As diversity in the United States student population increases, children’s literature should be reflective of that growing diversity. A descriptive content analysis was conducted to analyze the gender and racial diversity of the main characters/people within the fourth and fifth grade stories and informational texts included in the Common Core Text Exemplar (CCTE) list. The CCTE list provides recommended texts for schools that have implemented Common Core Standards. Elements used to infer racial and gender identities in the texts were also analyzed. Results indicated that White male characters and people were overrepresented and other racial and gender groups were underrepresented, which is not representative of the current US public school student population. Additionally, some elements used to infer racial and gender identities highlighted negative stereotypes portrayed in the texts. Suggestions are made to update the CCTE list to match the current racial and gender diversity of the US student population.
