Developing and Teaching an Anti-Bias Curriculum in a Public Elementary School: Leadership, K-1 Teachers’, and Young Children’s Experiences

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article describes the process teachers at a public elementary school completed to develop and implement a developmentally appropriate, race-conscious, anti-bias curriculum in all K-5 classrooms. The study focuses on the experiences of the teachers and children in three early childhood classrooms using a case study design. Data were gathered and analyzed following one-on-one interviews with the principal and teachers, and an observation of an anti-bias lesson in one kindergarten classroom. Themes were identified following this analysis that concurred with existing literature on anti-bias education. The findings suggest the developmental appropriateness of teaching anti-bias topics to young children and the importance of iterative cycles of teacher reflection and learning as they engaged in this process. The findings further suggest that anti-bias education could be implemented at 1st-grade and kindergarten levels at a public school.