Pearson recently released editorial guidelines that will advance the company’s commitment to fighting systemic racism in education. The guidelines will serve as a resource to help content developers -- including authors, reviewers and editors—create meaningful representations of minorities and challenge racial stereotypes and associated prejudices in all Pearson courseware, digital materials, services, qualifications and assessments.
Pearson is the world’s leading learning company with more than 22,500 employees operating in 70 countries. The company provides content, assessment and digital services to learners, educational institutions, employers, governments and other partners globally.
The guidelines will inform Pearson’s broader Global Editorial Policy that will be re-released later this year with enhanced standards for content relating to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, religion and disability. Training on the guidelines is being rolled out globally to Pearson employees over the next 12 months.
The guidelines identify five main challenges that are commonly highlighted in academic sources including: underrepresentation of minorities, exaggerated negative associations, limited positive associations, missing stories, and the idea that disadvantages are personal, rather than systemic. The guidelines provide examples of each challenge and recommended solutions to guide Pearson content producers.
The guidelines were created by members of Pearson’s employee resource groups with consultation from Dr. Jason Arday, Deputy Executive Dean (People and Culture), Associate professor of sociology at Durham University UK and author of the Black Curriculum Report, a seminal report on curriculum inequality in the UK. Specifically, employees from Pearson PRIME (People Representing the Interests of Multiple Ethnicities) and Pearson Bold, which is dedicated to empowering employees of Black and/or African ancestry led the report.
“2020 was a year of enormous change and action across the world when it comes to race and ethnic equality. It has highlighted the need for action to address systemic inequality that people from diverse backgrounds face every day,” said Ebrahim Matthews, Senior Vice President, Global Schools, Pearson.
“The guidelines produced represent a cultural shift in publishing that attempts to center race and racial equality at its core,” said Dr. Arday.
Similar guidelines for content relating to gender, LGBTQ+ and disability from Pearson employee resource groups will inform the Global Editorial Policy and advance Pearson’s commitment to being a fully inclusive and diverse organisation that reflects the communities it serves.
