ABSTRACT
The issue of race in the U.S. educational system remains divisive and fraught with a number of perils and implications for educators. This chapter considers various issues dealing with how the view of race is manifest inside the educational system in both attitude and behavior. The issues of ethnicity in the classroom play an important role in issues like affirmative action for college admission, distribution of resources to support schools, and the inclusion or exclusion of materials in a curriculum. The focus of this chapter is on two considerations: (a) equity in interaction between instructors and students considering race of the student, and (b) how a positive view of one’s own racial group contributes to personal development, social success and educational success. The implications for the development of classrooms with a greater sense of equality could provide improved effectiveness for educational outcomes sought by the system.
