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A problematic legacy: diversity in American reading textbooks

Catherine Compton-Lilly (Department of Instruction and Teacher Education, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA)
Shuning Liu (Department of Educational Studies, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA)
Maria Padrós Cuxart (Faculty of Education, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain)
Lindsay Pettit (Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA)
Yanli Timm (Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin Madison Graduate School, Madison, Wisconsin, USA)

Journal for Multicultural Education

ISSN: 2053-535X

Article publication date: 3 September 2019

Issue publication date: 18 November 2019

168

Abstract

Purpose

This conceptual paper aims to explore biases in reading textbooks that have been used to teach generations of Americans, including children in urban communities. While these texts are no longer used, the images they present and the ideas embedded in these texts unfortunately contribute to who we are as a nation.

Design/methodology/approach

These texts were identified by Catherine Compton-Lilly as she trolled the historical archives of a major university.

Findings

In addition to an analysis of historic texts, more recent attempts to create culturally responsive texts often designed to serve children in urban communities are examined, and the learnings from these attempts are being explored.

Practical implications

This conceptual paper points to the need for systematic analyses of biases operating in textbooks that are currently used in schools.

Originality/value

This work reveals and explores one way in which historical bias has historically infected the early learning experiences of young children in the USA.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The research described in this article was supported by a Jeanne S. Chall Research Grant from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Citation

Compton-Lilly, C., Liu, S., Padrós Cuxart, M., Pettit, L. and Timm, Y. (2019), "A problematic legacy: diversity in American reading textbooks", Journal for Multicultural Education, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 289-301. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-12-2017-0069

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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