Unbleaching the Curriculum

Book excerpt: Unbleaching the Curriculum: Enhancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Beyond in Schools and Society is an innovative work that applies a new perspective to curriculum desgin in U.S. public schools. Introducing the framework of unbleaching, the book explores curricular omissions and falsifications for the purpose of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in school processes and practices. Its content is groundbreaking as it introduces readers to often omitted contributions such as The Teachings of PtahHotep, the oldest book in the world, and The Ahmes Papyrus, the oldest mathematical document in the world, among others. The Nation's Report Card government report indicates that U.S. schools are experiencing modest performance (NAEP, 2022). Thus, unbleaching framework has the potential to improve student performance through curriculum development that is informed by multicultural practices. The eight key tenets and processes of unbleaching provide the context for how the curriculum might address notable omissions and suppressed historical contributions and promote greater DEI in U.S. public schools.