Posted on 04/05/2008 3:46:26 PM PDT by lexfreedom
Our Schools: A commitment to including everyone
By Paul B. Ash/Lexington school s superintendent Thu Apr 03, 2008, 06:08 AM EDT
Lexington - What does it mean for a school system to be inclusive? Educators have used this term for decades to talk about the ways we need to include students who have historically been disenfranchised, such as students with physical, emotional, or cognitive disabilities. This article highlights our ongoing commitment to diversity and to developing a curriculum that includes the many faces and backgrounds of all students in our community.
We know that children must feel safe and welcome in the classroom to reach their academic potential. To feel safe, welcome, and ready to learn, all children, and especially young children, must be able to discuss themselves and their families in a manner that is caring and respectful.
Our tradition of creating an inclusive environment and embracing diversity is consistent with our core purposes: Commitment to academic excellence, respectful and caring relationships, and a culture of reflection, conversation, collaboration, and commitment to continuous improvement. These core purposes have been supported by our School Committee and have been the cornerstone of the work of our staff for many years. To this end, we believe that all children deserve to see themselves and their families reflected in school materials and in conversations so that they feel safe and welcome, and are able to learn.
The Lexington Public Schools began the work of a comprehensive K-12 curriculum review in physical education/wellness during the summer of 2006. One of the components of this comprehensive process was an analysis of the Massachusetts Health/Wellness Curriculum Framework, including recommendations for curriculum adoptions for the Lexington Public Schools.
As a part of this process, a group of administrators, teachers, and community members formed the “Windows and Mirrors” subcommittee to develop a comprehensive, inclusive K-5 Diversity Curriculum aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework and the National Standards for Civil Rights consistent with the historical “welcoming to all” philosophy of the Lexington Public Schools. This new curriculum promotes acceptance and understanding of the diversity of our town, country, and world, and includes both historical lessons on civil rights and contemporary lessons on families.
On March 18, we presented to the School Committee this new, formalized diversity curriculum in preparation for next year, when we plan to pilot four to five short units in each elementary grade. Some units will focus on families, including families with single parents, foster parents, and gay and lesbian parents. Other units will focus on racial and ethnic diversity and other areas in which human beings differ from one another.
Resources in this curriculum include books, materials, and discussion points that help children feel welcome and allow them to talk about their families and the families of their friends. Some units will focus on stereotyping, historical roots of discrimination, and bullying. These units are tied to existing reading, social studies, and social competency curricula, and are linked to state and national frameworks for each grade level.
During the upcoming months, administrators and staff will participate in professional development centered around the implementation of this curriculum to ensure it is consistent and compassionate. Teachers will pilot this K-5 inclusive curriculum in classrooms during the 2008-2009 school year. At the end of next year, the pilot curriculum will be evaluated.
Recommendations for modifications will be made to both the K-12 Curriculum Task Force and the Windows and Mirrors Subcommittee. The long-term goal is for this inclusive curriculum to become part of the complete Lexington Public Schools’ curriculum and for full implementation to occur once the curriculum review process has been completed.
Paul B. Ash is superintendent of Lexington Public Schools.
On March 18, we presented to the School Committee this new, formalized diversity curriculum in preparation for next year, when we plan to pilot four to five short units in each elementary grade. Some units will focus on families, including families with single parents, foster parents, and gay and lesbian parents. Other units will focus on racial and ethnic diversity and other areas in which human beings differ from one another.
Why do they have to do this starting in KINDERGARTEN??
******Why do they have to do this starting in KINDERGARTEN??******
Isn’t there a gay group whose philosophy goes something as this: “If you don’t get them before 8, it’s too late.”
I didn’t see anything about academics, you know, reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic. I know it’s silly of me to think about such things, when clearly five year olds must be prevented from harassing gays. I ned go to re-programm to lern to be more sentive to oters.
This safe schools stuff is BS too. All they need to teach kids is that picking on others for any reason is wrong. That's it! Schools used to frown on booing, where did that go?
NO, Why do we have public funded government schools?
I have a daughter with a disability, and the kids in her classes have never needed any training or anything about how to deal with her.
With kids, you just teach them to be kind and respectful of other people no matter what. You don’t have to get into specifics about what the differences are.
That way, kids whose parents are lesbian and gay (or if the kids are in high school and are homosexual) shouldn’t be teased or bullied because teasing and bullying anyone for any reason is bad.
ping
I was a substitute teacher in Lexington Public Schools from 1998 - 2000. I’ve worked in Estabrook Elementary School which David Parker’s child attends. These schools are (or were) excellent from an academic standpoint. Lexington is a wealthy suburb close to Boston and the children in Lexington are the very bright children of professionals. The parents in Lexington are involved in their children’s education. The problem is that these relatively elite students (in other words, not poor or working class) are being taught the ultra-liberal “elite” mindset. I recall some minority students, but the majority were Caucasian. My guess is that the parents are vehement liberals who don’t really understand the consequences of loose sexual morals, living, as they do, in a posh suburban area.
I suspect the Minority students are METCO.
“I suspect the Minority students are METCO.”
I’m sure you’re right. I’ve been in other upper middle class schools here in Virginia, and they included the African American children whose parents were presumably professionals. Those kids know they need an education to succeed and their behavior is good. The African American kids that I remember from Lexington, however, did not behave so well. It points to a class difference rather than a race difference.
Will they feature alcoholic or abusive, disfuntional families[besides the fag/lesbo ones, I mean].
This is just stupid. You don’t have to make a big deal about not saying anything about it.
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