1. Reviewing Curriculum for Bias and Stereotypes

2. M.G.L. c. 76, s. 5; 603 CMR 26.05(2) as amended by Chapter 199 of the Acts of 2011.
Curriculum review The district ensures that individual teachers in the district review all educational materials for simplistic and demeaning generalizations, lacking intellectual merit, on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin and sexual orientation. Appropriate activities, discussions and/or supplementary materials are used to provide balance and context for any such stereotypes depicted in such materials.

3. Books Challenged or Banned in schools 2014-215
A bibliography that represents books challenged, restricted, removed, or banned in 2014 and 2015 as reported in the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom from May 2014 to March 2015 and in American Libraries Direct (AL Direct), by Robert P. Doyle.
Retrieved:

4. Pulled by the Winnipeg, Canada Public Library (2015) pending review due to stereotypical and racist depictions of indigenous peoples.

5. Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements
Challenged by a parent in Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, Minn., elementary school libraries (2014) because it uses the “r-word” (retarded) to refer to students with special needs.

6. Minneapolis Public August 2015
Schools officials admit they failed to vet literacy training materials that exhibit racial and cultural stereotypes.
The district spent 1.2 million purchasing books from a Utah-based company called Reading Horizons.
"Due to staffing shifts and the desire to get a program in place for the new school year, the books were not comprehensively vetted,” said Interim Superintendent Michael Goar in a statement. "We now know this was a mistake. We regret that this happened. We will do better."

7. Minneapolis district officials apologize for offensive books given to teachers

8. Lazy Lucy

9. District Curriculum Review Findings 2016
Malden: My Math
Math word problems involving females related solely to cooking and babysitting
The math text contained diverse pictures of gender and race, however while pictures of male athletes contained statistics, pictures of female athletes were void of narrative and statistics.
Brookline:
Examined middle school reading lists and found a lack of black, Latino, and female protaginsists

10. What Are My Responsibilities as an Educator?
Be able to recognize and understand bias that may be present in curriculum materials.
Be Proactive: Preview and Review materials to ensure that educational materials are free from bias.
Teachers often supplement the curriculum with materials they bring in to the classroom: articles, websites, clips, etc. These materials should also be reviewed for bias.
What Does Bias and Stereotyping Look Like in Curricula?
A Few Examples:
Please click on the following link (from The Safe Schools Coalition) to see the various forms of bias and stereotyping in curricula:

11. What Does Bias and Stereotyping Look Like in Curricula? A Few Examples:
Curriculums should represent diverse communities
Educators must be able to recognize bias or stereotypes that may be present in the curriculum
Please click on the following link (from The Safe Schools Coalition) to see the various forms of bias and stereotyping in curricula:

12. How Do I Ensure that I Am Reviewing Materials Properly?
In the slides that follow, you will be provided with samples of what to look for when previewing materials. Later in this presentation, you will be provided with a check-list to help you review the materials that you bring to the classroom.
Just as you would preview a video for appropriate / inappropriate content before showing the clip to the class, you should review the curriculum materials you bring to the class using the checklist that follows in a later slide.

13. What If I Recognize Bias / Stereotyping in Curriculum Material?
Identifying bias or stereotyping in the curriculum material does not automatically mean that you cannot use that material in your classroom. For example, many of the “classics” in English Language Arts offer examples of bias and stereotyping.
It is the responsibility of the educator to ensure a classroom that is safe for all; skillfully and sensitively addressing the material is key. If the material in question is your own material, and not from the district curriculum, you will need to discuss the questionable material with your director prior to using it in your classroom. When in doubt, ASK!

14. Some Examples
The next set of slides is taken with permission from Dr. David Sadker and his late wife, Myra, became aware of sex bias as doctoral students in the early 70s.
Their incredible journey and a description of their work is documented on
With permission from Dr. David Sadker, we include the Sadkers’ work on the seven types of bias found in curriculum resources. The information on the following slides is taken directly from Thank you, Dr. Sadker!

15. Seven Forms of Bias in Instructional Materials (from www.sadker.org)
Invisibility: What You Don’t See Makes a Lasting Impression.
The most fundamental and oldest form of bias in instructional materials is the complete or relative exclusion of a group. Textbooks published prior to the 1960s largely omitted African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans from both the narrative and illustrations. Many of today’s textbooks are improved, but far from perfect. Women, those with disabilities, and gay people continue to be missing from many of today’s texts.
Stereotyping: Shortcuts to Bigotry
Perhaps the most familiar form of bias is the stereotype, which assigns a rigid set of characteristics to all members of a group, at the cost of individual attributes and differences. While stereotypes can be positive, they are more often negative. Some typical stereotypes include:
Men portrayed as assertive and successful in their jobs, but rarely discussed as husbands or fathers.
Women as caregivers
Jews as rich

16. Seven Forms of Bias in Instructional Materials (from www.sadker.org)
Imbalance and Selectivity: A Tale Half Told.
Curriculum may perpetuate bias by presenting only one interpretation of an issue, situation, or group of people. Such accounts simplify and distort complex issues by omitting different perspectives.
A text reports that women were "given" the vote, but does not discuss the work, sacrifices, and even physical abuse suffered by the leaders of the suffrage movement that "won" the vote.
Literature is drawn primarily from western, male authors.
Math and science courses typically reference European discoveries and formulas.
Unreality: Rose Colored Glasses.
Many researchers have noted the tendency of instructional materials to gloss over unpleasant facts and events in our history. By ignoring prejudice, racism, discrimination, exploitation, oppression, sexism, and inter-group conflict, we deny students the information they need to recognize, understand, and perhaps some day conquer societal problems. Examples include:
Because of affirmative action programs, people of color and women now enjoy economic and political equality with (or superiority over) white males.
The notion that technology will resolve persistent social problems.

17. Seven Forms of Bias in Instructional Materials (from www.sadker.org)
Fragmentation and Isolation: The Parts Are Less than the Whole.
Did you ever notice a "special" chapter or insert appearing in a text? For example, a chapter on "Bootleggers, Suffragettes, and Other Diversions" or a box describing "Ten Black Achievers in Science." Fragmentation emerges when a group is physically or visually isolated in the text. Often, racial and ethnic group members are depicted as interacting only with persons like themselves, isolated from other cultural communities. While this form of bias may be less damaging than omission or stereotypes, fragmentation and isolation present non-dominant groups as peripheral members of society.
Linguistic Bias: Words Count.
Language can be a powerful conveyor of bias, in both blatant and subtle forms. Linguistic bias can impact race/ethnicity, gender, accents, age, (dis)ability and sexual orientation.
Native Americans described as "roaming," "wandering," or "roving" across the land. Such language implicitly justifies the seizure of Native lands by "more goal-directed" white Americans who "traveled" or "settled" their way westward.
Such words as forefathers, mankind, and businessman serve to deny the contributions (even the existence) of females.
The bias against non-English speakers.

18. Seven Forms of Bias in Instructional Materials (from www.sadker.org)
Cosmetic Bias: "Shiny” Covers.
The relatively new cosmetic bias suggests that a text is bias free, but beyond the attractive covers, photos, or posters, bias persists. This "illusion of equity" is really a marketing strategy to give a favorable impression to potential purchasers who only flip the pages of books.
A science textbook that features a glossy pullout of female scientists but includes precious little narrative of the scientific contributions of women.
A music book with an eye-catching, multiethnic cover that projects a world of diverse songs and symphonies belies the traditional white male composers lurking behind the cover.