April 28 - May 4
Chapter 4: Part 2: Performance Expectations, Tracking and Black Parents
The second part of this chapter was more specific; institutional discrimination...'this kind of chipping away in which there are no clear perpetrators - things just happen, but happen in a way that consistently benefits some more than others'.
As we look at ISD practice, where might this 'just happen'. And what can we do to improve our practice?
This "chipping away" happens through internalized messages about who is smart and who isn't. We all get socialized for internal inferiority or internal superiority. To counteract this, we need to provide a "counter narrative" (credit: Dr. Hollins). We do all the the things that have been done/ are being done to get more girls in science and math careers. provide role models of people of color who are in certain careers; we push kids academically and get them into advanced classes and then provide the support they may need to succeed; we talk openly with students about stereotypes and internalized message so they can be aware of their own thinking; we do more with parent engagement to teach parents to be advocates and "play the system". This last items is something we are already talking about in the Family Partnership Team for next year or upcoming years.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need to be open and provide a counter narrative. This is something that needs to begin in elementary school and continued throughout all years of schooling. How can we help teachers start these conversations? I think we definitely need teachers to be aware of the problem which we can help with by showing data. However, the conversations can be scary because we don't want to say something wrong. Do you have suggestions of how we can help teachers start those conversations?
DeleteRosann, with the district adoption of PBSES into our culture, would this be a natural place to start the counter narrative and expand to classrooms?
DeleteTotally agree, Rosann. Amy - I agree that the conversations can be scary. There is PD out there for how to have them with kids (Cultures Connecting!), it's just a matter of getting that PD to our staff.
DeleteFirst, we need teachers and administrators to be aware. We need them to see the data and hear accounts from students. We need them to realize that this is happening in our district "despite our best intentions."
ReplyDeleteNext, like Rosann said above, we need to make a concerted effort as a district from administration down as well as from the teachers up. Families also need to be included in theses conversations. At this point, it has to be concerted because the dis-proportionality has been occurring many times inadvertently.
The more I think about this, the more difficult I think it will be at the secondary level to implement. Some of the changes that we may need to implement may be seen by the school and family communities as "not fair" even though our current situation is actually not fair. How do we engage and motivate the community when some may not think anything needs to change?
ReplyDeleteThis is what's so key in a district like Issaquah. We have to help staff see that there's a new definition for racism now in 2016 - we can't just picture Klan members and burning crosses, that kind of racism doesn't really exist in ISD anymore (although it certainly did, less than a century ago in Issaquah!). Instead, the type of racism we're fighting against is much more insidious, because it lives within the structures, policies, procedures, etc. that exist and have existed for a long time. Many of those structures worked well for Issaquah in the past, when our student population was much more homogeneous. So it's easy to say, "This is what's always worked, this is what we've always done. And now we've got too much on our plate, so it's not a priority to change." But as our student population changes, the impact of those structures is having a racist impact, so we do need to prioritize change. Racism no longer lives in the actions of individuals, but instead within the inaction of institutions.
ReplyDeleteI think some of these changes will be very challenging to implement - particularly in our high schools and middle schools. Those who are used to having the advantage will not be happy to see the field leveled and become more fair - I think our current system supports those in power - and those in power want their children to "win" even if that means that others continue to lose.
ReplyDelete