Anti-Bias Curriculum.

An anti-bias curriculum is intended to teach acceptance, tolerance and respect for social differences. Some educators call for reform to classroom climate and teaching styles that serve only some groups of students and present barriers for other groups. Diversity advocates believe that transformation in schools is essential for the transformation of society and the elimination of injustice. The article describes a Teacher Action Research (TAR) method to improve practices related to diversity education. The method is both an individual tool that can help classroom teachers reconsider their teaching methods and a community activity that helps teams of educators assess problems in schools, enact changes, and reassess their materials and methodology. Critics of an anti-bias curriculum claim that teachers do not have time to prepare students for standardized tests and also attend to curriculum reform for diversity. Other critics feel that a multicultural curriculum focuses on differences instead commonalities and actually contributes to racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism.