Unveiling Racism: A Systematic Review of Survey Measures of Racism in Education

Education policy research aimed at eliminating racism necessitates methodological innovation that fosters both equity-centered approaches and robust empirical analysis of the systemic nature of racism. Most quantitative research in educational psychology omits the racist environment that students in K-12 education exist in (DeCuir-Gunby & Schutz, 2014; Strunk & Andrzejewski, 2023). Drawing from Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and the ethos of QuantCrit, this study evaluates various scales to highlight gaps and challenges in measuring racism within school settings using survey scales. This review aims to uplift survey measures for researchers to use in their work and advocate for more targeted resources and reparations. Reviewing 66 studies and 50 unique survey scales, key findings include the overreliance on scales designed to measure racial discrimination at the intrapersonal level, while systemic factors are often overlooked. Most measures were self-report surveys for older students developed more than 15 years ago. The results demonstrate the need to move beyond measures of intrapersonal racism to more up-to-date, multi-dimensional tools. The study’s findings also underscore the necessity of constant reevaluation of the tools used to match the shifting cultural realities of how racism operates, and the specific ways it impacts marginalized communities. As racism continues to evolve, so too must the methods by which it is measured.