The Role of CRT in Schools

Schools are the heart of the educational system, providing our communities with knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary for personal growth. As part of this mission, it is necessary to include Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the curriculum. CRT is an educational tool and a body of knowledge which can help students to better understand unequal power dynamics, particularly when it comes to race, in order to tackle inequality and discrimination.

What is Critical Race Theory?

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an academic movement and an intellectual conversation which started in the 1970s. It is an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing and understanding the laws, policies, and systems that have created, maintained and extended racial oppression. CRT blends elements of civil rights, critical legal studies, and a number of other disciplines to understand how law and policy, in addition to social attitudes, shape various power structures and who holds the power based on one’s race.

For example, it studies how structures of racism, such as the Housing Act of 1968, have systematically limited African Americans’ access to housing in certain areas of the country, showing that racism does not have to be intentional to exist. The most fundamental element of CRT is to point out the ways in which racism is embedded in our laws, policies, and social attitudes, even when it might be unnoticed.

How Can CRT Help Students?

By teaching students about race and racism through CRT, schools can provide students with the necessary tools to better understand race, racism and power dynamics. CRT provides students with the opportunity to look at the world from different perspectives, allowing them to make sense of the underlying racism in our laws, policies and social dynamics.

CRT can help students to gain the skills to understand how racism functions in the school environment. For instance, CRT could potentially be used to understand why certain textbooks are more consistent with certain racial ideologies or why certain student performances are measured according to different racial standards. CRT also helps students to make sense of how racism impacts their daily lives, in terms of job opportunities, education and other opportunities.

In conclusion, by using CRT in our schools, we can provide students with the necessary skills to understand racism and power dynamics. This knowledge is essential for students to be able to recognize, address and combat racism in our society and institutions.