Afrocentric schools approved

[damnthosejs]

[h3]Trustees approve Afrocentric school for Toronto[/h3]
Updated Tue. Jan. 29 2008 10:45 PM ET

toronto.ctv.ca

Trustees with the Toronto District School Board have voted to approve an "operational model" for an Afrocentric school, a controversial plan to help struggling black students in the city's education system.

"The strategies developed by our staff following consultation with our communities, will hopefully more effectively address the needs of youth who have historically struggled in TDSB schools," John Campbell, chair of the board, said in a press release late Tuesday night.

In total, the board has approved four strategies:

• Creating a "Program Area Review Team" to recommend the program and operational model for an Africentric Alternative School, to open in September 2009;
• Establishing a pilot program in three existing schools that would integrate the "histories, cultures, experiences and contributions of people of African descent and other racialized groups" into curriculum;
• Establishing a "Staff Development, Research and Innovation Centre" to assess the best way for improving the success of marginalized and vulnerable students; and,
• Drawing up a plan to address underachievement for all marginalized and vulnerable students.

There was extra security at the board's head office, located at 5050 Yonge St. in North York, to ensure discussions were peaceful before the vote.

Supporters of the proposed Afrocentric school shut down a board meeting in November when they realized the issue wouldn't be discussed that night. The outraged proponents demanded trustees move ahead quickly on the plan.

On Tuesday night, only those making presentations were allowed on the main floor of the boardroom. Other residents were seated in the second-floor balcony, and the cafeteria, which can hold 200 people and was designated as an overflow area.

There was expected to be 24 deputations to listen to, including addresses from Campbell and Lorraine Small, the mother of Jordan Manners. Manners was gunned down inside his Toronto school last May.

A report by senior board staff, released earlier this month, recommends creating a black-focused school in the city's northwest end, and that it be open to all students.

Another recommendation calls for the implementation of African-centred curriculums at three existing schools, as early as this fall. The report doesn't say which schools should offer the programs.

Some trustees have voiced their approval and disapproval of the recommendations ahead of the vote. Supporters say such schools will improve the academic performance of black youth, while those opposed say it will divide children.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Galit Solomon

Where do you stand on this?

I'm opposed to this. Asian, Latino, White, etc. only based schools does not promote what Canada's known for and that is Multiculturalism. Maybe itsbecause I'm not black (and I know someone will quote me on this), but think about it, do you see this as a solution to "struggling blackstudents"? Even if there's other struggling *insert race here*, I don't think a school that's exclusively for *insert race here* would be thesolution. I see this as a step- back rather than a step-forward.

 

[apocalypz]

I'm opposed to this. Asian, Latino, White, etc. only based schools does not promote what Canada's known for and that is Multiculturalism

Exactly what I thought. This definitely doesn't make sense.

 

[nkwu11]

• Establishing a pilot program in three existing schools that would integrate the "histories, cultures, experiences and contributions of people of African descent and other racialized groups" into curriculum;
• Establishing a "Staff Development, Research and Innovation Centre" to assess the best way for improving the success of marginalized and vulnerable students; and,
• Drawing up a plan to address underachievement for all marginalized and vulnerable students.

I think these are all good points, but an afrocentric school doesn't make sense at all.

 

[DYNAMICS]

Even though the drop out rate for Blacks is at an all time high (40%) I don't support this at all I think it's stupid.

 

[c0nf0cal]

Originally Posted by nkwu11

• Establishing a pilot program in three existing schools that would integrate the "histories, cultures, experiences and contributions of people of African descent and other racialized groups" into curriculum;
• Establishing a "Staff Development, Research and Innovation Centre" to assess the best way for improving the success of marginalized and vulnerable students; and,
• Drawing up a plan to address underachievement for all marginalized and vulnerable students.

I think these are all good points, but an afrocentric school doesn't make sense at all.


Those are all GREAT points...Why do they need segregation in order to do this? They can't make these changes in ALL schools?

Its incredibly backwards thinking in my opinion and I would sincerely expect the leaders of the community and TDSB to come up with a much better solution tothe high drop out rate. I wonder what they're solution will be to the potential problem of overt racism?

The intentions are good, but this solution is equivalent to fixing a severed limb with a band-aid

 

[homi29]

i think this is dumb as well
sometimes the way this city is run really makes me wonder


either way if they improve on the dropout rate , they'll probably want to expand the program smh


if the kids do even worse there i wont know what to say

 

[carlos tevez]

Terrible idea in my opinion. I think If black kids only associate with blacks they're going to have trouble interacting with other races in post-secondary,work force etc in the future.

 

[kash55]

I don't agree with this at all. They are they isolating black youth even more with these specialty schools.

 

[jaylove06]

I'm indifferent, people said the same thing about HBCU's and today a lot of blacks have graduated from these schools to go on and have prosperouscareers...

I see both sides of the coin, but I think many young black kids have the mindset that teachers really don't care about them (i felt the same way in school,although i had some great profs)...and you can look at how black students don't get pushed to pursue education. Don't even get me started on guidancecouncillors. I'd like to see the number of dropouts in other races...i don't think the numbers would be much different.

At the end of the day it does alienate black people (what else is new) i'm thinking this couldn't possibly be the best solution. I think a lot ofpeople need to do their jobs...parents need to do their jobs, teachers need to do their jobs, we as a society have to do our jobs. People have all theseanswers but i'm affraid they haven't even diagnosed the problem correctly.

 

[bundfnd]

I believe despite the good intentions that this is a backwards move on the governments part. Isolating the the black community can be taken very negatively.Some people may even think that isolating the black community is kind of like isolating a problem community. This is a step back. I would be surprised if thisresults positively.

 

[automorph]

imagine having to play their sports teams.................

 

[damnthosejs]

imagine having to play their sports teams.................

a highschool down the block from my house is a predominantly white school and its teams, but i tell ya they're among the top teams in the west (TDCSB, atleast 2nd or 3rd to Fr. Henry Carr in bball and football).

At the end of the day it does alienate black people (what else is new) i'm thinking this couldn't possibly be the best solution. I think a lot of people need to do their jobs...parents need to do their jobs, teachers need to do their jobs, we as a society have to do our jobs. People have all these answers but i'm affraid they haven't even diagnosed the problem correctly.
Some kids are just way too ignorant (and I'm saying that goes for all races) . Ive seen the dumbest people on earth in my high school I tellya. most of these kids could've been just expelled but teachers chose to help them, but they just do not deliver.

Attitude towards teachers and schools have to change in my honest opinion, not the school board adjusting to students.Books are there, teachers are there, what else do students need?

 

[mcpoet20]

i don't agree with the idea either and im black. I think a better solution would be to adress an ancient curriculum that does not relate to everbody. Most of y'all are right the to say its a bad idea because we do promote multiculturalism however our education system does not reflect those values at all. We are still learning using the same format with slight varitions that's been around for years. The Toronto school board should be trying to make theireducation system more encompassing of the world as do some of the best school systems in the world, we can't just keep teaching black youth about a societythat is not built for all peoples equally. Truth be told any minority interacting within all aspects of society today and whole heartedly trying to make it inthe business world especially has to compromise something of themselves wether they know it or not, and often "fitting in" requires giving a part ofyourself up. Most people are okay with this because most people are sheep but for those that are not you have 2 choices either work the system from the insideand beat it or choose to oppose society all together. The later seems to be the most popular choice.

Of course this argument does not apply to all black youth.

And for the the person saying attitudes need to change yes on both sides homie don't be quick to put the blame on the students alone because there is a lotto be learned on both sides and if the teachers don't try to learn more about the people their supposed to be teaching then why should the students feelany different. The city and its people might be multicultural but the education system sure as hell is not built for all.

 

[23edge]

I think it's cool, and while I know it's not perfect at least it's a beginning. I mean let's be honest a 40% drop out rate is high and anyattempt to fix it is good. I also think it's crazy how when you go to school all you study is "white history" from philosophy, to art, scienceand even math. And as far as black history is concerned it's pretty sad how most people will only associate it with sports stars, actors, talk show hostsand musicians. And while a black centred school does seem extreme let's just hope that it brings attention to our public officials in realizing that aschool system based on European ideologies is not multicultural. In English class why should we study Shakespeare and not Maya Angelou, or Gabriel GarcíaMárquez; In Art Basquiat and not Michelangelo; Philosophy San Tzu and not Socrates, or the history of mathematics in Africa, or astrology from Latin America.So let's just hope that this little TDSB experiment does result in black students gaining knowledge through pride with the end result of graduation degreesthat are well deserved. (For what good is it to graduate and not be able to read what's written on your degree)

 

[4 your ent]

Originally Posted by 23edge

I think it's cool, and while I know it's not perfect at least it's a beginning. I mean let's be honest a 40% drop out rate is high and any attempt to fix it is good. I also think it's crazy how when you go to school all you study is "white history" from philosophy, to art, science and even math. And as far as black history is concerned it's pretty sad how most people will only associate it with sports stars, actors, talk show hosts and musicians. And while a black centred school does seem extreme let's just hope that it brings attention to our public officials in realizing that a school system based on European ideologies is not multicultural. In English class why should we study Shakespeare and not Maya Angelou, or Gabriel García Márquez; In Art Basquiat and not Michelangelo; Philosophy San Tzu and not Socrates, or the history of mathematics in Africa, or astrology from Latin America. So let's just hope that this little TDSB experiment does result in black students gaining knowledge through pride with the end result of graduation degrees that are well deserved. (For what good is it to graduate and not be able to read what's written on your degree)

That's a very good point. I'm not really taking a side, but I think it's worth a try. If it fails, it fails, but it will definitely be worth atry. We should just let it run, and see how it goes. I don't think they are making this to seperate anyone directly, they are just trying to make adifferent kind of focus.

AND:

"Those are all GREAT points...Why do they need segregation in order to do this? They can't make these changes in ALL schools? "

^ Trust me, I've been working in community schools for about 6 years, and they've tried to implement a lot of the things they are focusing on withthese new schools, and they have been denied. I think the people backing this are the same people that tried to integrate some of those things into the regularpublic school curriculum, got shot down, and took it to the extreme of building their own house where they can have their own rules.

 

[c0nf0cal]

Originally Posted by 23edge

And while a black centred school does seem extreme let's just hope that it brings attention to our public officials in realizing that a school system based on European ideologies is not multicultural. In English class why should we study Shakespeare and not Maya Angelou, or Gabriel García Márquez; In Art Basquiat and not Michelangelo; Philosophy San Tzu and not Socrates, or the history of mathematics in Africa, or astrology from Latin America.

I don't know the exact answer to any of these questions (all good btw). My educated answer is that its probably a logistical and fundamentalproblem. First, their likely isn't enough time to go over these particular artists/subjects with out cutting out some of the established core curriculum. Second, they are arguably not as important relative to human culture to the likes of Shakespeare etc. They were publishing works 10-15 years after guys/galslike Golding, Salinger, Lee etc.

Also, we need to remember that the teachers of this subject matter are educated in Canadian Universities where these subjects are taught at a more in depthlevel. Thus, its only natural that this knowledge would then be passed on to students during the cushy unionized job of teching...with excellent pensionbenefits!!!

Lets also keep in mind that the majority of the students, when the curriculum was established, were/are white or european (afterall, this country was formed byEuropeans). Unfortunately for non-whites, this is the current situation and they are the minority. This is a hard fact. I would not expect to find Europeanor Canadian history being taught in Shanghai or Kinshasa.

I think your examples are EXCELLENT and my feeling is that ALL kids should have the same level of choice. I would have loved to learn more about Angelou inschool. Some kids don't like Shakespeare, me being one of them, so rather than space out during 4th period, they could be doing something they'remoderately interested in, as opposed to totally disinterested in. Based on reports, I would expect the curriculum to be focused on keeping the kids inclass...I wouldn't expect at risk kids trying to get their paper up and trying to stay on their grind to give any more of a $$%@ about Maya Angelou'sAnd I Still Rise than they would about King Lear.

 

[mcpoet20]

"First, their likely isn't enough time to go over these particular artists/subjects with out cutting out some of the established core curriculum"

that's a big part of the problem though, why does it have to be viewed as being outside the curriculum of importance, why Greek history over variousAfrican civilization histories or Caribean history? We have come to accept a eurocentric world as being of the most utmost importance and for this reasoncan't view anything else with equal importance. Some of you sound fully content with this situation and even accept it as fair but its not. Truth iswe're not anwhere but Toronto so comparing a city with the composition of people we have to other places with their own unique demographic is not realisticat all, and honestly Black people been apart of this country long enough to get written into our history books for more than 1 month, especially in places likeToronto. The British education system can teach about world Geography and History why can't ours? no excuse. We might have an edge on the American publiceducation system but not the rest of the world. Everything in the world comes down to balance.

 

[damnthosejs]

I was reading the newspaper today and one of the high ranking officials here in Canada had the same thought/plan as I did - a curriculum change. Maybe they canput an optional black history class of some sort and for those who would like to take the class and others who are non-black.

The last chance to abolish this plan is on May.

 

[c0nf0cal]

That's tough to consider. So what you're essentially saying is that whatever the composition of students is, that should be what's taught. I'mof the opinion that if you want to learn about Caribbean history...go there. Go to Africa if you want to learn about it. Canada is where you'll learn aboutCanadian history. Canada was part of a british colony, hence the ties to England and Europe. Canada's history is rooted in Europe, hence the weightingtowards that subject. Can't people just accept some things for what they are? This country isn't part of Malaysia, Ghana, India, China, Trinidad justbecause a group of people decided to emmigrate here. Those country's aren't part of the founding history. It would be colossoly illogical to teach thisin school. It would make sense to offer a "world history" class for those interested in learning about other cultures, that today, help make up thegeneral populus of the city. I find it ridiculous that people think this stuff has bearing on how interested kids are in school. Frankly, there should be morestress on this simple rule: No School = infinitely harder task of earning a comfortable income

Stay in school because it opens more doors down the road. Yes yes, I know you're getting that guap, but there can only be so many shoe stores, rappers,resellers on ebay and DJs.

 

[mcpoet20]

c0nf0cal wrote:

---

That's tough to consider. So what you're essentially saying is that whatever the composition of students is, that should be what's taught. I'm of the opinion that if you want to learn about Caribbean history...go there. Go to Africa if you want to learn about it. Canada is where you'll learn about Canadian history. Canada was part of a british colony, hence the ties to England and Europe. Canada's history is rooted in Europe, hence the weighting towards that subject. Can't people just accept some things for what they are? This country isn't part of Malaysia, Ghana, India, China, Trinidad just because a group of people decided to emmigrate here. Those country's aren't part of the founding history. It would be colossoly illogical to teach this in school. It would make sense to offer a "world history" class for those interested in learning about other cultures, that today, help make up the general populus of the city. I find it ridiculous that people think this stuff has bearing on how interested kids are in school. Frankly, there should be more stress on this simple rule: No School = infinitely harder task of earning a comfortable income

Stay in school because it opens more doors down the road. Yes yes, I know you're getting that guap, but there can only be so many shoe stores, rappers, resellers on ebay and DJs.

I know Canada's history but Toronto unique populous does not reflect the rest of Canada, facts are just facts. And not people can't just acceptthings because then changes wouldn't happen, people fear change because they fear the unknown and thus the problem. Your solution is to pretend there isnot problem, It is in-fact the most logical solution to involve those your teaching in the lesson and if that cannot be acknowledged then there is no goingbeyond that to discuss a problem you don't seem to see exists.

Lol at those classes in reg schools right now their on the curriculum but most schools don't have the instructors and basically have to cancel them for"lack of interest" every semester but they stay on your class selection list for PR reasons. To know solution you gotta understand the problem, idon't ever advocate segregation and still don't these schools are a bad idea but at least they got people to start talking about an underlying issue ofimportance that needs to be adressed. I don't really have anymore to say on this, i'm just gonna watch the progress of those schools and even though idon't agree with them i hope they accomplish what they set out to because at least someone is trying for the young-ins.