Understanding how Implicit Bias Limits School Children: The “Adultification” of Black Girls”

By Jazlyn White

Photo by Getty Images

Implicit bias, according to the National Institutes of Health, refers to a more covert form of prejudice that “occurs automatically and unintentionally”, nevertheless affecting “judgements, decisions, and behaviors”. Implicit bias pervades all aspects of American life – where racism is embedded into the foregrounding principles of this country – and that includes public schools. The brutal murders of African-Americans by law enforcement are perhaps the most prominent, yet jarring, examples of racial implicit bias and its consequences, demonstrating how Black people are immediately perceived as culpable and dangerous. A recent study published by Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality, titled Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girl’s Childhood, traces how this facet of implicit bias begins during childhood, altering how Black girls receive care – and conversely, are disciplined – in schools.

Epstein et al’s scholarship is conscious and critical of institutionalized racism, first positing childhood as a social construct that is ultimately “informed by race”. The study surveyed a diverse group of 325 adults and found that adults perceived Black girls as “less innocent and more adult-like than white girls of the same age” during almost all stages of childhood. Thus, it coined the term “adultification”, a “phenomenon” that “effectively reduces or removes consideration of childhood as a mediating factor in Black youths’ behavior”.

Epstein et al. connected this data to the disproportionate rates at which Black girls are disciplined and suspended in schools. While Black girls made up 8% of enrollment in K-12 schools during the 2013-2014 school year, they accounted for 13% of students with an out-of-school suspension. Similarly, it also notes the disparities between White and Black girls disciplined for subjective infractions – entirely at the discretion of teachers – such as disruptive behavior; Black girls were 3x more likely to be disciplined. Ultimately, this study links disproportionate discipline and suspension to the perception of Black girls as more mature, and thus, more intentional in their behavior.

Schools are intended to be protective, educational spaces that prepare children for their adult lives, and the “adultification” of Black girls is potentially diminishing their academic potential altogether. Addressing the nuances to the discrimination that Black girls face, Girlhood Interrupted cites another study that noted how they are often perceived as more “socially mature and self-reliant” than their male counterparts, resulting in them receiving less attention from teachers. This is coupled with beliefs that Black girls need “less protection and nurturing than white girls”, “know[ing] more about adult topics” (Epstein et al. 2017). Black girls are grossly underserved in schools, likely neglected to prioritize and monitor White children and Black boys. Arguably, this neglect could spark behavioral issues in certain students, who are then dismissed until disciplined for subjective infractions and excluded from school. Ultimately, schools may be a place that stifles – rather than encourages – their growth.

Research examining how implicit bias affects secondary students notes that Black girls are least likely to be recommended to, and are regarded as least prepared for, college-preparatory classes like AP Calculus. Although more research is necessary to thoroughly understand how implicit bias manifests in school personnel, the academic neglect these girls face in early childhood likely has long-standing ramifications, following them through K-12 and onward.