Fields-Smith quoted in Christian Science Monitor

Classroom discussions about race are important, but also need proper context.

That's the message many experts, including the College of Education's Cheryl Fields-Smith, argued in a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor. A bold premise made by one high school teacher — that "all white people are racist, period," has sparked questions about the difficulty of talking about race in the classroom.

The question of context is one of the reasons more African-American families are choosing to home-school their children, says Fields-Smith, an associate professor in the department of educational theory and practice. When you can control the curriculum, she said, you can add a greater depth to topics such as history.

"If you only go to public schools, and that's the only place you're educated, then you learn that your history began with slavery and it pretty much ended with MLK," she told the Monitor.