Welcome Back!
I hope you've had an another amazing week! For some of you, this may be your last week before an exciting Spring Break! That being said, I will not be updating my blog next Friday, as I will also be enjoying some time spent with family and friends! In advance, thanks to everyone who has followed and commented on my posts thus far. I really appreciate all of the support! Sadly, this is my last day in D.C, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the D.C students and staff for accommodating me during my stay and being of any assistance when I needed it. I've had a wonderful time here and I can't wait to share with the folks back home, how awesome of a school BASIS Washington D.C is. While BASIS schools may have their slight differences, from my experience on campus and the relationships I've built in the short span of time I've spent here, BASIS D.C has joined the rest of the BASIS community in developing, supporting, and sustaining a positive school culture!
In my last post, I provided a definition for school culture. As a quick refresher, school culture are the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes and rules that influence every aspect of how a school functions but, this also embodies issues such as physical and mental well-being of the students, orderliness of the school, and the degree to which the school embraces racial, ethnic, or cultural diversity. While here in D.C, part of my research has dealt with the last part of this definition of school culture-- the degree to which the school embraces racial, ethnic, or cultural diversity. Being that Washington D.C's diversity has a much different composition of ethnic groups, you can expect varying levels in the extent to which the school embraces or celebrates this diversity. That being said, the city of Washington D.C has been found to be one of the most diverse places in the United States. An article by The Washington Post goes as far as saying that, "racial and ethnic diversity is no longer a vicarious experience for Americans". This demographic diversity within D.C has impacted the way in which its local schools and communities approach this new from of inclusion and acceptance.
So, in order to begin my research of how BASIS D.C embraces this diversity, one of the questions I included in the student survey's was, " Do you feel that your school embraces your ethnic culture?" The general consensus was "yes", with some left undecided or simply responded by saying they didn't know how to answer the question.
However, in order to receive more insightful responses, I conducted an open dialogue with the senior class. In this setting, I received a variety of responses about a variety of things, one of them being this embracing of cultural diversity. First off, the majority of this class is African American as is the majority of the student body, with fewer White students, and one student who is Latino. Most interestingly, students a part of this conversation who identified as white responded that they felt as though their culture was definitely embraced by their school. One of these students went further to say,"...if a school has any significant patron of white students, then they typically have to embrace white culture simply because it's so dominant in America". As the conversation continued, students who were African American began to provide their insight into the topic being discussed. Most of these students agreed that their school recognized African American culture but didn't feel as though it was truly being embraced. They pointed out that while their school celebrated African American History month or that African American history is usually touched upon in the American History courses, briefly addressing well-known issues such as slavery of world-known figures such as Martin Luther King and Malcom X just to name a few, they felt as though more time should be spent on a topic that has a significant part in American History. Therefore, they were fostering in an idea that has recently lingered in American society and politics. That is, what is American history without the significant inclusion of African American history? Students continued the conversation by saying that they believed part of the reason for certain things being left out was because they weren't going to be tested on it for the AP test--a test in which plays a huge role in the BASIS curriculum. Some pointed out that if there's a U.S history test, World History test, and a European History test, why isn't there one for African-American history? These students clarified their concerns and criticisms as issues that weren't specifically wrong with the BASIS model but, as an issue that America has faced on the national level in the past and the present. As our conversation neared an end, students expressed that they believe their school is doing what it can in order to meet the needs of all it's students, whether or not that need specifically has to deal with cultural diversity. However, being that BASIS is a charter school, it's offered with the unique opportunity to modify curriculum in order to address the needs of its students. This goes beyond the needs of just the BASIS D.C campus, where there is a larger African American population but, for students attending BASIS schools nationwide and internationally.
Once again, I hope all of you have a wonderful break and I look forward to updating you again very soon!
Best,
-Eli
So, in order to begin my research of how BASIS D.C embraces this diversity, one of the questions I included in the student survey's was, " Do you feel that your school embraces your ethnic culture?" The general consensus was "yes", with some left undecided or simply responded by saying they didn't know how to answer the question.
However, in order to receive more insightful responses, I conducted an open dialogue with the senior class. In this setting, I received a variety of responses about a variety of things, one of them being this embracing of cultural diversity. First off, the majority of this class is African American as is the majority of the student body, with fewer White students, and one student who is Latino. Most interestingly, students a part of this conversation who identified as white responded that they felt as though their culture was definitely embraced by their school. One of these students went further to say,"...if a school has any significant patron of white students, then they typically have to embrace white culture simply because it's so dominant in America". As the conversation continued, students who were African American began to provide their insight into the topic being discussed. Most of these students agreed that their school recognized African American culture but didn't feel as though it was truly being embraced. They pointed out that while their school celebrated African American History month or that African American history is usually touched upon in the American History courses, briefly addressing well-known issues such as slavery of world-known figures such as Martin Luther King and Malcom X just to name a few, they felt as though more time should be spent on a topic that has a significant part in American History. Therefore, they were fostering in an idea that has recently lingered in American society and politics. That is, what is American history without the significant inclusion of African American history? Students continued the conversation by saying that they believed part of the reason for certain things being left out was because they weren't going to be tested on it for the AP test--a test in which plays a huge role in the BASIS curriculum. Some pointed out that if there's a U.S history test, World History test, and a European History test, why isn't there one for African-American history? These students clarified their concerns and criticisms as issues that weren't specifically wrong with the BASIS model but, as an issue that America has faced on the national level in the past and the present. As our conversation neared an end, students expressed that they believe their school is doing what it can in order to meet the needs of all it's students, whether or not that need specifically has to deal with cultural diversity. However, being that BASIS is a charter school, it's offered with the unique opportunity to modify curriculum in order to address the needs of its students. This goes beyond the needs of just the BASIS D.C campus, where there is a larger African American population but, for students attending BASIS schools nationwide and internationally.
Once again, I hope all of you have a wonderful break and I look forward to updating you again very soon!
Best,
-Eli
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip and the time you spent in D.C! Your focus on the extent of how much a school culture embraces racial diversity is really interesting and to hear the opinions of a student body from another state in the same curriculum/school environment is definitely fascinating. I'll be looking forward to reading more about your project!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to Arizona! I'm glad you made some memories while in D.C! It's interesting that you brought up the difference between recognizing culture and embracing it. I think that's a distinction many people neglect, and I'm glad the open discussion addressed this as an issue that affects education both in and out of the BASIS model. Good luck with the rest of your project, Eli!
ReplyDeleteWow! That's extremely insightful. Why isn't there a test for African American history? I never thought about that. A discussion like that with a group that diverse is valuable. Keep up the awesome work!
ReplyDeleteThe only place that I've seen classes dedicated to African American studies is in college. Maybe BASIS can start a trend among all schools of classes dedicated to African American studies through the use of CAPSTONE classes, but I don't know how effective that would be. Good luck with the rest of your project.
ReplyDelete