Prejudice In Education

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Prejudice in Education

“Prejudice, may be formally defined as the judgment of people, objects, or situations in a stereotypical way (Popenoe 2000; 246). It is a belief that is based upon unsubstantiated generalizations and ignorance toward those un-favored. Prejudgments such as a college student choosing a type of roommate or a business executive hiring someone occur on a daily basis. However, when an individual fails to discard prejudgments because of new evidence their thoughts become prejudices. Sociologists emphasize that prejudice is learned from friends and family (Popenoe 20002; 247). But, what about at school, where a child is suppose to be fostered? Do children learn prejudices while learning the three R’s?
The typical public school teacher is a middle-class white female. The typical curricula, tests, and learning tools used in public schools were created by middle-class educators and are geared toward the needs of middle-class children. Educators may not always be able to communicate as well with lower-class students as they can with middle class student. A poor minority student may have trouble understanding English if English is not his/her first language or if English is not spoken in his/her home. These factors and so many more are what cause students to learn their differences and are what foster future prejudices says J. Oakes, an educational sociologist. Oakes suggests that one of the reasons this happens is because of the existence of a “hidden curriculum,” one in which teachers’ expectations and judgments are based on behavior traits that are a part of each student’s home life and are brought to the classroom. Oakes found that schools can help students to overcome class barriers by responding to cultural differences as well as by using the same types of skills in all levels of tracking. Though the school cannot separate students from their family environment and peer group they can help ...