Implicit Bias

Dr. Theresa Bouley and Dr. Anni Reinking tackle the deep and nuanced subject of microaggressions from every angle and discipline: cognitive science, psychology, sociology, and history. They break down its complexities into basic understandings and actionable steps that educators can take on a path to self-reflection, realization, and continual improvement. Just as microaggressions are layered, this text is layered with a wealth of knowledge and resources for anyone seeking to learn more about anti-bias, anti-racist education.

-- Allison Segarra Hansen, MSEd., director of clinical experiences and assistant professor, Marian Universit

It can so easily be said that “when we know better – we do better.” But perhaps that is also the inherent goal of this book. Written in an easy-to-digest style, this book seeks to inspire the educator to more carefully see the bias, stereotypes, and microaggressions that are likely being enacted all around them. While Part I builds our vocabulary and understanding about these subtle and not-so-subtle actions around us, it also empathically helps us understand the historical and psychological basis for many of our own actions and how those actions – intentional or subconscious – truly impact the children we are called to teach and support. With gentle reflective moments and exercises throughout the book, an amazing list of accessible resources to extend your learning and self-understanding, and a Part II that is able to break down the roots and impacts of bias and microaggressions into chapters dedicated to special topics (race, gender, religion, economic resources, disability, language, and family composition), this book reminds us that adult life can be the perfect time to pause and reflect on the explicit and implicit beliefs that we learned and were exposed to as a part of the systems in which we grew up, and take stock about whether or not those beliefs are both still relevant to us and ones that we choose to maintain in our actions toward others. Bouley and Reinking guide us on a journey to gently help us know better…are you ready?

-- Jennifer Kemp Berchtold, MS, CCLS, DT, CPST, CEIM; manager infant studies certificate programs, Erikson Institute

While written for educators, I can attest that most non-educators haven't learned about all the facets of bias and microaggression discussed in this impactful book. But they should. This is a comprehensive book, based on research and facts, that dives into not only racial and gender microaggressions, but also lesser discussed microaggressions such as linguistic, family, economic and spiritual. This book has left me with a greater respect for the challenges faced by each and every teacher to create a truly inclusive, non-biased environment for their students. But more importantly, the reflective moments sprinkled throughout the book, bring the messages home so they don't just become an exercise in awareness, but a path towards transformation.

-- Stacey M. DelVecchio, past president of the Society of Women Engin