We Can't Teach What We Don't Know: White Teachers, Multiracial Schools

For author Gary Howard, the issues and passions that sparked the writing of the First Edition of this now classic work are as intense today as they were then. In the Third Edition, Howard reviews the progress we have made in the interim (for example, the first Black president in the White House), as well as the lack of progress (the gutting of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the epidemic of Black youth killed by police, and the persistence of race-based educational disparities). Making a case for the “fierce urgency of now,” this new edition deepens the discussion of race and social justice in education with new and updated material. Aligned with our nation’s ever more diverse student population, it speaks to what good teachers know, what they do, and how they embrace culturally responsive teaching. This essential text is widely used in teacher preparation courses and for in-service professional development.

New for the Third Edition:

• A revised Introduction that places the book in the context of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on Washington.
• An updated analysis of White social dominance, bringing in Critical Race Theory and reflecting on the racist reaction to the election of our first Black President.
• More detail to the White Identity Orientations model, bringing in the personal life experiences of several contemporary White racial-justice activists.
• A new section, “The Whiteness of School Reform,” demonstrating how White social dominance drives much of the corporate school reform movement.
• A richer discussion of the seven principles for Culturally Responsive Teaching, drawing lessons from the author’s transformative work with school districts throughout the country.
• An expanded Reflection and Discussion Guide authored by two educators who have been using the book in professional development sessions for many years.

Gary R. Howard is president and founder of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in Seattle, Washington. He travels widely throughout the United States delivering keynote speeches and workshops addressing issues of race, justice, educational reform, and social transformation.