The Unbearable Unaccountability of Academia: A Critical Review of Implicit Bias Training for the Racialization of Discipline

Abstract

Implicit racial bias has gained attention as a central contributor to enduring racial disparities in various systems in the United States, such as in criminal justice, particularly regarding police violence—and in education as related to school discipline. Scholars in education have suggested multiple strategies and products (e.g., professional development modules) to raise awareness among practitioners about their implicit biases. Similar to other individualistic approaches, such as the concept of grit, the implicit-bias approach has gained popularity in academia and practice as a remedy for racial disparities. This paper criticizes these product-oriented, individualistic solutions, targeting changes in an individual’s psychological traits. Building upon a collective, participatory form of knowledge production activity led by a rural high school serving American Indian youth, we call for redirection to systemic transformation in the dysfunctional discipline system to address racial injustice in discipline with—not for—educators, students, families, and community members.