Wellesley Public Schools: Seven Forms of Bias in Instructional Materials
Wellesley Public Schools: Seven Forms of Bias in Instructional Materials
prompts that follow to screen the instructional material(s) you plan to use in your teaching. If/when any form of bias is
present in the instructional material(s), please provide how you will address this issue in your teaching.
BIAS: If yes, how will you address this bias in your teaching?
Yes or No? How will you address this bias with students?
Questions to
Are stereotypes present in these materials?
Consider:
BIAS: If yes, how will you address this bias in your teaching?
Yes or No? How will you address this bias with students?
TEACHER CHECKLIST: SEVEN FORMS OF BIAS TO CONSIDER 2
How do these materials address unpleasant facts and events in our history?
Questions to
Are they recognized or “glossed over”?
Consider:
How do we factor authors’ imperfect personal lives into the discussion of their work?
5 FRAGMENTATION & ISOLATION - The Parts Are Less than the Whole
Did you ever notice a "special" chapter or insert appearing in a text? Fragmentation emerges when a group is
physically or visually isolated in the text. Often, racial and ethnic group members are inaccurately depicted as
interacting with persons like themselves, isolated from other cultural communities. Fragmentation and isolation
present non-dominant groups as peripheral members of society. For example:
➤ A chapter on "Bootleggers, Suffragettes, and Other Diversions"
➤ A box describing "Ten Black Achievers in Science"
➤ When Black History Month is the only time/place when African American culture, history, achievements,
etc. are taught or considered
Are groups physically or visually isolated in these materials?
Questions to Are racial or ethnic groups accurately or inaccurately depicted as interacting with persons like
themselves?
Consider:
Are the achievements of certain groups treated in such a way that their value is undermined or their
presence within the group is rare?
BIAS: If yes, how will you address this bias in your teaching?
Yes or No? How will you address this bias with students?
*These forms of bias are taken from the work of the The Myra Sadker Foundation; “Seven Forms of
Bias in Instructional Materials.”
Wellesley Public Schools expects all teachers to review educational materials for simplistic and
demeaning generalizations lacking intellectual merit on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity,
religion, national origin, and sexual orientation. If/when biases or stereotypes are depicted in
educational materials, educators address these with students using age-appropriate activities and
discussions to provide balance, context, and/or clarity.