The Intersection of 6 Stages of Whiteness, Curricula Materials, and Holistic Education: Barriers and Solutions

Abstract

In this article, the authors will pull from research-based best practices and work supporting districts with the implementation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) to address the overwhelming need to center discussion around students’ cultural, racial, ethnic, and/or linguistic identity. We will dive into how a successful implementation of curriculum materials can only occur when we prioritize all students receiving equitable instructional opportunities. The article will identify common barriers and solutions educators at all levels of the system must be willing to grapple with to move toward not only more equitable student outcomes but a more equitable educational structure. The authors will specifically consider, What factors may impede an inclusive implementation for students of color and emergent bilinguals, and how can educators address those barriers?

Specifically, we will explore how educators can:

• strategically design professional learning that supports conversation, with the goal of cultivating culturally responsive communities and practices; 
• create brave spaces that invite stakeholders to embrace discomfort;
• encourage teachers to examine the advantages of whiteness and consider what they are willing to sacrifice; and 
• understand how instructional materials may be designed to perpetuate marginalization.

Pulling from Beverly Daniel Tatum’s article, Teaching White Students about Racism: The Search for White Allies and the Restoration of Hope and Janet Helm’s model of white racial identity, the article will dive into the 6 stages of white racial identity (e.g., contact, disintegration, reintegration, pseudo-independent, immersion/emersion, and autonomy) and how these stages directly impact the implementation of HQIM.

The authors will discuss each of these barriers and offer a myriad of solutions to support educators in raising their racial consciousness; equipping them with the ability to lead instruction with an awareness of all student’s collective and individual identities.