Media mention: Fields-Smith quoted on increase in homeschooling children of color
Cheryl Fields-Smith, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, has seen a dramatic increase in homeschooling inquiries due to COVID-19. But before homeschooling became the norm for students across America during the pandemic, parents were pulling their kids out of school for several reasons, including concerns about racism in school systems.
Though there are numerous reasons why parents pull their kids out of traditional schooling, inadequate race-based curriculum and lack of racial empathy by school administrators are major factors for parents of color. Including racial equity into students’ curriculum is a common practice for Black and Brown home educators. In an interview with Prism, Fields-Smith said this practice often contributes to children’s “positive racial self-identity.”
“Black parents include contributions of Black people in society in their homeschool curriculum, a focus on a variety of arts, and they approach sensitive topics such as slavery or Jim Crow in ways that honor our ancestors, recognize the humanity of enslaved Africans, and a position of strength evidenced by our survival,” said Fields-Smith.