A pathway to racial literacy: Using the LETS ACT framework to teach controversial issues
What does the research say?
This 2018 article advocates for improving racial literacy in social studies classrooms by addressing the discomfort teachers feel when teaching controversial racial issues. The authors introduce the LETS ACT framework, a seven-step model to guide teachers in fostering productive discussions about race. The framework emphasizes creating a safe classroom environment, educating students on multiple perspectives, facilitating respectful dialogue, and encouraging critical reflection and informed action. The article uses the Colin Kaepernick controversy as a case study to illustrate the framework’s application, ultimately arguing that open discussion of race is crucial for social justice and democratic education.
Why is it important?
“Researchers have noted that even when race and racism are necessary to explain social studies content, the official curriculum tends either to ignore these concepts or to dilute their complexity or significance” (King, Vickery & Caffrey, 2018, p.316). Moreover teachers feel underprepared and uncomfortable tacking controversial issues and consequently assume a color-blind approach. This is problematic because African American students and other students of color “must live with the reality of the differences that race makes in their daily lives every day” (King, Vickery & Caffrey, 2018, p.316).
What are the implications for education?
The United States is only two-and-a-half generations removed from the civil rights movement. The nation has not healed from its racist past. Teaching controversial issues effectively is not only an important part of civic education, it offers a pathway to healing and to strengthen our democracy.
About the authors
LaGarrett J. King is an award winning Professor of Social Studies Education in the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo, New York. He is also the founding Director of the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education. Dr. King earned his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. A former teacher in Texas and Georgia, his research centers on the teaching and learning of Black history, teacher education, critical theories of race, and Black historical consciousness. His Black history framework has been used with multiple school districts in the United States and Canada.
King’s scholarship helps us examine the current shortcomings of how Black history and race is taught and learned in schools. Beyond critical analysis, he guides his readership through helpful frameworks such as Racial Historical Consciousness and Racial Pedagogical Content Knowledge (RPACK) and introduces principles by which teaching and learning about Black history and the Black experience can be taught with more complexity.
Amanda E. Vickery is the Associate Dean for Educator Preparation at the University of North Texas. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in elementary social studies methods. Her research focuses on how Black women teachers utilize experiential and community knowledge to reconceptualize the construct of citizenship. Additionally, she explores Black women as critical citizens within the U.S. civic narrative. Her scholarship has been published in Theory and Research in Social Education, Urban Education, Race, Ethnicity and Education, Curriculum Inquiry, Journal of Social Studies Research, Multicultural Perspectives, Gender and Education, The High School Journal, Social Studies Research and Practice, and The International Journal of Multicultural Education. Dr. Vickery is active in the social studies community serving on the Executive Board of the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) as the Social Justice Chair and board liaison to the Scholars of Color Faculty Forum of CUFA. She is also an Affiliate Faculty Board Member for the K-12 Black History Research Consortium for the Carter Center for K-12 Black History Education. Dr. Vickery is a former middle school social studies teacher.
Genevieve Caffrey is a PhD candidate in Learning, Teaching & Curriculum at the University of Missouri Columbia with a specialization in critical pedagogy within Elementary Social Studies Education. She was an elementary teacher for 12 years and is the developer of the LETS ACT framework used in social studies education to develop students’ racial literacies and to equip learners to be proactive citizens in a democratic society.
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