1 / 12

Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Bethesda, Maryland

Walking the Talk: A Courageous Approach to Honoring Diversity. Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Robyn Jackson, former Assistant Principal Michael J. Zarchin, Principal. School Facts. Public Middle School Approximately 1,300 Students

kata
Download Presentation

Thomas W. Pyle Middle School Bethesda, Maryland

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Walking the Talk: A Courageous Approach to Honoring Diversity Thomas W. Pyle Middle SchoolBethesda, Maryland Dr. Robyn Jackson, former Assistant Principal Michael J. Zarchin, Principal

  2. School Facts • Public Middle School • Approximately 1,300 Students • Bethesda, Maryland (affluent suburb of Washington, D.C. • 134 Professional Staff (84 Teachers) • 80% White, 3% African American, 11.4% Asian, 5.5% Hispanic/Latino

  3. The Crisis • A pattern of racial intolerance surfaces • African American students are subjected to racially insensitive/abusive language from white students

  4. Core Values • The staff members at Thomas W. Pyle Middle School are committed to: • Demonstrating a passion for learning • Encouraging academic and personal growth • Sustaining a nurturing and respectful environment • Honoring diversity

  5. The Problem with Diversity Programs • Focus on helping white children take on the perspective of minority students without acknowledging their own perspectives • Invalidate the experiences of white students • Ignore the stages of white racial identity development • Offer “off-the-shelf” or canned approaches that are not customized to the school • Focus on tolerance versus resisting false notions of superiority and embracing diversity • Often result in creating a backlash against anti-bias efforts and actually cause students to become more entrenched in their resistance to anti-racist ideology

  6. Three-Pronged Approach • Staff • Students • Other stakeholders

  7. Staff Initiatives • County teaching for equity course • Summer leadership team training • Study circles • Staff Development that addresses race, culture, and the achievement gap

  8. Student Initiatives • Focus groups and facilitated conversations • Developing a Character Education Program that focuses on: • Developing authentic identities based on personal abilities and interests • Promoting comfortable and empathic interactions with people from other races • Identifying and challenging stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination • Building capacity for caring, cooperative, and equitable relationships with others

  9. Stakeholder Initiatives • Study circles - Facilitate honest, productive, discussions - Develop greater understanding of cultural differences and the effect of race and culture on teaching and learning - Create action steps for change • Community meetings - Share information - Seek feedback - Promote involvement

  10. Results • Awareness • Dialogue about race

  11. On-going Challenges • “The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” - Marcel Proust

  12. Summary Points • Key Learning's • Challenges Ahead

More Related