Race and Colorism in Education

Through empirical studies and ongoing debates in educational policy, this volume explores colorism from an international standpoint by focusing on immigrants and refugee populations. It is one of the first scholarly works to explicitly situate colorism within educational domains and demonstrates how this form of discrimination affects students, families and professionals. This volume presents the connections between race and colorism in P-16 schooling by questioning how variations in skin tone, as well as related features such as hair texture and eye color, complicate the educational experiences of students.

As one of the first scholarly books to focus on colorism in education, this volume considers how connections between race and color may influence school-based experiences. Chapter authors question how variations in skin tone, as well as related features such as hair texture and eye color, complicate perspectives on race and they demonstrate how colorism is a form of discrimination that affects educational stakeholders, especially students, families, and professionals, across P-16 institutions. This volume provides an outline of colorism’s contemporary relevance within the United States and shares considerations for international dimensions that are linked to immigration, refugee populations, and Canada. By situating colorism in an educational context, this book offers suggestions for how educators may engage and confront this form of discrimination.