By Jeffrey Lewis
I love being in our schools. I love the vibrant mix of backgrounds that make up our student population: the diverse social classes, races, ethnicities and the many languages spoken in our schools. I hold a deep affection and respect for teachers and others who commit their lives to care for and educate our children, despite the challenges of recent years. And I find joy in the liveliness, intelligence and endless curiosity of our children.
Our public schools are our shared heritage and common ground. They hold the possibility of bringing us together to heal the deep and harmful divisions in our communities and our world. If we come together to support them, our school can be a crucible for the restoration of a vibrant democracy. The realization of this potential is in our hands; it is ours to choose.
To fulfill the promise of our schools, we must acknowledge that, currently, we are failing far too many of our students, especially our African American students who perform at levels far below their capabilities and below what they will need for success in their lives. They deserve more and we must do better.
Without question, we have many good teachers in our schools, and I routinely witness our children’s deep desire to learn and to grow. So, how might we create conditions for their success?
Early in my career, I spent three years observing two remarkable teachers of Black and urban children in California, one in Oakland and the other in Los Angeles. Though they worked in economically distressed communities and in schools that historically performed poorly, they created classroom cultures that elevated students’ academic engagement and success within a few months. Without direct supervision, students worked independently, cooperatively and with a unity of purpose.
Each classroom shared five characteristics we called “solidarity in community.” The five characteristics included:
1. Mutual support and “we-ness”;
2. Regular opportunities for all to develop skills;
3. Classroom relationships that supported positive identities;
4. Curriculum that included and expanded students’ interests and experiences;
5. Classrooms where children could be themselves.
These characteristics reflect what some might call “cultural relevance.” However, we found all children benefited from these classrooms. I believe such classrooms could help reverse our district’s troubling trends and fulfill the promise of our children, their teachers and our public schools.
