Phases of Curricular Revision With Regard to Race

1. White history: The world is centered on my experience, and I tell the stories.
2. White history with examples of outstanding achievement by persons of color: I tell the stories, but I may include you.
3. People of color as a problem, anomaly, or absence in history: My narratives center on the ways you have challenged my authority or dominance.
4. People of color as history: I listen as you tell your version of the stories.
5. History redefined or reconstructed to include us all: The stories are only complete when we all have spoken.

Source: McIntosh, 1990.

If this student had not been in a fight, he would have become a statistic

As an African-American administrator in the district, I am often reminded that I am different from the majority. As an adult, my life experiences have helped me to navigate through difficult times. However, I often think about the students of color who could be experiencing some of the same issues I have faced, but without the life experiences to help them deal with these challenges. That reminder helps me stay focused on our goals as a district: To raise all children up so that they feel a sense of belonging to their school and their education, and so that they are able to reach their full potential as learners and citizens of a multicultural and diverse world.

One story highlights my learning journey. We realized that Parkway’s academic data weren’t the only alarming indicators that we were failing students. Student discipline data also highlighted stark disparities. Although African-Americans made up only 16% of the student population, their suspension rate was higher than any other student group. We said we were meeting the needs of all students, but the truth was in the data.

Students who are suspended must attend a hearing with the Discipline Review Committee. There was one African-American male on this committee and, when I joined, I noticed that he stayed silent for fear of losing his job. I also noticed the difference between the lengths of time out of school that African-American students received compared to their white counterparts. The language used to describe the incidents was more inflammatory for African-Americans than whites. I began addressing other red flags I saw in the discipline packet prepared by administrators. The packet contained information such as the student’s grades, test scores, attendance, and the record of interventions.

One student’s visit to the District Review Committee is unforgettable and clearly indicated to me that underperforming African-American students flew under the radar unless they had discipline issues. A student entered the room and quietly said how sorry he was for fighting. He was facing suspension or expulsion, but the administrator explained to the committee before the family came in that this student was a great young man and had a clean discipline history.

As I looked through the student’s file, I began to see a bigger problem. This 11th grader had only earned nine credits toward graduation. At that point, he should have earned at least 17.5 credits. I also saw that this student had been struggling in reading since elementary school. I asked: “Has this student been helped by our care team? Have you seen this student’s standardized test scores? What interventions have been put in place to help this student succeed?” I was more interested in our culpability for the lack of support that led him to a violent expression of his frustration than for the responsibility we were asking him to take for his failure to make adequate academic progress. I realized that if this student had NOT gotten into a fight, he would have become another statistic. This incident turned out to be a good thing because it forced the system to work for him instead of against him. He began receiving the services he needed to recover credits and improve his chances to graduate with his classmates.

After this and other incidents, I took a look at the bigger picture. As I expected, this student’s case was more the rule than the exception. We needed to look at our culturally unresponsive climate and find a way to train as many administrators and teachers in social justice in the shortest amount of time as possible. We did not have time to waste — students’ futures were at risk.

— Charlotte Ijei

The Crede Standards for Sffective Pedagogy and Learning

1. Joint productive activity: Teacher and students producing together.
2. Language development: Developing language and literacy across the curriculum.
3. Contextualization: Making meaning: Connecting school to students’ lives.
4. Challenging activities: Teaching complex thinking.
5. Instructional conversation: Teaching through conversation.

Source: CREDE, n.d.