Why I do what I do…

Check out this new study from the NYU Metropolitan Center for Equity and the Transformation of Schools.

The researchers surveyed almost 400 NYC public school teachers (representative of the overall demographics of NYC teachers and schools) “to identify their willingness and capacity to raise and respond to issues of race, ethnicity and other identities in the classroom, to adopt culturally responsive practices and expand their teaching capacities” (p. 1)  They found that while a vast majority feel that it is their responsibility to engage these issues with their students, “they are left on their own to seek guidance from peers or independent resource materials, and left on their own to make mistakes” (p. 9).  Less than half of the teachers surveyed reported that their principals supported them in this work, and fewer than 1 in 3 indicated that receive continuous professional development in these areas.

In the words of one Brooklyn elementary school teacher:

“Students need to relate to the lessons that I teach them. That isn’t possible when all the reading books have children that don’t have similar names, skin color, life experiences and culture as them.”