Premier rejects black schools

No evidence they improve learning, McGuinty says

Equity boss says they may save students `lost to the system'

Sep. 15, 2005. 07:03 AM

RICHARD BRENNAN AND LOUISE BROWN

STAFF REPORTERS

Premier Dalton McGuinty spoke out yesterday against the idea of a black-focused school in Toronto, saying he hasn't seen any proof it would improve learning for black students.

"I'm not comfortable with that concept," McGuinty told reporters after a Toronto Star report that the new equity boss of the Toronto District School Board favours an experimental black-focused school for teens on the brink of dropping out.

"I'm much more comfortable with the concept of bringing children from a variety of backgrounds together and simulating the communities in which they are living and are going to have to grow up," McGuinty said.

Lloyd McKell, executive officer of student and community equity at Canada's largest and most diverse school board, pointed to anecdotal evidence that black students often lag behind their peers, can be subject to stricter discipline and are more likely to drop out. He said the evidence indicates is worth launching a pilot project to see how a high school with more black staff and more black studies might "save black students who otherwise would be lost to the system."

However, McGuinty said he would want to see sound evidence that clearly demonstrates "beyond a shadow of a doubt" that schools for black students would constitute an improved learning environment, adding: "I have yet to see that information or that evidence."

Meanwhile, the proposal stirred up both cheers and cries of segregation.

Toronto sociology professor George Dei hailed the call for a black-focused school as long overdue in fighting the sweeping disengagement he says many black students feel with the public school system.

"I'd rather see four black-focused schools across Toronto, but I'll take one as an experiment," said Dei, a researcher on black education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

"It's not just about teaching about Africa and slavery. I'd like to see an experimental pilot project school with more black teachers that focuses on black achievement and culture and black contributions to society that sends students out into the world well-affirmed on who they are," said Dei, whose research on black dropouts says many of them blame a lack of black role models and too little relevant curriculum.

However, he does not suggest that black-focused schools should only have black teachers.

It was Dei's suggestion of black-focused schools last February at a Toronto forum on black education that sparked fiery debate among educators and black community leaders more than a decade after the idea was first posed by Ontario's Royal Commission on Learning in 1991.

"We've been talking about this idea for far too long. It's time to try it, and if it fails, then we'll shut up."

In the United States, black-focused schools have been a controversial experiment in cities such as Detroit, Washington, Kansas City and Akron. There, "Africentric" schools with black staff and a sharp focus on black issues have met with mixed results: Some have shown major leaps in achievement, while others battle low enrolment and sagging test scores.

Stewart Elementary School in Akron, Ohio, launched an "Africentric" approach in 2000, where its 183 black children start the day with a traditional African drum ceremony, chanting "Harambee!" ("let's pull together" in Swahili).

Some teachers dress in traditional African clothing, students pledge allegiance to both the United States and to the African race, and students sometimes are called by African names. Not all teachers at the school are black, however, but all have chosen to work there.

Black volunteers, many of them men, bring African art and history to students as well as the standard curriculum. Finally, last year, test scores began to climb, said board spokeswoman Karen Ingraham.

"There was a lot of controversy at first. People said, `So why not have an Irish-focused school too?' But this year there have been huge gains in every subject and the school has gone from being ranked as an `academic emergency' to showing `continued improvement.'"

While black-focused schools spark cries of "segregation" among critics, a successful native-focused program already runs in Toronto for First Nations students at risk of dropping out.

Likewise, the Toronto board also runs a special high school program for gay and lesbian students with a heavy focus on equity studies, located in an alternative high school.

BACKROUND INFORMATION

THE FORMER TORONTO BOARD OF EDUCATION STOPPED COLLECTING RACE-BASED STATISTICS WITH AMALGAMATION IN 1997. SINCE THEN, IT HAS COLLECTED ONLY "STUDENT SUCCESS INDICATORS," WHICH CORRELATE STUDENT PERFORMANCE WITH PLACE OF BIRTH. THESE STATISTICS ONLY CAPTURE CHILDREN BORN OUTSIDE CANADA.

THE STUDENT SUCCESS INDICATORS FOR 2001-02 SHOWED THAT 54 PER CENT OF STUDENTS BORN IN THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING CARIBBEAN HAD 14 CREDITS OR FEWER AT THE END OF GRADE 10. (STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE 16 CREDITS AT THIS POINT IN THEIR ACADEMIC CAREERS. ANYTHING LESS THAN 14 IS AN INDICATOR THAT THESE STUDENTS COULD FAIL TO COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS.)

THE SUCCESS INDICATORS ALSO FOUND THAT 45 PER CENT OF STUDENTS BORN IN WEST AFRICA, CENTRAL OR SOUTH AMERICA WERE AT RISK OF NOT GRADUATING ON TIME, AS WERE 39 PER CENT OF EAST AFRICAN STUDENTS. SOME 27 PER CENT OF CANADIAN-BORN STUDENTS WERE FOUND TO BE AT RISK. STUDENTS BORN IN SOUTH ASIA, EASTERN EUROPE AND EASTERN ASIA WERE LESS LIKELY TO BE AT RISK OF FAILING THAN THOSE BORN HERE.

SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

MARGINALIZATION: REFERS TO THE STATUS OF A GROUP WHO DOES NOT HAVE FULL AND EQUAL ACCESS TO THE SOCIAL ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS OF SOCIETY. ========è

RACIALIZATION - REFERS TO THE ASSIGNING OF RACIAL CONNOTATIONS TO THE ACTIVITIES OF MINORITY PEOPLE =======è

STIGMATIZATION: REFERS TO A MARK OF DISGRACE IMPOSED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS OR A SOCIAL GROUP. IN POPULAR USAGE IT OFTEN REFERS TO ANY NEGATIVE SANCTION OR DISAPPROVAL FOR NONCONFORMITY. AN UNDESIRABLE DIFFERENTNESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL THAT DISQUALIFIES HIM OR HER FROM FULL SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE. SOCIOLOGISTS ORIGINALLY USED THE TERM TO SHOW HOW HUMANS NOT ONLY SEEK TO CONTROL THE PHYSICAL WORLD BUT THE SOCIAL WORLD.

THE CONCEPT OF BLACK-FOCUSED SCHOOLS

{IT IS GENERALLY CONCEIVED THAT} EXPERIMENTAL BLACK-FOCUSED SCHOOLS WOULD HAVE MORE BLACK TEACHERS, GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS, AFRICA-CENTRIC CURRICULUM AND MORE OPEN DISCUSSION OF RACE {?}.

THE PHRASE HIDDEN CURRICULUM OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS =======> DRAWS ATTENTION TO THE IDEA THAT SCHOOLS DO MORE THAN SIMPLY TRANSMIT KNOWLEDGE, AS LAID DOWN IN THE OFFICIAL CURRICULA. IT IS OFTEN USED TO CRITICIZE THE SOCIAL REALITY OF SCHOOLING – HIDDEN RULES AND UNCONSCIOUS PROCEDURES.

THE PHRASE "HIDDEN CURRICULUM" WAS REPORTEDLY COINED BY THE SOCIOLOGIST PHILLIP JACKSON ("LIFE IN CLASSROOMS", 1968). HE ARGUED THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND "EDUCATION" AS A SOCIALIZATION PROCESS {?}. SHORTLY AFTER JACKSON'S COINAGE, MIT'S BENSON SNYDER PUBLISHED THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM, WHICH ADDRESSES THE QUESTION OF WHY STUDENTS—EVEN OR ESPECIALLY THE MOST GIFTED—TURN AWAY FROM EDUCATION. SNYDER ADVOCATES THE THESIS THAT MUCH OF CAMPUS CONFLICT AND STUDENTS' PERSONAL ANXIETY IS CAUSED BY A MASS OF UNSTATED ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL NORMS, WHICH THWART THE STUDENTS' ABILITY TO DEVELOP INDEPENDENTLY OR THINK CREATIVELY.

MORE RECENT DEFINITIONS WERE GIVEN BY MEIGHAN ("A SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION", 1981):

THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM IS TAUGHT BY THE SCHOOL, NOT BY ANY TEACHER...SOMETHING IS COMING ACROSS TO THE PUPILS WHICH MAY NEVER BE SPOKEN IN THE ENGLISH LESSON OR PRAYED ABOUT IN ASSEMBLY. THEY ARE PICKING-UP AN APPROACH TO LIVING AND AN ATTITUDE TO LEARNING.

THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM CONSISTS OF THOSE THINGS PUPILS LEARN THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE OF ATTENDING SCHOOL RATHER THAN THE STATED EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES OF SUCH INSTITUTIONS.

QUESTIONS

1) CURRENT FINDINGS OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT LITERATURE SUGGEST THAT “MARGINALIZATION” OF VISIBLE MINORITY YOUTH BEGINS WITH THE QUESTION OF SCHOOL CURRICULUM AS THE VITAL INGREDIENT IN THE FORMATION OF IDENTITY. WHAT DOES THIS IMPLY?

2) RESEARCH SUGGEST THAT FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE A HEALTHY IDENTITY FORMATION, THEY NEED A STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT IS CONSISTENT AND ORGANIZED. THE COMMUNITY HISTORY, THE STORIES, THE LEADERS, THE WRITERS, THE POETS ARE ALL ELEMENTS OF “CULTURAL CAPITAL” THAT INSCRIBE A WAY OF THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF. HOW CAN (IS) THIS BE (BEING) ACHIEVED IN THE CURRENT PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM?

3) IF A SCHOOL OFFERS NOTHING THAT REFLECTS A CHILD’S HISTORY, LANGUAGE, OR HIS OR HER LIFE, IT FORCES CHILDREN TO MAKE AN IDENTITY THAT IS ANTI-SCHOOL. SCHOOL BECOMES A MEANINGLESS JOURNEY. IF THIS IS CORRECT, WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS/ CONSEQUENCES?

4) SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT LITERATURE SUGGEST THAT BELONGING TO AN “INTENTIONALLY LEARNING COMMUNITY”{?} PUSHES BACK ON THE LARGER COLLECTIVE IDENTITY {?}. THEREFORE, INTENTIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES CAN BE THE CONTEXT FOR MINORITY STUDENTS TO ACQUIRE AND PRACTICE THE TOOLS TO BE ACHIEVERS. HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO THE CONCEPT OF BLACK-FOCUSSED SCHOOLS.

5) WHAT IS THE FEAR OF THOSE WHO SUGGEST THAT BLACK-FOCUSED SCHOOL WILL PRODUCE “SEGREGATIONISM”?

6) THE RECENT REPORT PREPARED FOR THE ONTARIO COMMISSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, INDICATES THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF “THE SAFE SCHOOLS ACT” {ZERO TOLERANCE CODES?} AND RELATED POLICIES EXACERBATE THE IMPACT ON STUDENTS AT-RISK. THE MOST COMMONLY IDENTIFIED ELEMENTS ARE NEGATIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT, LOSS OF EDUCATION, HIGHER DROPOUT RATES AND INCREASED CRIMINALIZATION AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR. HOW COULD BLACK-FOCUSSED SCHOOLS RELATE TO THIS PROBLEM?

7) MANY SOCIOLOGIST ARGUE THAT THE EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM DOESN'T REFLECT THE LIVES OF PEOPLE OF COLOUR, THERE ARE TOO FEW BLACK TEACHERS, AND THE ZERO TOLERANCE POLICIES STIGMATIZE THEM. IS THIS AN ACCURATE REFLECTION AND, IF SO, WHAT WOULD BE THE LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES?

8) IS THE MODEL OF THE “PEACH PROGRAM” A BETTER OR MORE VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO BLACK-FOCUSED SCHOOLS?

PEACH {PROMOTING ECONOMIC ACTION AND COMMUNITY HEALTH}RUNS THREE PIONEERING AND COUNTERVAILING PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON YOUTH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE JANE/FINCH CORRIDOR. THE THREE PROGRAMS ALLOW VISIBLE MINORITY STUDENTS TO BELONG TO INTENTIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES. THE SUSPEND AND STUDY PROGRAM (SAS) MATCHES UP EXPELLED AND SUSPENDED STUDENTS WITH A CERTIFIED TEACHER AND A YOUTH WORKER IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS OF COLOUR. SAS PROVIDES A SUPPLEMENTAL AND ADDITIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE THAT ENABLES KIDS TO ACQUIRE THE PRACTICES AND TOOLS TO BE ACHIEVERS.THE GET ON THE BUS PROGRAM (GOB) IS DESIGNED TO CONNECT KIDS WITH EMPLOYERS FOR SIX MONTH PLACEMENTS FOR JOB TRAINING AND LABOUR FORCE EXPERIENCE. THE INCLUDES A SIX WEEK PRE-EMPLOYMENT SKILLS TRAINING INCLUDING RESUME WRITING, JOB SEARCH TECHNIQUES, TECHNICAL AND COMPUTER SKILLS AND OTHER SOFT-SKILLS THAT IMPROVE PROSPECTS FOR GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT. FINALLY, THE WRAP AROUND PROGRAM IS A COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR YOUTH DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY THE STRENGTHS OF HIGH NEEDS STUDENTS AND BUILD ON THEM BY SETTING UP AN ENTIRE SUPPORT TEAM, WHO NURTURE AND RESPECT THE STUDENTS AND WHO WANT TO SEE THEM SUCCEED. THIS SIGNITURE PROGRAM EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATIVE, OR PARTICIPATIVE, DECISION MAKING WHICH AIMS TO ENGAGE ALL EDUCATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDING TEACHERS, STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.