October 21, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 166 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





      INTRODUCTION OF THE COMBATING IMPLICIT BIAS IN EDUCATION ACT

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 21, 2019

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Combating Implicit 
Bias in Education Act. My bill would create a $30 million grant program 
for schools to train teachers, principals and other personnel on 
implicit bias with respect to actual or perceived race, religion, sex 
(including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, 
ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
  This year, a report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that 
students of color with disabilities received far more severe and 
frequent punishment than their white counterparts. In December, the 
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos eliminated the Obama 
Administration's guidance seeking to curb exclusionary discipline, 
undermining key steps toward dismantling discriminatory discipline 
practices in classrooms.
  In 2017, the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality released 
a report finding that people disproportionately think of Black girls as 
more adult-like and less innocent compared to their white peers. This 
bias has been linked to harsher treatment of Black girls in schools. 
Students experiencing implicit bias and even outright discrimination 
face far greater expulsion and suspension rates, fueling the school-to-
prison pipeline and widening the student achievement gap.
  This bill aims to reduce the effect of implicit bias on school 
discipline, academic achievement and academic attainment through 
research-based training for education personnel, and provides teachers 
with necessary tools to provide equal educational and constructive 
behavioral feedback.
  Under my bill, the Institute of Education Sciences under the 
Department of Education would be tasked with evaluating and reporting 
on the effectiveness of the training.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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