“If we are to survive as a nation, then our students must learn that the goal is not to win an argument. The goal is not to define reality according to the terms of one's beliefs. The goal is to see what is around us and respond wisely.”
“Beginning in the 1960s activists filed federal suits again school systems that tracked minority students… Reformers, leaning on studies done by researchers, worried about school groupings reinforcing inequalities in society by excluding low income students from advanced courses and thereby entry into college. These policymakers (and parents) pressed states and districts to open up Advanced Placement courses, gifted and talented programs, and the like–including Algebra in the 8th grade–to all students.”
Institutional practices and policies that target prejudice serve as an important representational cue—an explicit signal that the presence of all racial/ethnic groups are welcomed on campuses… Pride practices serve as a complementary yet distinct cue from prejudice practices. Pride policies and practices, for example, can include offering courses, extracurricular activities, and even physical spaces (e.g., cultural centers, dorms) that are inclusive of the history and culture of marginalized groups. Pride practices signal that racial/ethnic groups are not only welcomed but also that they are fully valued.”
Copyright
Every week I send out articles I encounter from around the web. Subject matter ranges from hard knowledge about teaching to research about creativity and cognitive science to stories from other industries that, by analogy, inform what we do as educators. This breadth helps us see our work in new ways.
Readers include teachers, school leaders, university overseers, conference organizers, think tank workers, startup founders, nonprofit leaders, and people who are simply interested in what’s happening in education. They say it helps them keep tabs on what matters most in the conversation surrounding schools, teaching, learning, and more.
– Peter Nilsson