School communities have always had as part of their educational mission a mandate to create learning opportunities in which the development of responsible citizenship is a primary goal. Changing demographics, economic disparity and societal tensions foster climates of distrust and fear among people who lack the knowledge and skills to be successful in a pluralistic society. The potential for conflict, discrimination and scapegoating is high when prejudice and stereotypes go unchallenged or are ignored. Biased behavior is learned behavior. Left unexamined, biased attitudes can lead to biased behaviors, which have the potential to escalate into violent acts of hate.
Biased behavior can be subtle or overt.
In schools, name-calling and acts of social exclusion are the most common examples of discriminatory behavior and prejudicial thinking. In an attempt to minimize the development of prejudice, well-meaning adults often teach children to ignore differences and focus only on similarities. Anti-bias education incorporates the philosophy of multicultural education while expanding to include other forms of bias, stereotypes and misinformation. Anti-bias education not only addresses race and ethnicity but also includes gender, language, religious diversity, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities and economic class. Anti-bias education takes an active, problem solving approach that is integrated into all aspects of an existing curriculum and a school s environment.