PREPARING THE MINORITY CULTURE TO ENTER INTO MAJORITY WORLD

Community Connection

Presented by Paige Bowes

Regis UniversityCapstone Spring 2012

OUTLINE

OverviewBackground/Context

Prior experiences, knowledge, and values

Puzzles of PracticeCommunity InfluencesTeaching Practices

Community Implications Classroom supports Evidential artifacts

Data SupportsSocial Context ConstraintsBuilding Community

CAPITOL HILL . DENVER, CO

• Capitol Hill neighborhood

• Denver's most densely populated neighborhood

• Historic mansions, apartments and condo buildings

• Highly-trafficked area that consists of numerous restaurants, bars, stores, businesses, churches, concert venues, and parks

• Population of this area is over 17,000

Larger Community

Larger Community

Most common type of housing in the neighborhood is apartment housing (more than 40 %) Percentage of renters in this area is 73% of the population The median price for homes is $360,723 There are also large apartment buildings and single family homes that range from the low $200,000 to over $1.5 million.

Larger Community

There are many restaurants, small businesses, office buildings, and stores - an approximation would be about 1,000 Many parks in the area (Cheeseman Park a few blocks away)

DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Comprised of 162 schools• Elementary: 73• K-8 Schools: 16• K-12 Schools: 4• Middle: 16• High (traditional): 12• Charter: 30 • Other: 5• Intensive Pathways: 6

Total enrollment is 81,438 students 58.0% Hispanic, 20.3% Caucasian, and 14.5% African American 69% free and reduced lunch 34% English language learners 11.41% Gifted and Talented Students 51.8% Graduation rate (completer rate is 65.4%) 

District

School

DORA MOORE K-8

ECE – 8th Grade 400 students 58 Special Needs 19 Gifted and talented 91 English Language Learners 77% Free and Reduced Lunch Platoon classrooms, 3rd grade and up

American Indian 4% Asian 3% Hispanic 36% Black 24% White 33%

 

School

Title I School Academic Achievement Status • APPROACHING federal and state expectations in reading, writing, math, and science

School Performance: (Accreditation “on watch”)% of Students Proficient or Advanced

• Reading 54.4% • Mathematics 57.2%• Writing 35.4%• Science 30.4%

Prior Experiences & Knowledge

Personal Experience Small town vs. urban community Understanding of diversity in area & its effects on

classroom culture Previous classroom experiences

School Expectations vs. Realities Lack of community involvement (athletic and

extracurricular programs) Lack of parental involvement

Diversity in classroom Does not just include ethnic/racial diversity

Languages, socioeconomic backgrounds, family structures, and achievement levels

Prior Experiences & Knowledge

Values Teach students to be respectful to one another Celebrate diversity in the classroom Safe learning environment Family involvement in school

Puzzles of

Practice

What types of implications does a community setting have on the school culture? How do we, as educators,

preserve minority rights in a majority rule society?

How do we prepare a minority-rich school to blend into the majority culture?

We should look at these from both a curriculum and community perspective

COMMUNITY INFLUENCES

TransportationLanguage differencesCultural beliefsSocioeconomic statuses Safety (gangs, traffic,

businesses)

Community Implications in the

Classroom

Before & After School Programs Unsupervised children Mentors

Homework assistance Gang involvement Awareness of home situation

Communication with families Parental involvement

Impact of parental neglect on learning Parents as students Supervision at home

School social worker Friendship and support groups Only at school 2 times per week Difficult to get students the proper parental

assistance Clothing assistance, home visits, educational

neglect

College AND/OR career ready

TEACHING PRACTICES

Teaching Practices

Evidential Artifacts

Work Sample Howard Gardner’s Multiple

Intelligence Theory

CLASSROOM SUPPORTS

English Language Learners 50 + minutes daily of pull-out support Passport interventions 45 minutes daily of English Language

support in the classroom Vocabulary development Picture supports

1-2 times per week of ELL para support in writing

“Open-door” policyContinent themed classroomLiterature choices

Diverse classroom library Levels and content

Read-aloudsContinent question of the day

Students as question creators

Celebrating minority rights in the classroom

CLASSROOM SUPPORTS

Holiday celebrationsEnglish-only classroom with

recognition of other languages

Lunch tutoringLanguage objectives Martin Luther King Writing

Competition

Celebrating minority rights in the classroom

School Practices

Evidential Artifacts

Literacy Night Supports to families to promote

reading at home Free books

Math Night Supports to families to assist in

math help at home Math games

Dora Moore House Tour Community-wide involvement Targeting small group?

English Language Learners’ Advisory Committee

Back to School Night

Data Supports

Is anyone privileged or marginalized by these practices?

Proficiency in two or more languages should be promoted for all students Enhances cognitive and social growth,

competitiveness in a global market, national security, and understanding of diverse peoples and cultures

Supporting learning academic language

Minority students and their parents may endure poor experiences if teachers fail to understand the ways people from different cultures communicate and learn Likely to perform poorly academically,

regard school negatively, and break classroom rules

Data Supports

Treating all students the same way avoids discriminating against any group, but that practice in itself is discriminatory

The number of cultures in a classroom can make it difficult or even impossible to address each one adequately

Is anyone privileged or marginalized by these practices?

Minority families are actively involved in their children’s schooling - however, involvement may differ somewhat from those of White, “mainstream” U.S. families Poverty and economic stressors may be

linked to both the extent and types of involvement among low-income families

Teacher vs. parental view of educational support of students Teachers - parent activities at school Parents - informal activities at home

Family involvement vs. school outreach More significant difference in schools with

larger minority populations Size of school School outreach activities/programs

Data Supports

Is anyone privileged or marginalized by these practices?

Social Context Constraints on Practice

District curriculum and lesson plansLarge classroom sizesPlanning timeBudget constraintsAttendance patternsLanguage barriers

Building Community

Supporting minority students to enter mainstream societyPolicies that promote family involvement

Adapting materials and activities to accommodate families of all backgrounds, languages, and circumstances

Communicating often with families Formally and informally Translators

Involving families in school planning and decision-making processes Acknowledge commonalities and differences of a diverse classroom Providing resources for families to support students learning at home Help low-income families obtain the supports and services to assist in

basic needs Involve yourself in community Flexible scheduling to accommodate work schedules, transportation,

child care

Using Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence

theory to support minority students in the classroom

“There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America—there is the United States of America .”

– Barak Obama

Auerbach, S. (2009). Walking the Walk: Portraits in Leadership for Family Engagement in Urban Schools. School Community Journal, 19(1), 9-32.

Boethel, M., & Southwest Educational Development Lab., A. X. (2003). Diversity: School, Family, & Community Connections. Annual Synthesis, 2003.

Hakuta, K. (2011). Educating Language Minority Students and Affirming Their Equal Rights: Research and Practical Perspectives. Educational Researcher, 40(4), 163-174.

Morgan, H. (2010). Improving Schooling for Cultural Minorities: The Right Teaching Styles Can Make a Big Difference. Educational Horizons, 88(2), 114-120.

References