https://www.npr.org/2021/06/22/1009...-theory-to-education-says-bills-are-misguided
Legislators are calling Critical Race Theory divisive and pushing to ban it in classrooms. NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Gloria Ladson-Billings, one of the first to apply the theory in education.
CORNISH: So first, tell us. Someone lands on this planet. They've never heard of it. How would you describe your scholarship on critical race theory?
LADSON-BILLINGS: So critical race theory is a series of theoretical propositions that suggest that race and racism are normal, not aberrant, in American life. It relies on several tenets that include things like interest convergence - the notion that, well, you can get something done if you can convince the opposition that it's in their interest, too - things like counter-storytelling or narratives. And I know when people hear storytelling, they say, well, that's not empirical. But if you've ever been in a court of law, everybody's telling a story. They have the same set of facts. They tell the story differently.
CORNISH: How does it apply to the classroom, if at all?
LADSON-BILLINGS: I don't know that it does apply to the classroom. But from an educational policy standpoint, it applies to things like suspension rates, assignment to special education, testing and assessment, curricular access - you know, who gets into honors and AP, who doesn't.
CORNISH: It sounds like what you're saying is this is a theory that allows you to look at all of these policy concerns and education and say, it's not just about the kid or the kid's home or anything like that. It's also because there's some institutional racism.
LADSON-BILLINGS: Right, that there's something larger happening.
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CORNISH: Despite the fact that it's not being used correctly - right? - in your eyes when it comes to these pieces of legislation, is there some benefit to this becoming widespread even if it's a bit of a boogeyman?
LADSON-BILLINGS: Not only am I an academic; I'm a mom. I have four adult kids. I have five grandkids who are almost all adults now. My youngest just went off to college this past year. Well, here's what I know about adolescents. The minute you tell them that they can't do something or that something is forbidden, they go to do it. And so this fact that you want to ban it and you don't want it there - trust me. These young people are on their computers, and they're Googling critical race theory. I couldn't buy this level of publicity. I really couldn't. Nobody cared about this stuff.
CORNISH: How do you feel when you read these anecdotes and conservative publications or from critics where they talk about teachers engaging in exercises that they're calling critical race theory - right? - that these critics say is an example of how this ends up playing out?
LADSON-BILLINGS: Well, they typically are incorrect. Most of these folks typically haven't really read anything on critical race theory. And as I've said, I think the critical race theory is the red herring. I think what people are really going after at this point is the 2022 and the 2024 elections. And why would I make that leap? Well, if you cannot win on a policy level - OK, you have an administration that said, you know, we're going to attack COVID, and they did. They said, we're going to do what we can to prop up the economy, and they did. Well, then what you have to do is gin up a culture war. And that's what I think is happening. To me, it's no surprise that critical race theory laws are actually showing up in the very places where voter suppression laws are.