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Counteracting Bias and Advancing Justice in Early Childhood

Beneke, M., Blanchard, S. B., Vinh, M., & Barton, E. E.
April
2021

From the abstract: "All young children have the right to early learning opportunities in which they are positioned to learn, grow, and participate as valued members of their families, programs, and communities. However, substantial societal inequities directly impact access to equitable education for all children. Young children navigate social worlds in which racism, ableism, and many other intersecting oppressions operate to create inequitable systems. Although hateful rhetoric and outward displays of racism and ableism have increased in recent years (Crandall et al., 2018; Paluck & Chwe, 2017; Southern Poverty Law Center, 2016), they also work in neutralized and invisible ways (Annamma et al., 2013). Racism and ableism perpetuate implicitly biased interactions that pathologize young children based on race or ability or both. Whether explicit or implicit, bias can have real material, social-emotional, and psychological consequences in early childhood contexts—directly affecting the ways in which young children learn, grow, and become valued members of their communities. We created this topical issue as an intentional outlet for scholars to grapple with the ways early childhood special education might counteract bias and advance justice. The contributing articles of this topical issue provide critical insights into this important topic."

Citation

Beneke, M., Blanchard, S. B., Vinh, M., & Barton, E. E. (2021). Counteracting bias and advancing justice in early childhood. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 41(1). DOI: 10.1177/02711214211007068

DOI

10.1177/02711214211007068