Barbara Hanson’s Post

A recent book by Laura Meckler on the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, "Dream Town," takes a fascinating look at its repeated efforts over the years to promote equity in education. Despite a long history of integration, wide achievement gaps between Black and white students have persisted. As the book suggests, the reasons have to do with class as much as race--and with levels of parental education. Like most school districts across the country, it seems that Shaker hasn't been providing the kind of explicit, content-rich instruction that children from less highly educated families need in order to succeed academically. More in my latest post: https://lnkd.in/dTKYt_Ub

We are excited to have Devin Kearns speaking at our March 6th Bellick Family Community Education program. Dr. Kearns conducts research on reading disabilities—including dyslexia—in elementary- and middle school-age children and designs instructional programs to assist these students. He will be speaking on: Seeing Words & Imagining the World: Understanding Word Recognition & Reading Comprehension Reading starts when the reader looks at the printed words. What happens next? The answer is surprisingly controversial—and it has many implications for how teachers should design reading instruction. Fortunately, scientific inquiry has produced many important ideas about how the system works—and these ideas can help teachers design better reading lessons. In this session, Dr. Kearns describes the science of the reading system and how words and meanings are connected. He explains how these ideas should influence instruction and also suggest ways parents can help their children with reading at home. We hope you can join us for this informative program which will be held March 6th at 6:00 pm at Northeastern Illinois University, Please see the attached flyer for full details. RSVPs are appreciated.

BLAMING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR "UNDERPERFORMING"... In a Quality Oriented System of Elementary Education the failure of students to perform is a clear sign of the Educators' incapability to perform their duties. I know, many of you don't think this way... However imvhpo, the purpose of Elementary Education is to help educate children - children that do not have (yet) a sense of purpose, self-awareness and drive - and find various ways to effectively achieve this goal (to teach them how to effectively read, write and calculate). When such education does not achieve its purpose, it is NOT a failure of the children, but it is a clear sign of the failure of the Educators and their forms of education. Blaming the "underperforming" groups of children for their "weakness" is one of the first forms of discrimination that will form the basis of the "diabolic circle" of disenfranchisement and segregation. Skilled Educators will find the ways and forms to help their students achieve the goals of elementary education. It is only the mediocre, underperforming educators that will scapegoat the children for the incapability of educators to perform their duty! Very sad.... What do you think? https://lnkd.in/dSbtpjVn

"Can affinity groups for teachers of color help give Philadelphia a stronger, more diverse, and more stable teaching workforce? One education group is putting time and energy behind its belief that they can." Click to read more about this inspiring effort, via Teach Plus and Chalkbeat:

Progressive educators have for quite some time fretted about the learning gap between minorities on the one hand and the white (and Asian) population on the other. Large cities, where the vast majority of minorities are educated have failed for 50 years., almost exclusively under Democrat control. Now, the latest "answer" is to bring back segregation, albeit voluntary. Amazing. It seems that educators will try anything except improving the quality of the education for minorities. "Our Black students are, for lack of a better word…at the bottom, consistently still. And they are being outperformed consistently,” Monique Parsons, Evanston school board vice president, said at a November board meeting. “It’s not good.” "School districts across the country have sometimes struggled to find ways to boost the performance of Black and Latino students, who, nationwide, tend to enroll in fewer advanced classes and score lower on standardized tests than white students. " There will likely be a claim that minority students do marginally better in segregated classes. "Researchers have found some small improvements in grades and retention from such programs. Other studies have shown some improved educational outcomes, such as graduation rates, for Black and Latino students taught by teachers of the same race." The real test will not be grades, but how the students perform on standardized tests. It is likely that any improvement in grades may be the result of an incentive on teachers in these segregated classes to show results, hence higher grades. Significantly, the educators who prompt this segregation do not want public scrutiny. "Leaders in Evanston’s high-school district, board members and teachers declined or ignored repeated requests to comment on the courses over several months. When a Wall Street Journal reporter arrived at a public meeting for parents of Black students, a district spokeswoman said she would cancel the meeting if the reporter didn’t leave."

What I find interesting in this article is the mention of grace that was afforded students when we initially returned to buildings from COVID. It seems as if the grace has run out and now some schools are resorting back to punitive measures to curtail behavior. Why is this important? Check out this quote: “Roughly 40% of all suspensions went to Black students, though just 21% of students are Black. About 38% of suspensions were issued to students with disabilities, a group that represents about 22% of all students”. Knowing that many students are dealing with mental health issues, what else can schools do to support them as an alternative to suspension? How are we developing student support plans that benefit and improve student social-emotional health and well-being. I can’t pretend to have all the answers, but I know that something must be done to interrupt the increasing number of suspensions, specifically with Black and Brown students and students with disabilities. Article Link: https://lnkd.in/e3Y8wyNP To learn continuous tips and strategies related to special education and building inclusive schools, click here: https://bit.ly/spedemails

https://lnkd.in/eMFnjUqy   The book is great, highly readable, practical, and a much-needed call to action. The Call to Courage confronts all of us, whether in formal or informal leadership roles, with the need to counter the dysfunctional and polemic attacks on local schools and districts and to stand up for the core values of public education as being inclusive, equitable, and purposefully diverse.   Shelley and Luvelle are veteran superintendents who write thoughtfully and knowledgeably about keeping clear that public education is the DNA of an improving democracy through educating independent, knowledgeable, and open-minded citizens.

This is such a timely and important book for everyone who cares about public education and its role in protecting and preserving our democracy. Now, more than ever, it is imperative for everyone (not just those with formal leadership titles) to stand up and speak out. Berman and Luvelle elevate the reasons why and provide an important template for meaningful action that is respectful of diverse opinions by calling for dialogue over debate and being hard on the problems and soft on the people. Definitely a must read!

#representationmatters "Children need literature in their classrooms to provide mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors (Bishop, 1990). Mirror literature reflects students’ lives and cultures. Providing children’s literature in the classroom that reflects students affirms their cultures and experiences, helps them understand that their stories matter, shows them positive examples of what they can be and celebrates the importance of their cultural heritage. Literature that allows students to gain a view into the lives, cultures and experiences of people that they identify as different than themselves provides a 'window' into another part of their world. Window books can help foster positive intercultural experiences, increase empathy towards others, reduce prejudice and provide a platform for underrepresented voices and experiences to be celebrated. These windows help children get a glimpse of other cultures and build an understanding and appreciation for other ways of life in order to develop a multidimensional understanding of others (Yoo-Lee et al., 2014). Children’s understanding of the world should also be facilitated by utilizing diverse literature that acts as 'sliding glass doors' allowing students to meaningfully connect with lives, cultures and experiences other than their own (Bishop, 1990). These opportunities for learning can help children become more open-minded, inclusive in their worldview and confront ideas related to equity and social justice (Riley, 2016). Unfortunately, children’s literature has historically done a poor job reflecting the diversity of our country."

A pressing concern in current educational discussions is the need for enhanced representation of Black men in teaching. This call to action is rooted in the belief that Black male educators' increased visibility can positively impact Black students' educational experiences, particularly Black boys. The rationale behind this assertion lies in the concept of representation, where students benefit from seeing individuals who reflect their racial and gender identities in positions of authority and mentorship. By fostering a diverse teaching workforce that includes more Black men, educational institutions aim to address the phenomenon of misclassification, whereby Black boys are disproportionately labeled as having behavioral or academic issues compared to their peers. Moreover, the presence of Black male educators serves as a powerful motivator for Black students to strive for excellence, as they are provided with role models who exemplify achievement and success within the educational system. The call for increased representation of Black men in education highlights the enduring significance of diversity and inclusivity in fostering positive academic outcomes and empowering marginalized student populations.