Friday Musings: Changing The System
The Black and Dyslexic Podcast from Winifred Winston and LeDerick Horne wrapped up its first season this week. What a triumph! The podcast does three things, in particular, exceptionally well. First, the hosts directly confront the reality that IEP and 504 programs are failing Black students and families. They make the causes (racism) and the consequences (limited opportunity and options) of that failure abundantly clear. Second, they invite guests to tell their personal stories, which illuminate the inequities and racism of the system while also building empathy, community, and connection. But they don’t stop there. Third, Winston, Horne, and their guests then offer specific advice, tips, and information to other parents who are trying to make a broken system work for their children. My favorite is this recurring refrain: “Extended time isn’t going to teach your child how to read. It’s accommodation. Your child needs an intervention from the school that addresses the underlying issue.” Ultimately, Winston’s and Horne’s podcast succeeds because they are vulnerable, funny, and honest. They help their guests feel at home, and they make their audience feel like they’re on their team.
I’ve been following this story for a while. Basically, a group of NYC residents has been working with the NYC DOE to create a public elementary school to support students who struggle with reading. Initially, I was intrigued that this group had allied themselves to the DOE and wasn’t just muscling through another charter school. They were changing the system from within instead of pursuing change by attacking the system. This approach is reminiscent of Promise Project’s, whose novel relationship with NYC DOE I wrote about here.
Anyway, this week, NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks announced that a school for students with dyslexia is happening, though it’s unclear if the city plans to use the plan created by the group or start from scratch. Either way, it’s an exciting development, and I’ll be curious to track the following:
Public-private partnership: What will this new school learn and borrow from the Windward School, in particular? And what public schools can learn and borrow from exceptional independent schools, in general?
Student demographics: which students will attend and how will the DOE ensure that the school serves a diverse and representative population?
Teacher background: What specialized training will teachers have? What universities will the teachers primarily come from? CUNY?
System impact: Will this school and its offshoots change the educational landscape in NYC? What will other NYC public schools learn from it? What will other cities learn from it?
Student impact: How will its students do?
Questions keeping me up at night:
How do you depolarize the science of reading?
When is it most effective to attempt to change the system from within?
When is it most effective to attempt to change the system from the outside (i.e. by attacking it)?
