Chapter-_The_history_and_influence_of_systemic__internalized_privilege_and_oppression

ECE 106: Role of Equity and Diversity in Childhood Early Education

Publication Information

• Title: The Role of Equity and Diversity in Early Childhood Education

• Open Educational Resources Publication

• Authors: Krischa Esquivel, Emily Elam, Jennifer Paris, Maricela Tafoya

• Peer-reviewed by: Cindy Stephens, Antoinette Ricardo

• Editors: Alexa Johnson, Trudi Radtke, Alex Gavilan

• Cover by: Ian Joslin, Anthony Flores

• Version: 1.0 (2020)

Acknowledgements

• Appreciation extended to:

  • California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office

  • Chancellor Dianne G. Van Hook

  • Santa Clarita Community College District

  • College of the Canyons Distance Learning Office

• Feedback encouraged for improvement and resource sharing.

• Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Chapter 16: The History and Influence of Systemic, Internalized Privilege and Oppression

Chapter Objectives

• Differentiate between privilege and power: Understanding that privilege refers to unearned advantages granted to individuals based on characteristics like race, gender, and socioeconomic status, while power involves the capacity to influence and control societal structures.

• Provide examples of privilege: Real-life scenarios illustrating how privilege operates in various aspects of life, including education, employment, and social interactions.

• Discuss the Privilege as Practice Framework: A framework aimed at turning awareness of privilege into actionable changes within institutions to promote equity.

• Describe the Culturally Responsive Strength-Based Framework: Concentrates on leveraging cultural strengths to foster developmental success in children rather than focusing on their deficits.

• Define paradigm and discuss the shift needed from a deficit-oriented paradigm of diversity: A paradigm shift entails moving from a viewpoint that underscores limitations to one that emphasizes potentials and strengths.

Introduction

• Importance of diversity: Diversity is vital for fostering community, promoting collaborative decision-making, and enhancing educational environments.

• Research correlation: Studies indicate that diversity is linked to increased resilience and creativity, reinforcing the necessity for understanding varied perspectives in early childhood education.

Reflective Thought

• Role of differing opinions: Acknowledges the importance of diverse perspectives in enriching early childhood education settings.

• Contrast innovation and oppression: Explores how diversity can spur innovation versus being misused to oppress certain groups.

• Authentic relationships: Highlighting the necessity of genuine connections to bolster creativity and adaptability in educational contexts.

Privilege as Practice Framework

• Goals:

  • Enhance self-awareness and understand one’s unique position in societal structures.

  • Recognize systemic preferences and the concept of intersectionality in privilege.

  • Utilize privilege positively to benefit system health and rectify historical and present oppression.

Systemic Progression

• Diversity as a fact of life: Emphasizes that diversity is inherent to society and can be harnessed for adaptation and resilience, rather than simply tolerated.

• Power dynamics: Discusses how accrued power often leads to the oppression of non-dominant identities and the necessity for systemic change.

Education Disparities

• Challenges in early childhood programs: Highlights the need for improving practices that respect various cultures, particularly the significant disparities affecting Black boys, including disproportionate suspension rates linked to societal context.

Opportunity Gaps

• Early childhood’s role: Stresses the importance of acknowledging and addressing opportunity gaps tied to race and socioeconomic status to ensure equitable learning opportunities.

Consequences of Suspension and Expulsion

• Statistics: Provides shocking statistics about preschool expulsion rates, detailing contributing factors such as teacher stress and the unsuitable management of classroom dynamics.

• Mental health support: Calls for enhanced mental health resources within educational environments to aid in preventing expulsions.

Quality-of-Service Gap

• Recognition of gaps: Acknowledges that disparities exist not only in achievement but also in the quality of educational services rendered, underlining the importance of adopting culturally responsive practices.

Engaging Difference

• Awareness and responsibilities: Encourages a critical examination of personal privileges and responsibilities in challenging oppressive systems and dynamics of power.

Dynamics of Power and Privilege

• Contextual advantages: Discusses how privilege functions as a collection of advantages and the role of power in fostering an environment that either minimizes or empowers others.

Culturally Responsive Strength-Based (CRSB) Framework

• Strength focus: This framework emphasizes uncovering and leveraging individual and cultural strengths in child development, countering traditional deficiency-focused approaches.

• Bioecological systems model: Illustrates the variety of factors in a child’s environment that influence their development.

Strengths Perspective

• Overarching philosophy: Stresses the importance of adopting a strengths-based lens when viewing children, which can lead to positive developmental outcomes.

Creating a Paradigm Shift

• Defining paradigms: Discusses paradigms in education and the urgency for shifting away from views that focus on deficits to those that acknowledge and elevate strengths of diverse groups.

• Historical influences: Examines the historical contexts that shape perceptions of minority groups and the necessity for frameworks that advocate for a strengths-based narrative in education.