Identity Development

Bias is a natural part of how we navigate the world. Building awareness of our own identities and biases

will help make practices more equitable. This session will discuss identity development at the staff,

student, family, school, and community level; and examine practices to build awareness of implicit bias.

Milaney LeversonRegional Technical Assistance Coordinator

WI RtI Center

Agenda• School and Community Identity Development– identity development specific to practitioners and

the impact of practitioners’ cultures and experiences on the school and classroom

• Student and Family Identity Development– strategies to gain knowledge of the cultures and

experiences of families, students, and communities served by the school.

• Practitioner Identity Development• Implicit Bias

Identity Development

• Identity development work must be systemic

• This work will not occur or sustain unless staff are provided support regarding when and how it can best happen

School and Community Identity • People of the community; their beliefs, values, and

expectations• Shared experiences that shape the behaviors of

community members• The school’s place in the community:

– Source of pride? Source of conflict?

• Connections between the school and community agencies/organizations

• Visibility of the school at community events

Student and Family Identity• Practitioners learning about student and family

backgrounds, cultures, and values• Students understanding their own identity

Awareness of own cultural background

+ development of self-worth =

and

Decreased

Increased

Problem behavior in 4th grade African American students.

Academic and behavioral outcomes during middle school.

Increased

Smith et al., 2009; Thomas, Townsend,

& Belgrave, 2003; Hughes et al., 2009

A note about labels…• When discussing national or state data, we generally use categories

defined by the Office of Management and Budget (1997)– Ethnicity:

• Hispanic or Latino or• Not Hispanic or Latino

– And one or more races that apply:• American Indian or Alaska Native• Asian• Black or African American• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander• White

• These describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of anthropological origins. http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/reic/definitions.asp

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg_1997standards

Practitioner Identity

“Awareness of the dimensions of one’s own culture is a prerequisite to understanding the culture of others.”

McAllister & Irvine, 2000

“To establish meaningful connections with students from different cultural backgrounds, research recommends acknowledging the cultural identity of students instead of being ‘colorblind.’”

Cartledge & Milburn, 1996; Delpit, 1992; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995;

Singleton & Linton, 2006; Weinstein et al., 2004

Practitioner Identity Practitioners must examine and understand:• How and why they perceive the world the way they do• Their own comfort level with issues of race, ethnicity, and

educational and social disparities • The background from which they develop and apply their

expectations, procedures, routines, and practices• The purpose of their expectations, procedures, and practices

It is imperative that staff examine their beliefs about what is “normal,” “appropriate,” or

“acceptable” behavior. These notions are culturally defined and can

vary greatly from person to person, thus providing the basis for disproportionate

correction.

Research indicates that subjective behaviors more often result in disproportionate discipline for students of color (e.g., defiance, disrespect).

(McIntosh, Girvan, Horner, & Smolkowski, 2014; Skiba et al., 2011)

What is implicit bias?

• Unconscious, automatic• Based on stereotypes• We all have it (even those affected by it)• Generally not an indication of our beliefs and

values• More likely to influence:– Snap decisions– Decisions that are ambiguous

• Police Officers use force when arresting African American children as opposed to White children (Goff et al., 2014)

• Arbitrators decide labor grievances in favor of men over women (Girvan, Deason, & Borgida, 2014)

• Pediatricians recommend less pain medication for African American children than White children with identical symptoms (Sabin & Greenwald, 2012)

Implicit Bias predicts the extent to which…

Implicit Bias at Work

• Attractiveness– Real estate agents rated as more attractive sell

homes for significantly higher prices (Salter, Mixon, & King, 2012)

• Height– One inch of height is worth $789 per year in salary

(Judge & Cable, 2004)

Implicit Bias and Race

“the challenge is not a small number of twisted white supremacists but something infinitely more subtle and complex: People who believe in equality but who act in ways that perpetuate bias and inequality.”

Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times

What Would You Do Bike Thief Video• Hidden cameras highlight how people respond

when different actors pretend to steal a bike– https://youtu.be/NJEvw0bV8Ow

Misperceptions of Aggression(Hugenberg & Bodenhausen, 2003)

• Participants were shown a series of computer generated White and Black faces from scowling to smiling

Misperceptions of Aggression(Hugenberg & Bodenhausen, 2003)

– Implicit bias was not related to perceptions of White faces

– Those with higher implicit bias perceived Black faces as more angry

The Essence of Innocence (Phil Goff)

• Black boys as young as 10 years old were:– More likely to be mistaken to be older than their

White peers (average overestimation: 4.5 years)– Less likely to be perceived as innocent and more

likely to be perceived as responsible for their actions than their White peers of the same age

Phillip Abita Goff et al., The Essence of Innocence: Consequences of Dehumanizing Black Children, 106 Journal

of Personality and Social Psychology 526 (2014).

The Essence of Innocence: Police Interviews

• 176 police officers, mostly white males, tested on two types of bias:– Prejudice questionnaire (“It is likely that blacks will bring violence to

neighborhoods when they move in.”)– Dehumanization: pairing blacks and whites with large cats, such as

lions, and with apes.

• In reviewing these officers conduct records, those who dehumanized Blacks were more likely to have used force against a Black child in custody.

• Only dehumanization, and not police officers’ prejudice against Blacks, was linked to violent encounters with Black children.

The Essence of Innocence: College Students

• 264 mostly White, female undergraduate students from large public U.S. universities

• Rating the innocence of people (infants to age 25): – Children up to 9 years old judged equally innocent – Black children were considered significantly less innocent than

other children at every age group beginning at age 10• Shown photographs alongside descriptions of crimes and

asked to assess age and innocence– Overestimated age of Blacks by an average of 4.5 years– Found them to be more culpable than same-aged Whites

• Dehumanization and prejudice tests:– Similar results to police interviewed

Automatic Associations

• Our brains are wired to look for patterns• When we are forced to make quick decisions,

we use our automatic associations to respond• Implicit stereotypes are automatic

associations that are out of conscious control

Addressing the Issue

1. We must be aware of our biases2. We must be concerned about the

consequences of our biases3. We must know when biased responses are

most likely4. We must have replacement behaviors to

respond in ways consistent with our values

Conditions Necessary to Neutralize Implicit Bias

(Devine et al., 2012)

• A specific decision that is more vulnerable to effects of implicit bias

• Two parts:– The person’s decision state (internal state)– The situation

What is a Vulnerable Decision Point?

• As we become fatigued, our filters for appropriate behavior can be affected

• Effects of hunger (Gailliot et al., 2009)

• Decreases in willpower later in day– “The Morning Morality Effect” (Kouchaki & Smith, 2014)

– Examples…

Decision States: Resource Depletion

(Girvan et al., 2014)

• Levels of specificity:1. All ODR/suspension decisions (general

self-instruction routine)2. Identify VDPs through national data3. Use school or district data

Situations:Options for Identifying VDPs

National SWIS Data(2011-12)

• 3,026,367 ODRs• 6,269 schools• 47 states, plus DC

Langu

age

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ce/ Disr

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ry/ Th

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bullying

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ance/

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ect

M - Disr

uption

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M - Lan

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M - Other

M - Physi

cal Contac

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M - Pro

perty M

isuse

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age

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ce/ Disr

espect

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ry/ Th

eft

Harassm

ent/

bullying

Lying/

chea

ting

M - Defi

ance/

Disresp

ect

M - Disr

uption

M - Dres

s code

M - Lan

guag

e

M - Other

M - Physi

cal Contac

t

M - Pro

perty M

isuse

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4

14

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WhiteOffice Referrals by Problem Behavior

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BlackWhite

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Office Referrals by Time of Day

• Subjective problem behavior– Disruption, defiance, major vs. minor

• Non-classroom areas– Hallways

• Afternoons

VDPs from national ODR data

ambiguit

y

LACK OF

contact

fatigue

Behavioral Expectations

Behavior Definitions

• Research indicates that subjective behaviors more often result in disproportionate discipline for students of color (e.g., defiance, disrespect)

McIntosh, Girvan, Horner, & Smolkowski, 2014 Skiba et al., 2011

Problem Behavior Definitions

A Unidimensional View of Bias

Racial Bias Disproportionate Discipline

Racial Bias Disproportionate Discipline

Situation

Vulnerable Decision PointsSubjective Behavior Hunger Vague Discipline System

Fatigue Common Areas Unfamiliar with Student

Multidimensional View of Bias

• Poverty plays a role, but racial disproportionality remains, even when controlling for poverty– American Psychological Association, 2008– Skiba et al., 2005– Wallace et al., 2008

Addressing Common Questions

“Isn't it all really about poverty?”

• No evidence of different base rates of behavior for any subgroups– Bradshaw et al., 2010– Losen & Skiba, 2010– Skiba et al., in press

Addressing Common Questions

“Aren’t Black boys just more violent?”

• No! Our research indicates that disproportionality comes from unconscious bias – that we’re not even aware of.– Banaji & Greenwald, 2013– Greenwald & Pettigrew, 2014– van den Bergh et al., 2010

Addressing Common Questions

“Are you saying that all teachers are racist?”

When you see problem behavior, stop and ask yourself:1. Is this a VDP? – Situation– Decision state

2. If so, use an agreed-upon alternative response

Two-step Neutralizing Routine for Staff:

Neutralizing Routines for Reducing Effects of Implicit Bias

Setting event Antecedent Behavior ConsequenceLack of positive interactions with student

Fatigue

Loud complaints about work (subjective behavior)

Send student to office (ODR)

Student leaves class (Escape social interaction)

Alternative Response

“See me after class.”

Self-assessment“Is this a vulnerable

decision point?”

• Brief• If-then statements• Clear steps• Doable

What makes for a good neutralizing routine?

• Delay– “See me after class”

• Pause– Think it through before sending to office

• Use least exclusionary choice– Delayed ODR

• Speak with student– State your confidence in them– Ask about their needs privately

What makes for a good alternative response?

• “If this is a VDP, am I acting in line with my values?”

• “If defiance, keep in class”• “If I am tired, delay decision until I can think

clearly”

Neutralizing Routine Examples

• If this is a VDP…, – “See me after class/at the next break”– am I acting in line with my values?– take two deep breaths– recognize my upset feelings and let them go– picture this student as a future doctor/lawyer– model taking think time– delay decision until I can think clearly– ask the student to reflect on their feelings/behavior– know that’s Rock Head talking to me– “I love you, but that behavior is not ok”

Neutralizing Routine Examples

Can also be used as pre-correction1. Am I about to enter a VDP?2. What are my values?3. When I see problem behavior, I’ll use the

alternative response

Two-step Neutralizing Routine for Staff:

When you have to handle problem behavior, stop and tell yourself:1. Don’t just do something, stand there!– Be sure you are ready to act in line with values– Get information from student and staff– Assess student-teacher relationship

2. Whenever possible, use an agreed-upon instructional response – Teaches missing skills– Connects student to school and staff

Two-step Neutralizing Routine for Administrators:(Susan Barrett)

1. Tell me what happened.2. What you were thinking at the time?3. What do you think about it now?4. Who did this affect?5. What do you need to do about it?6. How can we make sure this doesn't happen

again?7. What I can do to help you?

The Restorative Chat (Alton School District, Alton, IL)

Validate – Affirm – Build – Bridge

Validate – To make legitimate that which the institution (academia) and mainstream has made illegitimate.

Build – Making the connections between the home culture and language with the school culture and language through instructional strategy and activity.

Affirm – To make positive that which the institution (academia) and mainstream media has made negative.

Bridge – Giving opportunities for situational appropriateness or the utilization of the appropriate cultural or linguistic behavior.

V A B B

Professional Development

1. Use data to identify:– The extent of the problem– Vulnerable Decision Points (VDPs)

2. Teach and practice:– Implicit bias– VDPs– Neutralizing routines

3. Follow up:– Ongoing coaching– Monitor progress with data

Shooter Task: Experiment about Implicit Stereotypes http://www.csun.edu/~dma/FPST/consent.html

• Implicit stereotypes are automatic associations that are out of conscious control

• Shown pictures of Black and White men and asked to indicate if armed or unarmed

• Research finds that the race of the person influences performance on the task even though race is not relevant to the task (Correll, Park, Judd, & Wittenbrink, 2002). – Researchers have found that people tend to be faster to

shoot an armed target (in the experiment) if he is Black than if he is White

Implicit Association Test (IAT) https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

• Measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report

• May be especially interesting if it shows an implicit attitude that the participant did not know about– For example, you may believe that women and men

should be equally associated with science, but your automatic associations could show that you (like many others) associate men with science more than you associate women with science.

Questions or Comments