Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School Is 2005 Through a Unique Collaboration Reverend Calvin O
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Cultural Awareness and Self-Awareness at Thurgood Marshall Academy SUMMARY The school’s mission also includes an Thurgood Marshall emphasis on small class size, the arts, In collaboration with Academy Lower School, social justice, emotional intelligence and valuable partners and the under the leadership of founding building an increased self-concept. full school community, Principal Sean L. Davenport, opened in Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School is 2005 through a unique collaboration Reverend Calvin O. Butts III, Pastor of finding success centering between Abyssinian Development Abyssinian Baptist Church and social emotional learning Corporation, New Visions for Public President of SUNY College at Old and emotional intel- Schools and the NYC Department of Westbury, is the visionary for the ligence building practices Education with a mission toward cultur- school. In 1989, he created Abyssinian in a culturally responsive approach. By incorpo- al awareness, culturally responsive Development Corporation (ADC), a rating mindfulness and teaching and learning. As a school com- non-profit community and economic self-awareness practices munity, TMALS or PS 318 has worked development corporation with a mission while celebrating the feverishly to shield their children and to rebuild and serve the Harlem com- identities and cultures of the school community, families from system-wide priorities that munity through real estate development, the school has been able have ignored them, and instead have education, civic engagement and social to build trust, safety and chosen to devote their time to preparing services (“Abyssinian Development a positive self-concept in their students for the excellence they Corporation — Our History,” n.d.). students. already see in them. The ADC mission was to rebuild Harlem, “brick by brick and block by Dawn Brooks DeCosta, EdM, is principal of Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School in Harlem. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work, including teacher of the year, the Heroes of Education award and an Outstanding Educator award. She is a member of the Council for School Administrators, and a proud mother and grandmother. Danica Goyens-Ward had taught at the elementary level for the past 14 years. She currently teaches fourth-grade students at Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School and serves as a peer collaborative teacher, data coach and inquiry team member. A devoted basketball and softball mom who loves running and yoga practice, Goyens-Ward is a member of the United Federation of Teachers. Ife Gaskin-Lenard, MSW, EdM, serves as a strategic coach, professor and educational consultant. Gaskin-Lenard started her career as a school-linked social worker before teaching biology and physics. Her service-leadership has created schools and programs that build relationships in a different, more humane way. Gaskin-Lenard is an associate professor at City College and a member of the Professional Staff Congress. Educator’s Voice n Volume XII n Page 58 Dawn Brooks DeCosta, Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School Danica Goyens Ward, United Federation of Teachers Ife Gaskin-Lenard, Professional Staff Congress block”. As part of ADC’s educational Americans in segregated TMALS Mission Statement mission, Butts envisioned an educa- communities (Collins & tional corridor of learning. ADC was Williams, 1999). The The mission of Thurgood Marshall running several head start programs at ghettoization of Harlem Academy Lower School is grounded the time, and had opened Thurgood persists as segregation in the belief that all children can Marshall Academy high school and persists, and “black iso- learn and have the fundamental right to reach their fullest, individual middle school. lation deepened,” dur- potential. As a reflection of the ing the 1970’s when the African proverb, ‘It takes a village PS 318 was created to fill a gap in the ghetto “gave birth to a to raise a child’, our school values educational corridor so families who permanent underclass, parent partnerships and collaborative wished, could have their children begin (Massey & Denton, efforts with various community- in Head Start and continue all the way based organizations, businesses and 1998, p. 61).” In rela- other institutions within and outside through school with the same philoso- tion to poverty in com- the Harlem community. phy of learning. Harlem, the home of munities and education, — Founding staff the school, was one of the settling plac- Ladson Billings & Tate es for African Americans migrating (1995) note that, from the South during the Jim Crow Era and the Great Migration, and it While some might argue that emerged into a vibrant community, poor children, regardless of race, rich in culture and history. However, do worse in school, and that the as a community, Harlem has remained high proportion of African historically underserved. Even with the American poor contributes to their “progress,” that has come with gentrifi- dismal school performance, we cation, pockets of Harlem experience argue that the cause of their poverty neighborhood violence, a persistent in conjunction with the condition lack of resources and inadequate access of their schools and schooling is to health care, which can all contribute institutional and structural racism to the mortality rate of African (p. 55). Educator’s Voice n Volume XII n Page 59 Cultural Awareness and Self-Awareness at Thurgood Marshall Academy Teachers are Guiding Principles of Culturally curriculum outlined by the founding Responsive Teaching at Thurgood principal and staff focuses around cul- using the culture Marshall Academy turally relevant topics and units. The of the students When describing urban school envi- goal of situating students’ cultures at as “a vehicle for ronments, Khalifa, Gooden & Davis the center would enhance their learn- (2011) note that “developing effective ing and ultimate success in school. learning”. leaders, becomes a vital part of the Geneva Gay (2000) notes that, “the process of recruiting and retaining the academic achievement of ethnically best teachers for children who have diverse students will improve when been marginalized (p. 1,273).” The they are taught through their own cul- need for culturally responsive educa- tural and experiential filters (p.106).” tion was central to Butts’ vision for the Thurgood Marshall Academy schools Our culturally relevant approach fol- as an educational vehicle to combat lows a framework designed by surrounding ills. Gloria Ladson-Billings who coined the term “culturally relevant pedagogy.” With its population of mostly Black The three major areas of her frame- and Brown students, and based on the work include a focus on “Academic original vision for the school, the Success, Cultural Competence and Critical Consciousness (Ladson- Demographics Billings, 1995, p. 160-162).” As this framework is a central focus at PS 318, Community School Geographical District 5, Central Harlem striving toward academic success is a n 33 public schools, including PS 318 non-negotiable. We use the following n 11,966 K–12 students. three tenets as our approach to cultur- n 89.4 % of students are Black and Latino ally relevant and responsive learning: n 80.6% poverty rate High Expectations for Academic Success, Culturally Relevant Texts n 21.4% are identified as students with disabilities and Units of Study and Social Emotional Learning for All Members Thurgood Marshall Acadeny (PS 318) of the School Community. Aligned n 221 students with the Ladson-Billings’ study, our n 78% Black and 16 % Latino teachers “demand, reinforce and pro- n 17% Students with Disabilities duce academic excellence in their stu- n 77% poverty rate dents (Ladson-Billings, 1995, p. 160)” n 91% attendance rate through a framework of non-negotiable best practices where all students are Source: New York State Education Department 2017 pushed to own the learning and strive for excellence. Educator’s Voice n Volume XII n Page 60 Teachers hold students to a high expectation, providing rigorous learn- ing tasks in various subject areas where students are pushed to collaborate, discuss, provide feedback to one another and make their thinking visible therefore helping them to facilitate their own learning. The perspective of dedicated, invested teachers who believe and know that, “all students can and must succeed,” is essential to this approach (Ladson-Billings, 1995, p. 163). Through the use of culturally relevant texts and culturally competent lesson planning approaches, teachers they engaged community members, Third grade students are using the culture of the students as who were beautiful reflections of them- participte in an art les- “a vehicle for learning” where parents selves and their family members. The son with The Studio and family members are also engaged Museum in Harlem in young learners studied artist Romare their “Find Art Here” to participate and share their “cultural Bearden who also reflected Harlem program. Artist Jordan knowledge (Ladson-Billings, 1995, p. and Black life in his works in more of a Casteel discusses the artwork with students. 161).” historic sense. On the community walk students were also able to see the areas Culturally Responsive Classroom where he created his works. Through Lessons Bring Ideas to Life this experience, our inquisitive second To illuminate through example, col- graders were able to engage in a physi- laboration with the Studio Museum in cal experience learning about the con- Harlem gave second graders the tributions