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by Daniel Arauz
Education Dive Brief
Amid protests, educators prepare for difficult discussions
Roger Riddell
June 3, 2020
Dive Brief:
Amid ongoing protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd, an
unarmed black man, by Minneapolis police, school districts in cities
such as Minneapolis and Denver are rethinking the role of officers in
schools, and educators are traversing the rocky terrain of leading
difficult conversations on systemic racism and police brutality.
The task of addressing these issues in curriculum is further compounded
by the coronavirus pandemic, as school closures prevent teachers and
students from being able to have these conversations in person,
Chalkbeat reports, noting that it can be more difficult to express
feelings and pick up on emotions over video chats.
Many educators are putting the events in the context of historical
events, including Jim Crow laws, the civil rights movement, and prior
incidents of police brutality, with an added social-emotional learning
approach that focuses on anti-racism guidance for educators and frank,
peer-to-peer discussion between students.
Dive Insight:
Navigating sensitive topics in the classroom has never been a
particularly easy task, and doing so today is only compounded by the
nation's highly partisan political environment. But addressing these
issues with all students is critical to producing a better-informed
society where citizens are equipped with the knowledge needed to
recognize and confront implicit biases in all scenarios.
While understanding the history of systemic racism in the U.S. is a
start, the compassion and empathy imparted by SEL are key to help
students grow into adults prepared to overcome that cycle and bring
about change. Practices must also, however, be culturally relevant to
be effective, Ohio State University Professor Donna Y. Ford noted in an
article for Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. This will necessitate
additional training for teachers, administrators, counselors and other
staff in many cases.
A strong foundation of civics education focused on engaging the
community, advocating to elected officials, and demonstrating for
change is also critical. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts
expressed concern at the end of 2019 that "civics education has fallen
by the wayside," and international test results have shown teens
lacking proficiency on tasks requiring them to differentiate between
fact and opinion. Inconsistent access to civics ed across districts in
Rhode Island is also at the heart of a federal class action lawsuit.
As seen with Minneapolis Public Schools' unanimous decision to
terminate its contract with the Minneapolis Police Department and
Denver's conversation about rethinking the role of officers in schools,
administrators are also increasingly recognizing the need to address
systemic racism within their own buildings. Recognition in recent years
of the school-to-prison pipeline and its impact on black students has
resulted in many districts nationwide overhauling exclusionary
discipline systems at the heart of these concerns.
This and other commitments to addressing systemic issues within schools
themselves, including additional ongoing training for educators, are a
critical step in building trust with students of color and engaging
them through culturally relevant curriculum that makes tough
conversations easier to navigate.
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