Hart, 2006). If caregivers are stressed about health care, housing, and food, they're more likely to be grumpy and less likely to offer positive comments to their kids.

The probability of dropping out and school failure increases as a function of the timing and length of time that children are exposed to relational adversity (Spilt, Hughes, Wu, &amp; Kwok, 2012). Having only a single caregiver in the home-if the father is absent, for example-can create both instability and uncertainty because the children are missing a role model. Two caregivers offer the luxury of a backup-when one parent is at work, busy, or overly stressed, the other can provide for the children so there's always a stabilizing force present. Relationships can be challenging for children who lack role models and sufficient supports.

Low-income parents are often less able than middle-class parents to adjust their parenting to the demands of their higher-needs children (Paulussen-Hoogeboom, Stams, Hermanns, &amp; Peetsma, 2007). For example, many parents don't know what to do with children who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who are oppositional, or who are dyslexic.

Disruptive home relationships often create mistrust in students. Adults have often failed them at home, and children may assume that the adults in school will fail them, too. Classroom misbehaviors are likely because many children simply do not have the at-home stability or repertoire of necessary social-emotional responses for school. Students are more likely to be impulsive, use inappropriate language, and act disrespectful-until you teach them more appropriate social and emotional responses.

Children with unstable home lives are particularly in need of strong, positive, caring adults. The more you care, the better the foundation for interventions. Learn every student's name. Ask about their family, their hobbies, and what's important to them. Stop telling students what to do and start teaching them how to do it.

For example, if you ask a high school student to dial down his or her energy for the next few minutes and the student responds with a smirk or wisecrack, simply ask him or her to stay a moment after class. Never embarrass the student in front of his or her peers. After class, first reaffirm your relationship with the student. Then demonstrate the behavior you wanted (show the student the appropriate facial expression and posture); say why it will be important as the student moves through school ("This will keep you out of trouble with other adults"); and indicate when a given response is appropriate and what it should look like ("When you think your teacher has overstepped his or her bounds, this is what you should say"). End by affirming common goals and interests ("We're both in this together. We can make this work-if we each do our part").

Although small amounts of stress are healthy, acute and chronic stress-known as distress-is toxic. Children living in poverty experience greater chronic stress than do their more affluent counterparts. Low-income parents' chronic stress affects their kids through chronic activation of their children's immune systems, which taxes available resources and has long-reaching effects (Blair &amp; Raver, 2012). Distress affects brain development, academic success, and social competence (Evans, Kim, Ting, Tesher, &amp; Shannis, 2007). It also impairs behaviors; reduces attentional control (Liston, McEwen, &amp; Casey, 2009); boosts impulsivity (Evans, 2003); and impairs working memory (Evans &amp; Schamberg, 2009).

Distressed children typically exhibit one of two behaviors: angry "in your face" assertiveness or disconnected "leave me alone" passivity. To the uninformed, the student may appear to be either out of control, showing an attitude, or lazy. But those behaviors are actually symptoms of stress disorders-and distress influences many behaviors that influence engagement.

The more aggressive behaviors include talking back to the teacher, getting in the teacher's face, using inappropriate body language, and making inappropriate facial expressions. The more passive behaviors include failing to respond to questions or requests, exhibiting passivity, slumping or slouching, and disconnecting from peers or academic work.

Address the real issue-distress-and the symptoms will diminish over time. Begin by building stronger relationships with students; this helps alleviate student stress.

Reduce stress by embedding more classroom fun in academics. Provide temporary cognitive support-that is, help students get the extra glucose and oxygen they need-by having them engage in such sensory motor activities as the childhood game "head-toes-knees-shoulders," in which children touch different parts of their bodies in quick succession. Such actions can support behavioral regulation, which is so important for early academic success.

Next, don't try to exert more control over the student's life. This will only create continued issues with engagement. Instead, give students more control over their own daily lives at school. Encourage responsibility and leadership by offering choices, having students engage in projects, and supporting teamwork and classroom decision making. Having a sense of control is the fundamental element that helps diminish the effects of chronic and acute stress.

Finally, teach students ongoing coping skills so they can better deal with their stressors. For example, give them a simple, "If this, then that" strategy for solving problems using new skills. You can do this through telling stories about your own daily stressors, allowing students to brainstorm solutions, and then sharing the coping tools that worked for you and modeling how you addressed various challenges.

Remember, students in poverty are not broken or damaged. In fact, human brains adapt to experiences by making changes-and your students can change.

You can help them do so by understanding these seven differences and addressing these differences with purposeful teaching. Your school can join the ranks of the many high-performing Title I schools where students succeed every day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement - ASCD

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Poverty is an uncomfortable word. I'm often asked, "What should I expect from kids from low-income households?" Typically, teachers are unsure what to do differently. Just as the phrase middle class tells us little about a person, the word poverty typically tells us little about the students we serv

# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: PreK - 3

This article provides a brief overview of the history of special education and then provides examples of bias and prejudice in the classroom. For example, the article discusses that teachers can unintentionally perpetuate stereotypes in the classroom by over-accommodating students with special needs, therefore placing them in a different "class" to their peers.

Harbrock, S. (2019).

Prejudice Against Special Needs Students In School Systems.

Retrieved from https://medium.com/@sohabro19/prejudice-against-special-needs-students-in-school-systems-c13ba992c4e5

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Introduction
In school systems, there is a prejudice that individuals with mental disabilities are not as capable or as smart as the other students and that they need to be excluded from the normal classroom in order to receive special education services. This type of prejudice is a barrier to the inclusion of these students and the integration of special needs students in the classroom. We will examine this issue by first looking at the history of special education service delivery models and how they've improved over time, then we will look at how this treatment by educators forms prejudice in the minds of students and the peers of people with disabilities, and finally, look at the future of special education and how we can strike down prejudice in the school system.
History of Special Education
According to The the Encyclopedia Britannica, special education or special needs education is defined as "the education of children who differ socially, mentally, or physically from the average to such an extent that they require modifications of usual school practices." In the beginning of school systems, there was not a definitive "norm" inside the classroom. This quickly changed. Skiba and his colleagues joined together to write an article titled, "Achieving Equity in Special Education: History, Status, and Current Challenges." In this article, it describes how African Americans were among the first group of students to be identified as students who were simply struggling inside of the classroom. This was an unfair judgment due to the obvious oppression and discrimination within the country at an early stage but was just the first step in studies towards learning disabilities. This arose as a problem within the history of special education service delivery models because students of all different minorities were thrown into a different classroom, away from the other students. Brown v. Board of Education (1954) helped create a solution to this with the main point being that the black population would no longer be segregated from the white schools. Over time segregation in schools started to disintegrate, and they started getting the education they deserved. After schools became integrated and the minorities received education, students with special needs became more prominent in the classroom. The students who struggled started to stick out more than in years prior due to the fact that the kids who were struggling in school were just not getting the right education and now the gap became much more apparent.

Brown v. Board of Education

This was also an era where the service delivery models were simply excluding these students from the classroom. Dunn (1968) criticized this method as he thought it raised issues concerning civil rights and educational rights. Relating to Dunn's criticisms, a main federal legislation related to students with disabilities was made in 1975 with the passage of Public Law 94 -142, which is more commonly known as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act. This act would serve children with disabilities ages 3 through 21 and guarantee them a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). This would be the start of the end of exclusion. After this act was put into place, the service delivery models looked completely different. IDEA (1997) brought a whole array of new research, thoughts, and ideas for educating students with disabilities that had been discovered over the past several years and create a new layout for their education (Bastche et al., 2006). This was a new model at the time and only set up a guideline for the advancement within service models for years to come. Inclusion of disabled students in the classroom became a vital service delivery model, especially during the 1900s. With a main focus of providing support for these students in the classroom, it also focused on providing the same opportunities to them as the other students in the curriculum (Hanover Research, 2014, p.17). The world of education and service models has come a long way since these days, but there is only room for more improvement.

Timeline of Special Education Also Explaining the IDEA
Treatment from others
As one can imagine, the treatment of children and adults with learning disabilities has overcome many obstacles since the beginning, including the prejudice formed at an early age. In the schooling system, we can see the prejudice set at an early age for students and peers by no other than teachers themselves.

One of the major ways teacher bias is seen today in the classroom in terms of special education is when it comes to accommodations. It can often be found difficult for teachers to notice that a student of high intelligence needs new work materials to help their abilities continue to grow and prosper. But, teachers may find it a bit more noticeable than a child of higher needs is in need of more attention. This translates directly to students and allows them to exclude these special need students into a different social group of their own (Roy, 2019). Teachers are creating prejudice within their classroom without even realizing they are doing it. When students are watching their teacher treat a special needs student with extreme accommodations, it creates an even larger partisanship in a child's life.

An interview conducted by myself included a conversation with Louisville Public School's special education teacher, Mrs. Julie Beck. Mrs. Beck has been a special education teacher for 10 years at two different schools and has been around the special education side of education for years. Mrs. Beck gave her thoughts on the treatment of students within the school district: " I think back then, (not that long ago) the students were just sent out of the room or in a room by themselves. Now, they are apart of the class; they are friends with their classmates. Unfortunately, kids can be mean and I think everyone at some point with a disability or not, has felt the world is against them." Coming from an educator herself, this shows that it is a real-life problem and not just a statistic found inside of a textbook. This educator has found a perfect way to keep students in the classroom for most of the day but also pull them out for small portions to measure their progress. She lets me help measure the progress of students each day when I work with her. Each day we grab a kindergartener with special needs student from the classroom and work with her for about forty minutes. The rest of the day is spent back in the classroom with the other students.

Daily Program
Striking Down on Prejudice
Finally, the definition of prejudice is "A negative (or positive) evaluation of a particular group and its members" (Feldman, 2017, p. 514). The teacher bias is often shown through observations in the teachers' beliefs about the different behaviors and learning abilities of special needs students. Teachers are stuck on the matter of the fact. The special needs kids do require different attention than the typical student, but should not be excluded from the typical classroom activities. Perhaps a solution to eliminating this prejudice is to create more discussions including ways to handle these behaviors and by allowing special education teachers to speak up for children in a non-threatening way (Roy, 2019). There have been many different attempts at eliminating these prejudices in the classroom, but none have been proven to work one hundred percent of the time. So the goal is to find new ways to incorporate special needs children in the classroom without excluding them from activities.

The overall goal for many educators is to eliminate the prejudice set within the world of special education. There have been many proposed ideas but only a few that seem to work. Kathy Koch wrote a journal on this topic in particular called, "Do Students With Disabilities Get the Help They Need?" Koch first touches on the problems she discovered still in the educational system today. These problems include a large dropout rate of disabled students, misdiagnosis of the disabled, and a constant short supply of aide, materials, and services (Koch 2000). For the future of special education, the key is to first fix the problems within the system and then finding accommodations that work for including special needs students into the classroom. In recent studies, there has been a new method created to serve as a service delivery model called the Balanced Scorecard Model. This method was identified by a teacher by the name of Ms. Barbour the and Wallace Foundation. The Balanced Scorecard Model is a data-based model that has had proven success in facilitating with school improvement based on the thoughts that "If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage and improve it Measurement motivates" (Hanover Research, 2014, p.28). This model would also include more beneficiary accommodations for both the teachers and students, by making it a more complex system that does in-depth testing to make sure the students actually fit the correct category. This model will continue being used throughout the country and start spreading rapidly due to its success in the Northeast.

Ted Talk by Peter Walker on Inclusive Education

Statistics on Inclusion

Another major issue seen standing in the way of eliminating prejudices is the lack of funding. By increasing the funding supporting special education and service delivery models, more students will be able to accumulate the resources needed in the classroom to be successful. There are multiple political parties showing their concern about funding towards special needs materials in the education system. The liberal party continuously shows its support to the cause for increased funding for education in general, but specifically for children with a disability. Increased funding will help schools provide the materials and staffing to allow adjustments to be made (Roy, 2019). These adjustments will allow students to access the particular curriculum to reach their full potential. Funding will also be able to support a staff training program.
Conclusion
It has been proven that there is a prejudice that individuals with mental disabilities are not as capable or as smart as the other students and that they need to be excluded from the normal classroom in order to receive special education services. The history of special education service delivery models and how they've improved over time, the treatment by educators forms prejudice in the minds of students and the peers of people with disabilities, the future of special education and how we can strike down prejudice in the school system are all important steps in working towards eliminating this prejudice and giving students with mental disabilities the best possible scenario to succeed.
References
Special education. (2019). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://academic-tion/69022ebcom.proxy.southeast.edu/levels/collegiate/article/special-educa-

Skiba, R. J., Simmons, A. B., Ritter, S., Gibb, A. C., Rausch, M. K., Cuadrado, J., & Chung, C. (2008). Achieving Equity in Special Education: History, Status, and Current Challenges. Exceptional Children,74(3), 264-288. doi: 10.1177/00144029080740030

Martin, W. E. (1998). Brown v. Board of Education (1952-55). Brown v. Board of Education, 121-198. doi:10.1007/978-1-137-07126-2_5

Hanover Research. (2014). Best practices for Special Education Delivery and Interventions. http://www.hanoverresearch.com/

Roy, D. (2019, March 30). Children with disability are being excluded from education. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/children-with-disability-are-being-excluded-from-education-59825

Batsche, G., Elliott, J., Garden, J. L., Grimes, J., Kovaleski, J. F., Prasse, D., Reschly, D. J., Schrag, J., & Tilly, W. D. (2006). Response to intervention policy considerations and implementation. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Directors of Special Education.

Koch, K. (2000, November 10). Special education. CQ Researcher, 10, 905-928. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Prejudice Against Special Needs Students In School Systems

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Introduction In school systems, there is a prejudice that individuals with mental disabilities are not as capable or as smart as the other students and that they need to be excluded from the normal classroom in order to receive special education services.

# data[].attributes.body
Intended age: PreK - 3

This article provides great insight into an entire realm of subtopics under the disability umbrella. However, this article was chosen specifically because it dictates a few strategies that teachers can implement in the classroom; one of which includes providing opportunities for peer-to-peer interaction. The author suggests that this is one of the primary ways those boundaries are broken as students are breaking them down themselves.

Milsom, A. (n.d.).

Creating Positive School Experiences for Students with Disabilities.

Retrieved from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/creating-positive-school-experiences-students-disabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creating Positive School Experiences for Students with Disabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The school experiences of students with disabilities can be positively or negatively influenced by the attitudes and behaviors of students and staff and by general school policies. School counselors can take the lead in assessing school climate in relation to students with disabilities and initiating interventions or advocating for change when appropriate.