Despite the uproar over critical race theory, a slim majority of students say they are learning about race and racism in class, a new report finds.
Just a little more than half (56%) of 2,400 high school students surveyed this spring reported having participated in classroom discussions about race, according to the “” report by America’s Promise Alliance and Research for Action.
On a related topic, however, students of color were less likely than white students to see themselves represented in the curriculum, according to the study, which did not ask about critical race theory specifically, says聽Sean Flanagan, senior director of research at America’s Promise Alliance.
Overall, the report found that students who聽learn about race and racism in school are more likely to hold egalitarian views and be active around racial issues:
- About 3 in 5 students said their school curriculum represents non-white communities at least聽sometimes. But students of color were somewhat less likely to agree.
- Students who regularly learned about race and racism were significantly more likely to express聽egalitarian beliefs鈥攕uch as promoting equality among social groups鈥攃ompared to young people with fewer such learning opportunities.
- These students also reported higher levels of personal social action, such as reading and talking with friends and family about political and social issues.
“Students should聽see聽themselves聽represented in the curriculum and have the opportunity聽to discuss these topics,”聽Flanagan says. “And we聽shouldn’t聽leave this to chance鈥攖eachers need聽training聽on how to facilitate these conversations.”
Critical race theory tracker: Where it’s been banned
Laws that ban the teaching of critical race theory聽in a handful of states could wind up restricting other lessons about race and racism, adds Melissa Mellor, the Alliance’s senior director of communications. “We’re聽concerned some of that聽legislation could聽have a chilling or聽dampening聽effect聽on any attempt to address聽crucial聽topics in the classroom,” Mellor says.
Connections and college plans
The survey also examined how COVID-19 has upended high school students’ postsecondary plans. More than three-quarters said that the pandemic averted their post-high school plans at least a little bit, with about 20% reporting significant impacts, including changing where they planned to attend college.
Finances and family issues were the most common reasons students gave for changing plans.
However, students also reported feeling more prepared for college when they also had closer connections to teachers and classmates, learned about race and racism, and had been academically challenged.
Like many other reports, this survey also found that students, particularly those who learned remotely for most of the pandemic, felt disconnected from classmates, teachers and other adults and youth in the community.
Superintendents and their teams should consider placing new emphasis on social-emotional and other needs of high school students, says聽Liz Glaser, the Alliance’s director of strategic initiatives and partnerships and a leader of its GradNation聽campaign. “We’re in a moment of聽opportunity聽to聽prioritize high聽school聽students when聽they聽are showing they’re in need of a lot of support, mentally and academically,” Glaser says. “They are oftentimes聽deprioritized in favor of other age聽groups, but it’s time we really focus on them.”
