[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 54 (Friday, March 29, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E294]
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

                         Friday, March 29, 2024

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Combating Implicit 
Bias in Education Act. This 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 bill aims to reduce the 
effect of implicit bias on school discipline, academic achievement, and 
academic attainment.
  In 2019, 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 2017, the 
Georgetown 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 counterparts. This bias has 
been linked to harsher treatment of Black girls in schools.
  Under this bill, the Department of Education's Institute of Education 
Sciences would evaluate and report on the effectiveness of the 
training.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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