From racial stereotyping and deficit discourse toward a critical race theory in teacher education

Multicultural Education, Fall 2001 by Solorzano, Daniel G, Yosso, Tara J

Embedded in Lorde and Marable's definitions of racism are at least three important points: (1) one group believes itself to be superior, (2) the group which believes itself to be superior has the power to carry out the racist behavior, and (3) racism effects multiple racial/ethnic groups. These two definitions take the position that racism is about institutional power, and people of color in the United States have never possessed this form of power. By merely having a"conversations about race," without talking about racism, we decontextualize those places where race and racism enters our lives in macro and micro ways (Solorzano, 1998).

Racial Stereotyping and Students of Color

A critical race theory in teacher education seeks to identify, analyze, and transform subtle and overt forms of racism in education in order to transform society. Therefore, how does racism shape the education of Latina/o, AfricanAmerican, Asian, Pacific Islander, NativeAmerican, and other Students of Color differently than the education of White students?

To answer this question, we first define and examine racial stereotypes. Gordon Allport (1979) defines a stereotype as "an exaggerated belief associated with a category. Its function is to justify (rationalize) our conduct in relation to that category" (p. 191). This definition provides a valuable tool for teacher educators to examine how racial stereotypes function to justify certain attitudes and behaviors toward students of color.

Racial Stereotypes in Media and Students of Color

Figure 1 shows how racial and ethnic stereotypes can be placed into at least three general categories: (1) intelligence and educational stereotypes; (2) personality or character stereotypes; and (3) physical appearance stereotypes. Indeed, these racial stereotypes and related conduct toward Blacks, Chicanas/os, and Native Americans are often times interchangeable between the groups. The fact that Blacks, Chicanas/os, and Native Americans have been and are often still seen on television, film, and in print media as "dumb," "violent," "lazy," "irresponsible," or "dirty" may often be used to rationalize their subordinate position in society (Berkeley Art Center, 1982; Bonilla & Girling, 1973).

In educational settings, these stereotypic traits can be used to justify: (1) having low educational and occupational expectations for students of color, (2) placing students of color in separate schools and in separate classrooms within schools, (3) remediating or "dumbing down" the curriculum and pedagogy for students of color, and (4) expecting students of color to one day occupy lower status and levels of occupations. Too often, the social issues of welfare, crime, drugs, immigrants, and educational problems are given a racial face or are racialized through stereotypical media depictions of people of color (Omi & Winant, 1994).

Racial Stereotypes In Professional Environments and Students of Color

Racial stereotypes often take on different forms at the professional level. Indeed, it would be unprofessional for teachers and teacher educators to describe students of color as "dumb,""dirty," or "lazy." Instead, some educators and scholars might use different terminology, such as"uneducable," "lack hygiene," or "lack motivation." For example, around the turn of the century, Lewis Terman (1916), the major importer and translator of the Alfred Binet's intelligence, or IQ, test, commented that: