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Culturally Responsive Schools February 13, 2020 | Volume 15 | Issue 11 Table of Contents
Gholdy Muhammad
Recently, Qur'an Shakir, host of the American Muslim 360 radio show The Power of Educating our Own, asked me: "What lessons can we learn from our emancipated ancestors for the education of our children?" This question is a necessary and urgent one for U.S. schools, particularly because we have neglected historical Black excellence in the design of our education programs. In some of the largest school districts across the nation, frameworks, policies, standards and curriculum are devoid of the voices, scholarship, and histories of people of color.
It is not surprising that when we examine the educational achievement, we note that our Black and Brown children are not thriving to their full potential. Too often, the dehumanizing practices they experience in the classroom affect both their academic and life outcomes.
All citizens—educators, school leaders, parents and politicians—should be deeply concerned by
For the past 10 years I have been studying the history of African American education and literacy development in the U.S. from the 19th century forward. Specifically, I have been looking closely into Black literary societies, which were developed by young Black men and women in the early 1800s around the disciplines of mathematics, science, history, and English language arts. These were some of our country's first reading and writing clubs. In these spaces, club members read diverse texts, wrote about critical issues affecting their lives, and debated sociopolitical issues. They kept libraries of rich and diverse texts that became their sources. I wanted to know what we could learn from this historical Black excellence to reshape and reframe our schools today. I quickly discovered that they left us a blueprint on what to do better.
I offer a list of 12 things we can learn from these early Black scholars, providing a roadmap to move us forward as we seek to improve and advance education.
Intellectually invigorating and deeply humanizing education is urgently needed, especially for our students of color, to overcome decades of oppression and lost opportunity. We must interrogate and reframe our learning standards, curriculum, state assessments, and teacher evaluations to be aligned with historically responsive education. All children should experience the power and joy of self-discovery, and the expansion of the mind and heart to become their most excellent and brilliant selves. The lessons of our ancestors provide a perfect place to start.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2014). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 2.0: a.k.a. the Remix. Harvard Educational Review, 84(1), 74–84.
Gholnecsar "Gholdy" Muhammad earned her Ph.D. in literacy, language and culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is an associate professor and director of the Urban Literacy Collaborative and Clinic at Georgia State University. Her research has focused on the social and historical foundations of literacy in Black communities and how literacy development can be reconceptualized in classrooms today. She is the author of Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy and works with teachers and youth across the United States and South Africa.
More On This Topic: A Cultural Lens Leads to More Effective Teaching
ASCD Express, Vol. 15, No. 11. Copyright 2020 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.
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