The Imperfect Storm: Racism and a Pandemic Collide in America: How It Impacted Public Education and How to Fix It

On May 25, 2020, a thunderous collision between racism and COVID-19 created an "imperfect" storm that revealed centuries of imperfections that were camouflaged in America's society.

After the murder of George Floyd, virtually everyone became clear-eyed and could see the imperfections in health care, housing, employment, criminal justice, and education. These institutions continue to hinder the upward mobility of people of color.

James and Wandy Taylor, the owners of Taylor & Taylor Education Consultants, explore how systemic racism in public education has prevented many black and brown children from achieving their full potential. They explore how to:

- bridge the culture gap between teachers and students in culturally diverse classrooms;
- prepare teachers to succeed in multicultural settings;
- ascertain the differences between divergent views of education.

The authors also take readers on a journey through America's past that begins with the Jim Crow era of the late nineteenth century when America had separate and unequal societies and culminates in the present where students learn together-but from teachers that are often biased.

Discover the problems students of color face on a daily basis and arm yourself with strategies to eradicate systemic racism in our schools with the insights provided in The Imperfect Storm.

James A. Taylor, Ph.D., has worked in public education for more than forty years, having served as a teacher, high school principal, executive director, and associate superintendent. He earned a doctoral degree from the University of South Carolina in 1978 and completed additional post-graduate work at Auburn University and the University of North Carolina. He is also the author of From Unequal to Unwanted: Reforms Needed to Improve K-12 Public and Higher Education. He is a consultant with Taylor & Taylor Education Consultants, LLC., a company he co-owns with his wife, Wandy W. Taylor.

Wandy W. Taylor, Ed.D., holds a doctorate in educational leadership and management from Capella University, an Ed.S. in educational administration from the University of West Georgia, an M.Ed. from South Carolina State University, and a BA from the University of South Carolina. She has worked in public education for twenty-three years, having served as a counselor, assistant principal, principal and director. She is a consultant with the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement and CEO of Taylor & Taylor Education Consultants, LLC, a company she co-owns with her husband, James A. Taylor.