ReImagine Education
Quotes from young people about WHY ReImagining Education with a Racial Justice lens is essential!
ReImagine Education
These slides come from a dialogue between youth and educators. The youth answered these two questions:
Discipline Policies & Practices
“Punishment needs to be taken away, because that only adds to policing in the schools. It takes away from the ability for students to learn.”
Academic Placement Policies & Practices
“We need to highlight the intellectual ability of our students not their language or the color of their skin, but their ability.”
Decolonize the Curriculum
· “You deal with racism in and out of school, to have space for these conversations is very critical. It is taking a toll on everyone ………….The safety of all students is in being able to have these conversations.”
Desensitized from years of microaggressions and overt racism
“Students know which teachers are not kind to Black students….One day we (the BSU) decided to chill and play Uno and relax, this teacher kept coming into the room and policing us.”
Culture within our schools
“Each week during homeroom we would meet in the library, 50-60 students, mostly Black, would get together to discover what they needed and have conversations about their own viewpoints. There was often discussion among staff about what the benefit was for this. But,
I’ve learned that the learning was so powerful because they were discovering this was a real opportunity for them to speak up.
But, there was racist targeting that was built into the system that was a core underpinning of the racist, and whiteness of our system to be present.”
Culture within our schools
“Making it so students are able to be involved - having a safe space for dialogue is nice, being student led so students have responsibility and creative control.”
Lack of Diversity
“We’re not creating spaces where Black students can grow and flourish.
I've never had a Black teacher in any class for my entire life.
If a Black student has an elementary school Black teacher, they are more likely to enroll in college.”
Leaders lead in response to Youth Experiences:
Identify actions to respond to young adult’s
“Within the education experience, we need to see changes implemented.”
Summary of Themes
“I was sitting here thinking about curriculum, and thinking about leadership and about black students not thinking their voices matter.
We need to find a way to really truly show students of color that their voices matter.”