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Institutional Racism In Education

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The term "racism" is understood as the mistreatment of certain groups of people on the basis of skin color and/or other physical characteristics. The term "institutional racism" is defined by Dr. McDaniel, an expert on institutional racism, as the occasion when the "standard operating procedures of an institution are prejudiced against, derogatory to, or unresponsive to the needs of a particular racial group” (Hawkins v. Coleman 1974: 1336). Institutional racism within the U.S. education system exists through the incorporation of systematic “policies [and] practices that work to the disadvantage of students of color [while] unquestion[ably] accept[ing] white middle-class values” (Weissglass 2001: 72). The “achievement gap” in education refers

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