National School Reform Faculty

Equity
Date: May 2 - 2004
Listserv: Coaches
May 2-9, 2004

Sunday, May 2, 2004 8:28 AM
Dear Colleagues,
I know from personal and public experiences that Nancy Mohr was committed to equity. I would like to suggest that you have someone like Victor Cary, Jackie Simmons-Mitchel, Jack Mitchel, Michelle Fine who can speak to equity and its role in leadership...the family and the community.
After attending the Facilitators Meeting in Chicago, where there were only 4 people of color present (Lois Butler, Pete Bermudez, Jim McNeil, and myself) I am saddened and I fear that we are losing ground in our journey with equity. What is happening? Peace and Love,
Camilla, CT

Sunday, May 2, 2004 9:18 AM
Yesterday at the National Facilitator's Meeting, Christelle Estrada, a Chicana colleague, raised the need to link equity and excellence to our design of coaches trainings. As we broke into smaller groups to examine/revise our approach to trainings, Lois Butler, an African American colleague challenged us not to "infuse" our activities with equity as a layering on, but to nest equity and excellence at the center, as our starting point. There were other examples of the ways the handful of colleagues of color pressed the whole group to expand our lens on our work, but I share these two examples by way of illustration. Without the voices of colleagues of color at the table, and I'll speak for myself, I don't go far enough despite my good intentions and independent reading or work around issues of equity.

If we are truly serious about the importance of principal leadership in the process of school change and we want to honor Nancy's work on both leadership and equity in support of our kids, I believe we need to start "nesting equity and excellence" at the center of all planning/trainings, not just for new coaches, but in all that we do. I think that means we need to be very purposeful in our inclusion of the voices of leaders/colleagues of color in our planning and delivery of institutes and trainings.

It just occurred to me that if I were invited to a session that claimed to be seriously interested in the progress of female students and equitable educational outcomes for them and it was being led by all men, regardless of their credentials and intentions, I would be pretty astonished, angry...you get the picture. So I have to ask myself why I'm/we're able to accept all white leadership for sessions that hope to push my/our thinking about work with students and families of color.

I have to close here and bury myself in homework for the next 36 hours, but I hope that we will continue this conversation, not just about this or that particular training, although that is clearly important, but rather about all of our trainings, institutes and structures.
Debbie, PA

Sunday, May 2, 2004 3:39 PM
Dear Colleagues,
I, too, was disappointed at the lack of cultural and ethnic diversity represented at our national facilitators meeting. I agree with Camilla and Debbie that we, as an organization, must be more intentional about the critical importance of our practice being informed by all voices and by multiple perspectives. Nancy would expect us to have a richly diverse team facilitating for equity in her memory.

I know that our work in Indianapolis is better and stronger because the majority of our coaches reflect the diversity of the students served by the Indianapolis Public Schools. It is important that NSRF would be a better source of equity based professional development with a more representative group of national facilitators. It is even more important that we would have a much deeper understanding of the possibilities for transforming our urban schools into excellent equitable schools where each child is recognized in the fullness of his/her humanity and his/her capacity to contribute to the common good.

NSRF has done a good job of putting equity at the center of our mission. It is now time to move it to the center of our practice. I believe it is our moral imperative to do so.
Thank you Camilla, for convening this courageous conversation.
Daniel, IN

Sunday, May 2, 2004 8:02 PM
Greetings:
I will take responsibility for reworking the budget so as to include another facilitator, beginning with the people who have been mentioned, and then will talk with Dave Lehman and Paula Evans, the current two facilitators. I don't expect any problems/issues with their agreement - Dave has been a long time voice for equity in NSRF and in his community and his practice - and the inside story is that Paula essentially resigned her position as principal at CRLS when the powers in the community and central office insisted she compromise her beliefs about the centrality of equity with excellence in favor of choice and privilege.

Thanks for raising the issue publicly - as I see it, my job as co-director is to listen carefully and to take action - the praxis (reflection with action) that many of us talked about this past weekend in Chicago at the national facilitators meeting. So, that is what I will do.
Best,
Gene, MA

Sunday, May 2, 2004 8:15 PM
...PS By "agreement" - I meant agreement from them that a diverse facilitation team is an important issue that must be addressed...
Gene, MA

Sunday, May 2, 2004 7:15 AM
I have been reading the latest NSRF emails and I just want to say how proud I am to be associated with people whose hearts, thoughts and efforts are aimed so strategically at equity. Mahalo,
Pauline, HI

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 8:37 AM
As a West Coast Critical Friends Coach who is a classroom teacher, I think that NSRF needs to look beyond the issue of racial equity and start thinking of geographic, economic and practitioner equity. I am very interested in attending many of the meetings that are announced on the listserv, but they are always so far away, so expensive and happen when I am unable to take time away from my students. When trained to be a CFG coach, more than 50% of the coaches who trained with me were people of color, the vast majority were also classroom teachers who face the same issues I do when it comes to these meetings. If NSRF thought about accommodating coaches who are teachers they might see some of these issues resolved.
Jill Manning, CA

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 8:37 AM
Jill, I echo your feelings. I have felt a loss of my active connection with NSRF and it is due to lack of funding and financial support. I'm aware of all of the issues about funding for education but in this brain tank there must be some way of figuring out how to level the playing field.
Lana, PA

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 8:58 AM
Hi Everyone,
Here are the notes from the small group I was in on Saturday. (For those of you who were not there...we were talking about ways our initial coaches seminars might look if we were intentionally putting a focus on equity and excellence at the center of our planning and work.)

Pre-Seminar
-Review/revise the work context sheet so that we are much more intentional about the kind of work we want folks to bring. Ask folks to think about a student or students who they are not reaching as they select the work.

- Artifact--Ask participants to bring an artifact that represents some aspect of inequity in their school or district.

-Data-- Have participants bring data from their district, school or classroom. Use the data as work and use the Collaborative Assessment Protocol to examine the pieces of data and describe, question, make inferences etc. OR Use the data as text and have a Save the Last Word conversation about what stands out etc.

-Contact participants before they arrive and incorporate the context of the people that will be attending into your planning. (See the Vella piece on our website: Twelve Principles for Effective Adult Learning)

--Readings- Send out one piece that deals with learning communities, but send another that pushes the envelope a bit around issues of equity. Some possibilities are: The Data Dialogue by Laurie Olsen ? Title by Jean Anyon Other titles?

Framing Questions: Carefully craft these questions to connect the reading, peoples' contexts and our focus on equity and excellence are highlighted.

The main idea here was to select a text that would create some dissonance and prompt a discussion about the role of learning communities in the disruption of inequities.
--Closing the loop in our use of protocols

Introducing tools to be used to build in accountability and follow up in our CFGs (How do we track changes in thinking and practice after we get feedback from colleagues? I-MAPS, tool from Salt Lake? Other tools...Portfolios, Peer Visits etc.)

--Front Loading around a different way to design and deliver instruction...We need to guard against assuming that folks know what to do with the feedback when they leave the session. We may want to have people draft lessons that they can get feedback around the day after they've presented their work.

--Profile of a Student-- Using this activity in mixed groups of educators, students and family members was shared as a powerful experience for the school change process

We also discussed the combination of this activity with "Stand for Kids" as a closing and perhaps even more importantly, having folks identify 1-3 students they will follow and document over the course of the year as a way to deepen our reflection, practice ...learning. The documentation could be used as part of an ongoing inquiry/portfolio process.

--Peer Commitment--Having participants identify a peer/buddy who they plan to visit and host during the year. Building this component of peer visitation from the start should demystify this aspect of our work.

I tried to capture everything from our chart paper. Please add or amend if I missed anything.
If you were not in our group but have questions or ideas, please join us in the conversation, as it is by no means private or complete. Thanks,
Debbie, PA

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 10:10 AM
Greetings:
I wanted to clarify that the meeting that was held last week in Chicago was a meeting of NSRF national facilitators, that is, those people (and about 50% of the total number around the country attended) who facilitate CFG coaches seminars, etc. - and not a meeting of CFG coaches.
The only meeting or conference or seminar sponsored at this point by the national organization is our annual winter meeting, held historically the first week in December, and then in LA in 2003, changed to MLK weekend (Thursday-Saturday).

I agree that we need to pay attention to the cost and the locations of the meetings, since once the Annenberg Institute and Annenberg Challenge money was gone, we have all been in a position to have to pay to attend - either ourselves, or through our local school districts or other organizations.

Since leaving AISR, our hope has been that registrations for the winter meeting would just cover the cost of putting it on, which has mostly (but not always) been true. The meeting locations for the past five years have been LA (twice), Miami, Houston and Philadelphia. This year (January 2005) - the meeting will be in Boston - mostly because the other centers of activity that applied either wanted to wait until next year or the year after (Seattle and Florida), or didn't have enough hotel or meeting space for that week (Chattanooga). Because we have a "lean" national organization in terms of staff, it is critical that centers of activity be willing to sponsor and host this meeting. As a member of the Massachusetts center of activity, you have my word that the cost will be as low as we can possibly make it.

I was especially interested in the comment that read: "When trained to be a CFG coach, more than 50% of the coaches who trained with me were people of color, the vast majority were also classroom teachers." What is true is that we don't have an accurate read on (1) Who our CFG coaches are, or (2) where (or whether) they are even coaching. My goal for early next school year is to construct an on-line survey that centers of activity can disseminate so we can get more of a sense of "who is doing what where." That could give us information about CFG coaches and/or principals who would like to step into a leadership role as NSRF seminar facilitators, and where they are located.

Finally, I have been thinking a great deal about how NSRF coaches seminar facilitators are "brought on board." The fact is, the national organization depends on/asks local centers of activity to do this. While we have national guidelines we all agree to use, we don't have a "national" program. Perhaps we should, though, especially as it relates to building a larger number of facilitators who are people of color. I will continue to think about and work on this, and welcome your thoughts.

Finally, I want to share with you that I have received private e-mails asking that I advocate publicly for equity "for all types." The people who have written are all NSRF members who are also gay or lesbian. This is an issue I also feel passionately about - both in terms of attending to kids who are struggling with being accepted for who they are, and also in terms of making sure that in NSRF people do not feel they need to be silent about - or have to "hide" - an important aspect of themselves. At the national facilitator meeting in Chicago last week, for the first time I can remember, we had public announcements of two marriages and one pregnancy by people who mentioned their partners by name to people who didn't necessarily know they were gay/lesbian. I thought about the power of the equity panel facilitated by Victor Cary at our last winter meeting in Philly, and wondered if Jennifer and the other panel members' stories have, in fact, helped all of us to be more public about our own stories, our own perspectives and our own orientations.
So, let's continue the dialogue. Best,
Gene, MA

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 10:15 AM
I agree. Being able to attend is very important. My work continues as a reflective educator, even though the budget doesn't allow my attendance at a national convention.

As to the conversation on equity: To me the issue of equity is about having the opportunity to listen to other people whose perspectives may be different than mine. I only can grow when I am willing to set aside my thoughts and listen to another's thoughts. This listening is really a great act of hospitality. I would also hope that no voice in this conversation is discounted. A real dialogue on equity must be inclusive of all voices. Those voices must be honored and respected as representing a person, not a position or stereotype. Stifling or emphasizing any voice on the basis of gender or color doesn't seem respectful to the person whose voice is being affected. Listening for truth seems more important than listening for a position or validation.
W, TX

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 2:53 PM
I've been reading these issues of equity and yet, even when I went through the CFG training in Dedham '98, no one discusses or addresses the issue of disabilities among teachers, regardless of race, ethnicity, etc.

I have been appalled at the lack of sensitivity and/or real accommodation/inclusion for any teacher who, through no fault, has a physical impairment.

Of all the career fields in which I've worked, the field of education has been the very least accommodating...at the school level, at the district level...but more shocking to me was the total "blind eye" I experienced as a candidate for National Board Certification in the 1994 pilot year (I researched, designed and developed a means by which any candidate with limitation could take the written test)...I was successful as one of only 91 out of almost 6,000 candidates.
Further, I was shocked at how little "inclusion" existed at the CFG for someone with physical limitation.

As someone who was very athletic prior to an auto accident by a female DWI, I looked healthy, and, except for the cane, physically capable...despite my having provided this information prior to CFG. (That was my responsibility).

Yet, so many of the so-called "bonding" activities were physical and a struggle, especially on the uneven, hilly grounds. Except for 2 or 3 participants, the other participants behaved as though my situation was an "inconvenience," pretended not to notice my exclusion or struggle and acted as though "it" or I should disappear.

Naturally, I was devastated but I "grinned and bore" this huge disappointment. I was shocked and dismayed but I was determined to maximize my participation.

I found it ironic that folks could discuss with a straight, concerned face, the "needs of special needs children" while being so very oblivious to the needs of a colleague in their midst.

Needless to say, it was a great learning experience for me, providing first hand experience of what so many students really experience...the sadness from being devalued and excluded, the pain from being "hovered over" by embarrassed folks anxious to cover their discomfort, the loneliness from being socially avoided.

While my students certainly benefited from my "extra" learning experience, I have often wondered about the students of those with whom I trained.

The good news is that I survived, used my experience (and was well-supported for my teaching during the Harvard study) and have become a strong advocate within our state for education reform at the legislative level.

I see though that very little has changed with regard to the equity for physically challenged teachers...those with arthritis, treated and recovering cancer, fibromyalgia, asthma...the list is long. Until I left the classroom, I advocated for my colleagues who were reluctant and fearful to draw any attention to themselves.

So what hidden message do our students learn from observing such disparate treatment amongst the adults in their schools? Children learn by what we do not what we say.

I agree that equity cannot be an "overlay" or an addendum but must be woven into the very fabric of our daily lives, minute by minute. Anything less is artificial...and children are superior at seeing through the insincere, the hypocritical.

Until this happens, until teachers truly accept and include those who are different, until their behavior truly reflects their words, the issue of real equity is merely a dance.

I simply could not in good conscience stay silent during one more "discussion."

I recommend that folks do what I experienced at a wonderful weeklong conference I attended a year before my accident. In one workshop, with special equipment, we experienced the loss of certain frequencies (high and low) to first-hand experience a hearing impaired child taking a spelling test and listening to instruction; we experienced the visual distortions (color blindness, astigmatism, etc) or loss, of a child struggling in a lesson. We traveled in wheel chairs.

I recommend that, teachers who really care, do this for themselves and for all their students they've yet to meet. We never know when we will truly be "walking in their shoes."
Sandra, NM

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 1:14 AM
Thank you for bringing this up. I find your raising of awareness compelling for two reasons. The first is that my wife walks with a walker and teaches at a small liberal arts college with beautiful historic architecture. Just starting out her career and having no tenure, she was very concerned about bringing up issues which could make her be seen as a troublemaker for pointing out that she was unable to do her job without reasonable accommodations (and I do mean reasonable). She was seen as a troublemaker at first, but now, over two years later, she is still seen as a troublemaker by some, a complainer by some, and some who never notice that she has special needs. Of course, none of these are true. There are a few, and more all the time, who actually think about her in advance and call her on her cell phone to tell her that the elevator is broken and she will have to use a different route top get to her fifth-floor office today. But she has had to fight (nicely) every step of the way. But that is her story not mine, and besides, that's on the college level. Elementary and secondary schools are different. ;-)

As for me, I am the Head of a private secondary school for kids with all kids of differences. Oddly enough, our teachers have all kinds of differences too. My message has always been that teachers and staff have the same right to be different from each other that we tell our students that they have. I also tell staff that, while there are professional boundaries, they can be wonderful role models to our students if they, as adults, are willing to share some of their personal struggles. One teacher has severe dyslexia and speaks openly about it. We have had a few teachers who were openly gay or lesbian (perhaps the most dangerous thing to be in our profession) and a few who chose not to discuss their private lives. We have staff members who open about being recovering alcoholics. At times, when trying to help an adolescent who is resistant to taking antidepressant medicine because it changes his/her personality (a scary thought for anyone, but especially an adolescent), I share that I had all those same thoughts as well when I started taking antidepressants. And you know what? We have a school full of kids who are open about their sexuality, their learning differences, their emotional issues and their addiction issues. We also have a school full of kids who treat each other as individuals, respect each other and support each other. The teachers rarely need to scold students for their insensitivity because the other students beat them to it. Similar sensitivity and supportiveness exists around race, gender, body types, physical disabilities, etc. The one we are having the hardest time with, but are making progress through determined effort, is the issue of socioeconomic status and social class.

And yet, I have just finished defending myself against charges of unprofessional behavior for talking to students about my medication, my adolescent questioning about my sexuality, and several other topics. I got in just as much trouble for talking to other staff members about it because I am "in a power relationship" with them, and it made them uncomfortable. Of course, then my Board, a bunch of intelligent, sensitive liberal people who have known me and respected me for up to 15 years had to consult their lawyer who give them detailed instructions on how to act toward me and toward my accusers, as well as how to employ a "fact finder" to act as an impartial party to the school. Of course, just to play safe, the fact finder asked me all kinds of questions about my private and professional life just to make sure that they weren't going to get any more surprises. And, no, I didn't contact a lawyer because I believed that these people would never do anything to hurt me. You see, I always knew that there was a double standard for administrators and teachers, but I had lulled myself into a false sense of security about the limits of tolerance in my community.

In the end, I was cleared of all charges and implications of charges, but my name was still not clear with some people and my Board still reprimanded me and put me on probation (and almost fired me) because I apparently have "boundary problems" and I need to learn that the school's reputation is affected by my every utterance. Amazingly and fortunately enough, students and parents remain unaware of this, but the staff is completely torn up and I fear for the school's survival. I have resigned as of the end of my contract in June.

But looking back on it all, I still would have told that gay student who was feeling suicidal (and yes I did tell his parents and therapist about my conversations both before and after) that he wasn't alone, and that my words were not empty because I had felt many of the same things he has. He, his parents and his therapist appreciate what I did.

So, is the message that we should all feel comfortable to be who we are? Absolutely! Is it also that we are taking a risk by doing so? Absolutely! And should we do anything we can do to make this a safer world for our students than for us? Absolutely!
Michael, PA

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 12:55 PM
I so appreciate your courage, your honesty and your integrity. You created a healthy environment and model not only for your students but also for their parents, your staff and the community. Unfortunately, there are those who hide behind "liability" as a means of squelching the voice of authentic leadership. In my heart, I know there are others, such as yourself, who "talk the talk," and "walk the walk." Thank God for you all.

My heart goes out to your wife. What a waste of her energy, what a lost opportunity for the "rabbits" too afraid to rise to the occasion. And, blessed are those who include her. I know, first hand, how much that means to her.

At a "blue ribbon" summer seminar of Golden Apple & National Board Certified Teachers (meeting on the 2nd floor of the College of Ed. building), the fire alarm blasted. The facilitators were down the stairs and out in a flash. As my colleagues followed, many of them yelled to me over their shoulders, “Take the elevator!!" (Can you imagine? Several were HS teachers at schools with handicapped kids!). I was reduced to tears and panic, my heart in my throat. I was trapped.
But guess what? One huge guy got another big guy to come back for me. These two guys were my heroes as they created a "bulwark" in front of me, so that I couldn't see the steep, open stairway. Together we slowly descended, me gripping their shoulders tightly 'til we reached safety.

Michael, I've learned that when one door closes, another opens. You have a much bigger role to fill. You will continue to make a difference as you interact with more and more students, staff, parents, officials and community. This school was just your "training ground."

For all the heroes out there, for all those with the courage to live "it," day after day...thank you.
Sandra, NM

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 3:16 PM
I am a principal in an inner city school in Philadelphia and have been intimately involved with Annenberg and now NSRF since 1994. In my work first with Annenberg principals and coaches and then NSRF principals and coaches, we spent (and continue to spend) years dealing with all issues of equity. One of our colleagues is a quadriplegic. From him I learned much about living with a physical limitation as we went to restaurants, did "walk abouts", had the fire alarm go off in the Doubletree hotel when we were in a bar, at night, that only had lift access. I guess I could go on.

There is room for all issues of equity. But it seems that race is the one "ism" that many of us don't ever want to talk about. It seems to me that we "white " folks just have a hard time with it. When the issue of race arises we start talking about the other "isms.” Not that they are not important, but sometimes we just have to talk about race.

In the world that my students live in, race is in their face all of the time. We teach our male students to keep a low profile on the street, not to confront the police ever and teach them how to stay out of trouble. Yes I also have gay and lesbian students and we have formed a gay straight alliance to help establish a safe environment and provide space for understanding.

But even my gay and lesbian students deal with issue of race everyday because we live in a city where the people are predominately people of color. And we are failing our kids of color - they are ones we are losing - everyday. Many to jail, many to the street, and many to the cemeteries. Our drop out is high and our graduation rate is low.

So - personally, I want to continue the purposeful talk about race – in everything I do. I want to discuss race with my colleagues of color so I can reflect and do a better job with my students of color.

If I get the race thing right, maybe it will all fall in place.
Wendy, PA

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 6:25 PM
I am thrilled to hear the listserv filled with heart.

This is our true work, our stories, our feelings, our perspectives and our experiences. Sharing our deepest understandings of "isms" moves us all to a deeper level. We have moved beyond the collegial work and now are at the doorstep of true collaborative work. Let's push through - what is true equity?
Carol, PA

Thursday, May 6, 2004 4:59 AM
Good Morning,
As I end my first semester of grad school and get a few minutes to breathe and reflect on my classes and my work, I've begun making a list of the new resources I've acquired to support my work around leading for equity. (I’m not being presumptuous here, rather I'm responding to the challenge posed by Victor Cary at Winter Meeting that we consciously decide to lead for equity despite our own misgivings/shortcomings.)

So here are the resources that I'm hoping to begin to use as I both study and facilitate this process: (Please share resources and structures you are using after you read these.)

Readings for Diversity and Social Justice: An Anthology on Racism, Anti-Semitism, Sexism, Heterosexism, Ableism and Classism
edited by Maurianne Adams, Warren Blumenfeld et al.
(Our CFG discussed "The Complexity of Identity" by Beverly Daniel Tatum and a few of the principals have used this piece to initiate conversation with their staff about the ways we see ourselves and are seen by others as both dominant or subordinate in our schools, lives...I sampled all sections of the book in a Diversity class this semester and found it provocative and informative.)

Young, Gifted and Black: Promoting High Achievement Among African Americans Theresa Perry, Claude Steele & Asa Hilliard III
(This book was recommended last year on this list by Debbi Laidley, Camilla Greene and RoLesia Holman. RoLesia and I offered a coaches clinic at Winter Meeting that drew on some sections of the preface as a starting point of a conversation about leading for equity. In particular, we looked at the distinctive context faced by African American students who experience schools as a place that devalues them.)

Borderlands: LaFrontera, The New Mestiza Gloria Anzaldua
(An assigned book in my theory class that gave a multifaceted view of what it means to be Chicana and lesbian in a society that values neither. Anzaldua mixes poetry and prose, Spanish and English in a powerful mix of personal memoir and social commentary.)

Beyond Silenced Voices: Class, Race and Gender in United States Schools ed. by Lois Weiss and Michelle Fine
(I used this collection in my research about the silencing of student voices in our schools and will read the whole book this summer.)

Black Feminist Thought Patricia Hill Collins
(I was introduced to Collins's work in my sociological theory class and she was a breath of fresh air! She writes about the matrix of oppression and stresses the need for a break from an "either, or" approach to analysis and advocates a shift to a "both, and" view that values peoples' lived experience.)

Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach: The Power of Dialogue in educating adults Jane Vella
(Chapter 1 is on our website under materials for the National Facilitators Meeting. Christelle Estrada has been using this work in Salt Lake and I found the twelve principles of effective adult learning to be powerfully simple in my thinking about planning for work this summer. My copy of the whole book just arrived yesterday...)

Because of the Kids: Facing Racial and Cultural differences in Schools Jennifer E. Obidah and Karen Manheim Teel
(The story of a three-year collaborative inquiry by these two teacher-researchers. Karen, a Caucasian teacher, invited Jennifer, a West Indian teacher, into her classroom as a peer observer. The focus of the study was on the ways Karen could improve her practice with students of color. The teachers ended up learning about relationships and communication differences between adults as well. This was a very powerful read and I hope to use parts of it with CFGs that I'm coaching.)

Using Data to Close the Achievement Gap: How to Measure Equity in Our Schools Ruth S. Johnson
(Camilla Greene suggested this book to me last weekend saying she's using it a lot in her small schools work. I just got it yesterday but it looks like a good fit for the inclusion of data in our new coaches seminars. I'm anxious to familiarize myself with this text, especially the section that deals with "Guiding the Dialogue" that is based on Delpit's questions.)

Learning by Heart Roland Barth
(A new coach at one of my schools, Nicole Gaughan, heard about this book from a Disney teacher at Winter Meeting. Our CFG has read it and two weeks ago we did a Chalk Talk about the non-discussables in the building. Yesterday we reviewed the list and took it into our classrooms to surface the non-discussables the kids face, their impact and strategies we could use to eliminate them. )

P.S. John Newlin shared a piece/protocol on Equity Stances at the Facilitator's meeting that prompted a meaty conversation. I know he wants to work on it a bit more, but I hope he'll share it here.
Debbie, PA

Thursday, May 6, 2004 7:25 AM
Dear Wendy, Thank you for expressing your concerns about the race and the equity issues. You and many others like you realize that children of color and most adults of color particularly those in urban areas deal with the issue of race on a minute-to-minute basis. What I envy most about most mainstream Americans is that they can take loooong vacations from having to deal with issues of race. The bottom line for me and many other people of color is the daily challenge of living in a racist country. As an African American I fear that most folks' (colleagues') eyes glaze over when I mention the race issue and most think, "There she goes again...” Sometime folks need to hear about the issue of race from a white person whose consciousness has been raised.

Victor Cary speaks of the need to form alliances and have allies in our equity work where we take direct actions to correct injustices in our schools and classrooms...and move beyond understanding to dealing and flipping the script so that there is true equity of outcomes for all students particularly students who are poor and students of color. I look forward to continuing to work with allies such as yourself in this struggle. Peace and Love,
Camilla, CT

Thursday, May 6, 2004 10:38 AM
Camilla and Wendy,
How refreshing it is to read the dialogue between two people of the opposite races discussing the value of equity for the good of all children. We need to take a hard look at the impact of one's race and how it affects equity. Camilla, there are times people of my own race (African-American) shy away from the topic or they become apathetic towards children of color. So there is definitely a need to educate all people to the role of race and how it affects equity in our schools across America. So let the discussions continue until the change is come.
Sylvia, TN

Thursday, May 6, 2004 12:44 PM
Hello, all. I have been following the conversation on diversity and it's very timely as we are revising our teacher evaluation instrument and are struggling for some concrete language under the heading of "Promotes Equity and an Appreciation of Diversity" that can be observed or assessed somehow. For those of you who are teachers and supervisors of teachers: What language below works for you? Are the standards and criteria clear, concrete and able to be assessed accurately? Can it be modeled? Is it clear what it looks like? Do you have sharper, clearer language?

Here's what was in the MA DOE Principles of Effective Teaching:
1. The teacher strives to ensure equitable opportunities for student learning.

2. The teacher demonstrates appreciation for and sensitivity to the diversity among individuals.
And here's other newer language from "Teaching Matters'" Professional Standards for Teachers under the same heading of "Promotes Equity and an Appreciation of Diversity" along with descriptors and examples:

Standard 1. Acts on the belief that all students can master a challenging curriculum and includes all students in the range of academic opportunities and in higher order thinking.

Descriptors:
Demonstrates belief that students can achieve high standards and expresses this belief to students.
Modifies instruction to meet the diverse needs of students within the classroom.
Tries a variety of strategies to engage diverse learners in order to stimulate their interest in the lesson.
Continually assesses success of instructional strategy and changes approach if warranted.
Identifies students who are not meeting expectations and develops a plan that designates student and teacher responsibilities.
Provides opportunities for extra help, as needed.

Examples:
Instruction is modified or lesson re-taught based upon outcomes of formal and informal assessments.
Modifications to instruction are noted in plan book.
Students are confident in taking risks with new material and feel supported in trying challenging academic work.
Accurate records of student performance, consultation with resource personnel, and special service needs are maintained.

Standard 2. Assesses the significance of student differences in performance levels, learning styles, cultural heritage, language, socio-economic backgrounds and physical and emotional disabilities and adopts classroom activities appropriately. [This seems hard to wrap your head and hands around, but descriptors help a lot.]

Descriptors:
Demonstrates appreciation for and sensitivity to the differences in students.
Knows background and culture of students in the classroom and community.
Varies instruction to accommodate learning styles and needs.
Seeks out and collaborates with colleagues and/or support personnel to meet the special learning needs of all students.
Identifies need for remedial or special services and advocates for services to be provided.

Examples:
Curriculum materials and classroom artifacts reflect the students' background and culture.
Accurate records of student performance, consultation with resource personnel, and special service needs are maintained.
Cultural or language barriers are taken into consideration and accommodations made when working with families.
Teacher and students model respect for democratic ideas in the operation of classroom life.

What do you think of this language...does it do what we want in terms of setting clear, observable, assessable standards in this area? Is anything missing, and can anything be clearer, more concrete for teachers and administrators? I would deeply appreciate your thoughts and any language you have been using that works well. Hope this can be of some help to you all as well.
Alec, MA

Thursday, May 6, 2004 1:48 PM
Sylvia wrote about how "refreshing" it was to see the current conversation on our list. I agree, and I think we need to unpack the reasons why these conversations happen infrequently. I'll speak for myself and wonder if it's the same for others. I know that each time issues about racial equity come up, I feel a tension that I don't generally feel, a fear of exposure. For the most part in this work, and in my life, I approach finding out about my weaknesses with optimism and energy, BUT when it comes to racism there's this whole other layer of not wanting to look like a bad person, a racist person. So I have to wonder if that comes into play for other white colleagues too...

I hope that more voices from white colleagues and colleagues of color will be added to this conversation and that it will become a regular feature of the way we do our work together because I believe that if I can't talk about race with all of you in NSRF, I won't change my practice with kids, their families, or my colleagues in the schools.

Finally, in terms of the need to discuss other forms of oppression and bias, I think we need to continue those conversations as well. However, it is primarily racism and secondarily class bias that together most profoundly undercut the possibilities of the masses of students we work with here in our urban public schools. For that reason, I think priority must be given to a focus on race and that the conversation needs to be explicit and linked to proposed changes in our work.

So having said all that, I'm going to read The Trouble with Friendship, Why Americans Can't Think Straight About Race by Benjamin DeMott this weekend and write about it. Anyone want to join me? (It's just under 200 pages. We could hold a book chat through a separate link to our website...)
Debbie, PA

Thursday, May 6, 2004 2:17 PM
Hi, I am a newcomer to the list and have been following the conversation with interest. So you may all know this already. If so, sorry. I think a fine resource to use to think about observing for cultural responsiveness and equity is "Culturally Responsive Teaching and Supervision: A Handbook for Staff Development" by David J. Flinders, and C. A. Bowers. They have a nice set of guides that can be used to think about observing teaching practices,
Jim, PA

Thursday, May 6, 2004 2:47 PM
First of all, I think conversations about diversity and, certainly, about race are essential in school environments. I teach at a Pre-K through 12th grade independent school in Brooklyn. Some years ago a number of lower schoolteachers came up with a self-assessment tool, which we revisit every few years, that may be useful for others.

LOWER SCHOOL CHECKLIST FOR A MULTICULTURAL, INCLUSIVE AND ANTI-BIASED
CLASSROOM
1. Do I stop to address incidents of bias when they happen, or soon after? Do I encourage my students to independently address situations in which bias occurs?
2. Does my class have a community norm against negative and exclusive language and behavior? Do I encourage my class to practice positive and inclusive language and behavior? Do I invite social groups to be more inclusive when appropriate?
3. Do I avoid stereotyping on the basis of gender, race, ability, age, class, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and other social identifiers? Do I encourage my students to avoid stereotyping as well?
4. Do I intentionally bring up bias, stereotyping, diversity or difficulty issues regardless of the makeup of my class, while not focusing on any child as representative of a social identifier?
5. Do I teach conflict resolution, utilizing role-play and other effective techniques?
6. Do I validate all of my students in appropriate aspects of the curriculum; in books, materials, games, pictures, music and holidays so they know each other's interests and heritages?
7. Do I discuss commonalities of the human condition as well as the diversity of our heritages?
8. Is diversity woven into my curriculum and not just addressed through the celebration of holidays?
9. Do I utilize the various resources provided by the school, community and city? Do I take advantage of older students, colleagues, guest speakers, field trip destinations, workshops and professional journals to learn more about developing a multicultural classroom?
10. Do I create a safe environment for sharing unpopular ideas and feelings?
Cindy, NY

Friday, May 7, 2004 4:20 AM
Cindy,
Could you share more about how you use this tool at your school? Do teachers share feedback with each other? Are family members involved in these conversations etc.?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to share this info.
Debbie, PA

Friday, May 7, 2004 4:49 AM
Sorry everyone, I 'm reading the book now, but we could schedule the chat for the first week in June if that works. I didn't mean to suggest that everyone needed to read it this weekend. Let me know if the weekend of June 5-6 works and I'll ask Chris to set up the list/link for us.
For those of you just joining us the book is: The Trouble with Friendship, Why Americans Can't Think Straight About Race by Benjamin DeMott.
Debbie, PA

Friday, May 7, 2004 7:26 AM
Count me in - I just ordered the book.

Here is the link and the description from the Barnes and Noble web site:

Annotation
DeMott examines a stunning range of cultural evidence--from the oratory of politicians to popular cinema and television to scapegoated welfare mothers to some of today's most respected thinkers--to lay bare the assumptions of "friendship orthodoxy, " which maintains that racial problems can be solved simply by blacks and whites working together, one on one, to reconcile differences.

From the Publisher
In this provocative, insightful, and sure to be controversial work, eminent social critic Benjamin DeMott shows how black and white neo-conservatism, the rise of the black middle class, and the imagery and rhetoric of racial amity promulgated by contemporary media are coalescing into a whole new orthodoxy - one that obscures continuing racial inequity and threatens to halt the further progress of African Americans. DeMott examines a stunning range of cultural evidence - from Clinton oratory to popular cinema and television, to scapegoated welfare mothers, to some of today's most respected thinkers - to lay bear the thrust and assumptions of this new friendship orthodoxy, which maintains that racial problems can be solved simply by blacks and whites working together, one on one, to reconcile differences. DeMott argues that such an appealing perspective is dangerous because it is so blatantly ahistorical, because it turns a blind eye to entrenched poverty, because it ignores the racism still alive in the land, and because of its real consequences. It distorts the public debate and absolves the body politic from the hard work that the civil rights movement began and that remains unfinished.

From The Critics
Publisher's Weekly
Social critic DeMott (The Imperial Middle) offers a salutary deconstruction of ``friendship orthodoxy''-the new theme of black-white commonality that, he says, prevails in pop culture and revisionist thinking and hampers moves toward racial justice. DeMott's take on ad campaigns, sitcoms, movies such as White Men Can't Jump and such authors as Studs Terkel (who calls for ``affirmative civility'') is devastating. Then he cites research comparing the U.S. to other ``caste-like'' societies and declares that caste remains-especially for poor blacks. Worse, ``nonscholarly cultural production'' has served to erase history, he states, criticizing Roots and the PBS series The Civil War for ignoring the lasting effects of slavery. Though society embraces the palliative words of such black neoconservatives as Shelby Steele, we ignore the fact that their messages of individual pride also acknowledge the need to help the poor. Thus, in a brave and potent challenge to orthodoxy, DeMott calls on the majority society to recognize its responsibilities and to endorse ``broadscale programs of development'' for blacks. (Jan.)
Gene, MA

Friday, May 7, 2004 8:15 AM
I have also just ordered the book and plan to be part of the book chat.
The first chapter is also available at Barnes & Noble is anyone wants to get a head start of reading while you wait for your copy to arrive.
Gina, PA

Friday, May 7, 2004 8:31 AM
This self-assessment was developed to be just that. We revisit it every other year or so. We used it at a Lower School faculty meeting one time wherein we got into small groups to discuss what each of the ten points means to us and how we use each in the classroom and then we talked about ideas and goals for what each of us might work on. We then gathered all together to do a share of our findings. Two years ago we discussed the checklist at grade-level meetings and from there we realized one of the things we would like was a bibliography of diversity resources for young children. A committee was formed to create it and the bibliography includes lists of resources related to the topics of adoption, death and illness, family structures, gender, socio-economic diversity, social-emotional issues and special needs.
Cindy, NY

Sunday, May 9, 2004 2:12 PM
Hi Michael and all:
I have been lurking out here for some time, but with the quantity of unwanted e-mails I am inundated with each day, have never considered chiming in until now. Michael, your honesty and integrity shine through your words and are a refreshing reminder of the days ten years ago when my district was involved, first in the Coalition of Essential Schools, and later the Annenberg Institute, and I had the opportunity to work with you on a couple of projects. I miss those meaningful and fundamental conversations about issues such as the ones you raise.

Ten years older now, I am ten years more willing to give my 8th graders insights and glimpses into my imperfections, ignorance and mortality. Whether the issue is death, family problems, divorce, substance abuse, depression, or sports, I have become more and more willing to use my own life experiences - which are expanding at an alarming rate - as credentials for any advice or point of view that may follow. There is less and less discussion of historical trivia in class, and more and more discussion of connections to the past, recurring historical themes, metaphors and issues of morality and values.

The benefits of this transformation have been immense, although they are by nature anecdotal and unscientific. I truly believe that I have "gotten through to" many more students this year than in any previous year of my teaching. But the downside is that I must always remain aware of the fact that I am not a parent to my students, but a paid educator hired to teach a curriculum other than my own. I feel like I dance on a razor blade trying to weave what is important (can I still say "essential?") with what will be on the (NY State) test.
Ah...it's good to be back .
Rick, New York