Chances are, your grade schooler has friends who fast during Ramadan and celebrate Kwanzaa. As multiculturalism continues to grow in America, he’ll likely encounter many variations in race and culture in his classroom. Fortunately, more and more schools seek to educate students about race and racism, often through history lessons. And now, there’s evidence that these lessons actually help improve kids’ racial outlook.

New research from the University of Texas at Austin reveals that racial fairness mattered more to both white and black school-age children who learned about historical racial discrimination in school than to their peers who weren’t offered the same lessons, with the white kids becoming less likely to accept racial stereotyping. While it’s important to include race history lessons at school, it’s also wise to initiate or extend the conversation at home to ensure your child’s thoughtfulness about racial differences, says lead study researcher Julie Milligan Hughes, PhD.

Kids are exposed to racial bias at school, via the media and even from the jokes they hear adults tell. But learning about historical discrimination is clearer for kids to understand, says Dr. Hughes, because “modern-day versions are more subtle.” Talk about race history with your child to help him understand that racism is relevant today and that “racial distinctions are not biological; they are socially determined and culturally influenced,” adds Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD, president of Spelman College in Atlanta and author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Begin with discussion around an interest of your child’s—say, sports. “Talk about an athlete like Jackie Robinson, who opened the door for other African-American baseball players, or about others who were first to break into white-dominated fields,” says Dr. Hughes. Discuss the discrimination they faced trying to break ground. And get timely with talk of the current presidential election, framing it with the political inequity African Americans have long faced. Ask your child why he thinks there have been only white U.S. presidents so far.

Lessons about racism and fairness are crucial for children in our global society. Closer to home, we all want to raise kids who respect differences and value people regardless of skin color.—Irene Chang

Black Beauty

Treat your child toThe Blacker the Berry, the telling new book by Joyce Carol Thomas. As he reads and sees children celebrating their uniqueness, he’ll learn that black skin comes in many delicious shades—like toasted wheat berry, biscuit brown and blackberry ($17, harpercollinschildren.com).

Homegrown Lessons Three simple ways to help your child learn about race history:

• Offer kid-lit biographies of historical icons like Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks, which recount their struggles against societal pressures and racial prejudices.
• Rent films that illustrate these challenges in action and make them easier for children to grasp, like Hairspray  and To Kill a Mockingbird.
• Visit a black history museum that offers exhibits about the long-fought battle against discrimination. They’re in many cities, including Boise, Boston, Detroit and Richmond.