Richard Carranza has promised every single New York City educator will receive implicit bias training — a “cornerstone” of his agenda since he took the helm of the nation’s largest school system last year.
The $23 million initiative is backed by an ambitious goal: Within two years, every educator is supposed to receive anti-bias instruction. Advocates had long pushed for additional training, pointing to statistics that show black students are disproportionately removed from their classrooms for misbehavior, and that the teaching force is mostly white but the city’s students are predominantly black or Hispanic.
In recent days, the education department’s implicit bias training has faced scrutiny after a string of New York Post stories featuring largely anonymous sources criticizing elements of the training, including an exercise on “white supremacy culture.” In response, over 100 education department officials wore blue in solidarity last week to protest the negative coverage and support Carranza’s anti-bias initiative.
We’re interested in learning directly from educators and school officials about how those trainings are playing out across the city. What do you think of them? Using the form below, you can help us understand what the trainings look like, whether they’re changing how you approach your job, and whether you think they are helpful or could be improved.