Do school mirror the society we live in?
Do we have equitable educational systems in place to support our student’s future?
In last 10 years, there have been major shifts in educational practices. Everyone seems to be looking for the right answer, and policy makers have come to a variety of conclusions. We see different methodologies and philosophies emerging across the US in cities like New York City, Nashville, Philadelphia and Seattle. So what’s working?
Schools and Society in 2020
Privatized education and charter schools have come on the scene in a huge way. They have made large impacts in bigger cities like NYC. Some charters, like Success Academy, push for excessive testing to close the achievement gap. Conversely, elite private schools are starting to dismiss standardized tests all together. Some schools believe students learn best through play and exploration, while other models construct rigid curriculum and have students partake in rigorous testing as early as Kindergarten.
The big question seems to be: Should we focus more on closing the achievement gap OR spend more time on socioemotional learning. Our question is: Where is the middle ground in education? Why is it one extreme or the other?
Our interview this week!
This week, I sat down with an old co-worker, Lina Ragin. We talked about finding that “middle ground” in education for students who have limited options when it comes to picking schools.
“The whole state of education right now is sad, its a business, its a game of numbers. They’re thinking ‘If I can get these black and brown kids to these numbers I can get a certain amount of money.’ It’s very transactional.”
– Lina Ragin
This week on the podcast (Part 1 of our conversation) we spoke about:
- finding “middle ground” in education
- how teaching from an exclusively “white colonist perspective” is problematic and how to highlight people of color in history class
- the achievement gap
- the charter school system
- students of color and white teachers
- how schools are recreating the inequitable society we live in!!
Check out Teachers Inspired for more information on our mission!
Interested in more resources on social justice? Check out our article on Black Lives Matter at School, Social Justice Books for Kids, and our conversation with Wendy Cole on Teaching Social Justice in Pre School!
Lastly, check us out on Instagram and Spotify!