A Snapshot of Anti-Bias Education in U.S. K–12 Schools: Findings from the 2021 American Instructional Resources Surveys

I n the wake of the protests against and attention to racial injustice sparked by the murders of George Floyd and others, there has been a renewed call for the education system to address systemic racism and racial inequities (Gewertz, 2020). At the same time, many states have started passing or considering laws purporting to ban critical race theory from schools by restricting some discussions of racism, sexism, and bias within their classrooms (Ray and Gibbons, 2021). Advocates of these bans state that addressing these topics in the classroom is inappropriate; results in the indoctrination of students; and takes time away from academic instruction in reading, mathematics, and other core subjects (Aldrich, 2021). As of January 2022, 36 states have taken some action toward proposing or passing such restrictive bans, and 14 of those states have passed the bans through legislation or some other means, such as the adoption of a rule or resolution by their state board of education (“Map: Where Critical Race Theory Is Under Attack,” 2021). At the same time, a large body of research demonstrates that teaching students explicitly about issues of identity, diversity, equity, and bias—sometimes referred to as anti-bias education—can lead to positive academic, attitudinal, and behavioral outcomes. One study found that a more positive sense of racial identity among African American adolescents was associated with greater engagement with schooling and with indicators of educational attainment, including attendance, high school completion, and college attendance (Chavous et al., 2003). Another study found that, among academically at-risk students, participation in an ethnic studies course (one example of a culturally relevant pedagogiC O R P O R A T I O N Research Report