# @edutopia on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWZ1vUpK7Q
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20303582-edutopia-instagram
- **Posted:** 2021-12-11T16:59:02.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Edutopia (@edutopia) — https://gondola.cc/edutopia

## Caption

Some of the most popular and well-regarded children’s books—Caldecott and Newbery honorees among them—persistently depict Black, Asian, and Hispanic characters with lighter skin, according to new research.

Using artificial intelligence, researchers combed through 1,130 children’s books written in the last century, comparing two sets of diverse children’s books—one a collection of popular books that garnered major literary awards, the other favored by identity-based awards. The software analyzed data on skin tone, race, age, and gender.

Among the findings: While more characters with darker skin color begin to appear over time, the most popular books—those most frequently checked out of libraries and lining classroom bookshelves—continue to depict people of color in lighter skin tones. More insidiously, when adult characters are “moral or upstanding,” their skin color tends to appear lighter, the study’s lead author, Anjali Aduki, told The 74, with some books converting “Martin Luther King Jr.’s chocolate complexion to a light brown or beige.” Female characters, meanwhile, are often seen but not heard.

Cultural representations are a reflection of our values, the researchers conclude: “Inequality in representation, therefore, constitutes an explicit statement of inequality of value.”

Follow #EDUResearchHighlights2021 as we highlight 10 of the most significant educational studies from 2021—covering topics from bias in kids' books to the ‘paper versus digital' war. 

For more information and a clickable link to the research study check out our link in bio.

#EducationResearch #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #Diversity #Literacy #kidsbooks

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## Tags

literacy, kidsbooks, educationresearch, culturallyresponsiveteaching, diversity, eduresearchhighlights2021

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