Guest host, Daniel Alicea, an NYC educator, moderates a round table discussion about Critical Race Theory in the context of NYC public school education, with Dr. Denisha Jones, the Director of the Art of Teaching Program at Sarah Lawrence College, and Dr. David E. Kirland, the Executive Director of The NYU Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and The Transformation of Schools, and also an associate professor at NYU Steinhardt.
CRT has been front and center in the last few months as a hotbed of controversy. The topic has exploded in the public arena this spring—especially in K-12 education, where numerous state legislatures are debating bills seeking to ban its use in the classroom. Some of these bills have passed, already.
Our expert guests helped us understand what CRT is, and what it isn't. They sought to clear up the misconceptions often presented by those seeking to vilify this historical lens and range of concepts and ideas that help us understand how deeply rooted complex behaviors of racism are embedded in American public policy and our every day lives. We also sought to apply this lens within the context of NYC public school education and our city life overall, as well.
Resources:
- The Right Has Chosen Critical Race Theory as Its New Boogeyman to Scare Voters – by David E Kirkland
- Honesty on critical race theory – by Dianne Ravitch
- What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack? - By Stephen Sawchuk