RU Early Childhood Discussion

Directions:

Overview

Research has been conducted in early childhood education, showing that boys are often expelled more often than girls for behavior. Research has also shown that boys of color, specifically boys who are African American, are suspended or expelled more often than white children.

Note: If you are uncomfortable about sharing specific information, you are not required to do so. you have the option of reflecting on a hypothetical scenario or omitting details you are uncomfortable sharing. Let your instructor know if you have any questions about this assignment. This discussion involves sensitive subject matter. Please remember that this is a discussion meant for an open and honest conversation on a topic of high interest and concern.

Please Remember Supportive Discussion Guidelines:

• Listen to learn (be attentive and restate what you hear)
• Respect the perspective of others 
• Appreciate diversity (we have more in common than we know)
• Acknowledge how you feel (trust this is a Safe Space, and imbalance means you are growing)

Instructions

For this discussion, go to the Rasmussen Library and search for credible research articles on implicit bias in early childhood programs.

Using the following key search terms may help guide your search: 

• Suspension
• Expulsion
• Early childhood
• Preschool
• Young children
• Kindergarten
• Black or African American
• “of color”
• Hispanic
• boys

In your initial post, 

• Choose at least one article to read. Using your experiences and your research, address the following questions:
• Do you believe early childhood educators need a better understanding of child development as a whole?
• How does the fact that there are more women in the early childhood field potentially affect our perceptions and biases toward boys’ behavior?
• How does an educator better consider the social and cultural context in which the child lives (referring to values, expectations, behavioral conventions that shape children’s lives at home and in their community) when looking at your biases towards the child’s behaviors?
• Provide a link and/or citation for the article(s) you read to prepare for this discussion.