Africentric Alternative School Research Project Year 3

Transcription

AFRICENTRIC ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL RESEARCH PROJECT:
Year 3 (2013-2014) Report
Prepared By:
York’s Centre for Education & Community (YCEC)
TDSB Research & Information Services
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Year 3 (2013-14) Report was prepared by the Research Team of the Africentric
Alternative School Research Project comprised of members from York University’s
Centre for Education and Community (YCEC) and the Toronto District School Board’s
(TDSB) Research & Information Services Department.
The authors are:
Dr. Carl James (Principal Investigator; YCEC)
Dr. Philip Howard (Project Co-Investigator; YCEC)
Julia Samaroo (Project Coordinator, YCEC)
Rob Brown (Research Coordinator, Research & Information Services; TDSB)
Gillian Parekh (Research Coordinator, Research & Information Services; TDSB)
The authors would like to thank members of the 2013-2014 Advisory Committee for
their expertise and valuable contributions:
Joan Lattie (AAS Principal)
Leopold Campbell (AAS Vice-Principal 2013-14)
Sherron Grant (AAS Vice-Principal 2014-15)
Jacqueline Spence (Superintendent)
Amie Presley (Research Coordinator, Research & Information Services, TDSB)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...........................................................................................1
AFRICENTRIC ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL RESEARCH REPORT:
YEAR 3 (2013-14) REPORT ......................................................................................6
SUMMARY OF THE YEAR TWO REPORT ..................................................................7
PROJECT ACTIVITIES...............................................................................................9
AFRICENTRIC ALTERNATICE SCHOOL PROFILE: QUANTITATIVE OVERVIEW
AND CONTEXT ......................................................................................................10
Introduction ...............................................................................................................10
Demographics ............................................................................................................10
Mobility ..........................................................................................................10
Grade..............................................................................................................10
Gender, Country of Birth and Language .........................................................11
Geography......................................................................................................12
Learning Opportunity Index .......................................................................................13
Special Education Needs ............................................................................................14
Elementary Report Card ............................................................................................15
AAS and EQAO Achievement in the Context of Special Education Needs and
Socio-economic Challenge of the School...................................................................16
CURRENT QUALITATIVE FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................18
APPROACHES TO AFRICENTRIC EDUCATION: THE IMPORTANCE OF
RELATIONSHIPS ....................................................................................................20
Caring Staff-Students Connections ............................................................................20
Developing a Sense of Community: “School as a Family” .........................................22
Strong Parent and Community Involvement and Engagement..................................25
APPROACHES TO AFRICENTRIC EDUCATION: A SCHOOL ETHOS THAT INFORMS,
STRENGTHENS, AND SUPPORTS STUDENTS’ IDENTITIES ........................................29
Integration of Nguzo Saba Principles and African-centered Knowledge and
Practices .....................................................................................................................30
Fostering a Positive Black Identity .............................................................................35
Strong Sense of Belonging: Confidence, Ownership, and Advocacy ..........................36
A Culture of High Expectations of Students...............................................................38
AFRICENTRIC ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL RESEARCH PROJECT: Year 3 (2013-2014) Report
i
APPROACHES TO AFRICENTRIC EDUCATION: PEDAGOGY ......................................39
Teaching Approaches that Center the Student .........................................................39
Curriculum Translation ..............................................................................................41
Creating Africentric Curricular Resources..................................................................42
LARGER INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT: CHALLENGES FACED BY THE SCHOOL ..............43
Limited Resources ......................................................................................................43
Changing Administration ...........................................................................................44
Negative Media Attention and Portrayal...................................................................44
Stigma of Special Education .......................................................................................46
Barriers to Africentricity ............................................................................................47
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..............................................................49
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................52
TABLES
Table 1: Student Demographics..................................................................................11
Table 2: 2012-13 Special Education Needs Programming Status (Elementary) ..........14
Table 3: 2011-12 Report Card Results, Term 2 Overall ...............................................15
Table 4: EQAO, Three-Year Rolling Averages, 2011-12 and 2012-13 ..........................16
FIGURES
Figure 1: EQAO Achievement and Composite Index of Special Education Needs
and the Learning Opportunities Index (LOI) 2011 ......................................17
Figure 2: Implementation of Africentric Education at the AAS ..................................18
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Summer Institute Workshop – Issues/Concerns....................................53
Appendix B: Nguzo Saba – Guiding Principles ...........................................................58
ii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report serves as a summary of the third year (2013-14) of the Africentric Alternative School
(AAS) Research Project as well as an overall review on the project’s findings. The project is a 3year partnership (2011-2014) between the AAS, Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and York
University’s Centre for Education and Community (YCEC). The objectives of the project are:
To understand the
aspirations of the parents,
staff, and students of the
AAS, and to understand the
ways that they are shaping
the school in relation to
these aspirations.
To document the
transformative and
educational
successes of the AAS.
To explore how the school
community understands
and is creating a local
version of African-centered
community, teaching, and
learning.
To identify best
practices in the
education of Black
students that are
transferable to the
larger TDSB system.
To identify areas in which
staff, students, and parents
require further support and
to devise, with them,
strategies for providing that
support with appropriate
resources.
To contribute to a
climate of high positive
regard for the AAS in
light of the media
attention it has
attracted.
To begin to create
student profiles in terms
of academic achievement
and other relevant factors
that provides a
longitudinal record of this
particular student
population.
CURRENT FINDINGS
School Profile and Context
 As of September 30, 2012, there were 208 students enrolled in the AAS. The majority of
students (93%) were born in Canada, and around 61%1 speak English at home.
1

The AAS is ranked in the top fifth of highly challenged schools. The students from AAS come
from more financially challenged neighbourhoods where overall income is fairly low
(according to the 2006 Census), where the overall level of adult education is quite low, and
where there are more lone-parent families.

13% of AAS students have non-identified special needs (excluding Gifted), similar to the
TDSB (14%).

The challenges of Special Education Needs and external challenges of the Learning
Opportunities Index account for the majority of achievement differences between all TDSB
schools. When AAS is shown in a regression line it is seen that the school is one of the more
highly challenged schools in the TDSB. However, it is situated above the regression line,
indicating that it is doing better in achievement than other schools with similar challenges.
Note that language data was missing for 34% of students.
1



In 2011-12, report card results show that the proportions of students in Grades 1 to 4
achieving levels 3 and 4 in reading, writing, and mathematics are higher than the TDSB. The
proportions of students in Grades 5 to 8 achieving levels 3 and 4 are higher than TDSB
average in mathematics, and below the overall TDSB averages in reading and writing. 
Between 2011-12 and 2012-13, the three-year rolling average of EQAO scores of the school
was 4.37%, a much higher rate of improvement than the TDSB (1.54%) and the province
(0.88%), even though the results for the AAS were below that of the TDSB and province.
After four years (2009-2012), of the students who started at the AAS, 43% were still
attending the school and 57% had transferred to another school inside or outside the
TDSB.
Qualitative Data
A thematic analysis was completed on the following data: individual interviews with teachers
and administrators, focus groups with TDSB employees, focus groups with parents, focus
groups with students, and observations of school-related activities and events. The research
was grounded in narratives of the lived experiences of students, parents, teachers,
administrators, and community members. The findings revealed a complex working definition
of Africentric Education at the AAS (Figure 1) that centers around three components:
relationships, ethos, and pedagogy. These components were framed as successes of the school
in implementing Africentric Education. Relationships referred to: caring connections established
between staff and students; a strong sense of community and family nurtured among students,
staff, families, and community members; and high levels of parent and community involvement
and engagement. Ethos denoted the articulation of the school environment and atmosphere,
and was deemed significantly different from other mainstream public schools. Ethos involved
the: integration of the Nguzo Saba principles and African-centered knowledge and practices,
development of a positive Black identity, nurturing a strong sense of belonging, and establishing
a culture of high expectations of students. Pedagogy represented the efforts by staff to create,
implement, and make relevant Africentric curricula and resources, as well as strengthen their
teaching practices by centering their students (i.e., identity, experiences, interests, and needs).
Also, Africentric Education at the AAS operated within a challenging context of: limited
resources (e.g., funding, space, Africentric resources, training, etc.), negative media attention
and portrayal of the school, stigma around special education, changing administration, and
barriers to Africentricity.
2
Implementation of Africentric Education at the AAS
CONTEXT
Negative
Media
Attention and
Portrayal of
School
APPROACHES TO AFRICENTRIC
EDUCATION
Stigma around
Special Education
Barriers to
Africentricity
Changing
Administration
Limited Resources
Overall findings of the project include:

The prevailing narrative that emerged was one of a school creating a sense of community
for Black people in ways that have not been historically present in public schools and
resulted in a distinctly different school climate for Black students, teachers, administrators,
parents, and community members,

The Parent and Community Involvement and Engagement (PCIE) model developed at
the school emphasized the vital role of both parents and community in the education of
Black students, extending beyond participation in school activities and School Council to
include the recognition and valuing of the expertise and potential contributions by
parents and the community (i.e., members and agencies),

AAS staff have developed a model of inclusivity whereby priority is placed upon working
and negotiating through difficult relationships among staff, parents, and community
members, rather than seeking to exclude them,
3

The model of PCIE, culture of high expectations, integration of Nguzo Saba principles and
African-based knowledge and practices, and development of a positive Black identity were
framed as overall successes of the school in terms of positively impacting students’ identity,
confidence, social development, awareness of African culture, and critical thinking skills,

A clearly articulated vision of the school, although an ongoing process, is necessary for the
school and community to work together, without public misconceptions detracting from the
school’s success,

There were some differences between the vision of the school, as understood by the
community in demanding this school, and the existing frameworks the school operates
within, as laid out by the TDSB and Ministry of Education. While these differences were
respectfully addressed, they frequently inform discussions at meetings and activities
involving staff, parents, and community,

Under-resourcing referred to a lack of funding, space and appropriately culturallyresponsive school and support staff, and was framed as a hindrance and limiting factor to
the school’s success, and

The issues regarding resources, changing administration, stigma about special education,
and negative media attention were laden with challenges and require significant attention
from the TDSB to ameliorate the learning experiences of students at the school. Teachers
remain hopeful that the school board will become more responsive to the needs of the
school and the negative effects of under-resourcing on student achievement.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations were informed by the research – which reflects the narratives
of students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members. The suggested actions
are proposed to support the ongoing development, operation, and success of the school:

A clear vision of the school, consistent with the impetus for the school and a critical race
(critical equity) perspective, must be articulated, which takes into account structural aspects
of anti-black racism and its impacts on Black students’ schooling,

Establish an ongoing working group consisting of administrators, parents, community
members, and academics to examine the points of disjuncture between current models of
education and the vision of the AAS, with a view toward determining how these differences
may be resolved, and how the AAS program of education can be supported and sustained
thereby realizing its transformative potential,

Continue to track the best practices of AAS teachers in reference to pedagogy that
addresses the needs of Black students, in order to determine its impact on student
achievement, identity, confidence, and engagement,

Continue the documentation of best practices in terms of building parent and community
engagement with a view toward enhancing Black student success, and providing a model
for the wider TDSB community,
4

Develop a more intentional approach to releasing information to the media to protect
controversial schools (e.g., AAS) from harmful media attention,

Develop a culturally and politically relevant special education support strategy at AAS,

Document the strategies used by the AAS staff to alleviate the apprehensions of parents
about special education in order to provide a model for this intervention across TDSB, and

Provide professional development for incoming and in-service staff to ensure alignment
with the school’s vision informed by best practices developed at the school and beyond to
engage Black students. The YCEC research team, TDSB Equity department and Beginning
Teachers Program have begun collaborating on this matter.
5
AFRICENTRIC ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL RESEARCH PROJECT:
YEAR 3 (2013-14) REPORT
The Africentric Alternative School (AAS) Research Project is a 3-year partnership between the
AAS, Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and York University’s Centre for Education and
Community (YCEC). This report serves as a summary of the third year (2013-14) of the project,
as well as an overall review of the research findings for the entire project. The report will
review the project objectives, research activities, and research findings. The report will
conclude with some recommendations to inform the ongoing operation and support of the
AAS, as well as inform the larger TDSB system.
The establishment of the AAS as an alternative school was in response to the persistent
achievement gap between Black students and their counterparts, disproportionately high
secondary school non-completion rates of Black students, and the long enduring community
demand for more effective ways to educate Black students. Accordingly, the AAS was opened
in 2009, under the TDSB’s alternative school model, and is currently in its’ sixth year of
operation. The AAS Research Project was approved and began in 2011.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
To understand the
aspirations of the parents,
staff, and students of the
AAS, and to understand the
ways that they are shaping
the school in relation to
these aspirations.
To document the
transformative and
educational successes
of the AAS.
To explore how the school
community understands
and is creating a local
version of African-centered
community, teaching, and
learning.
To identify best
practices in the
education of Black
students that are
transferable to the
larger TDSB system.
To identify areas in which
staff, students, and parents
require further support and
to devise, with them,
strategies for providing that
support with appropriate
resources.
To contribute to a
climate of high positive
regard for the AAS in
light of the media
attention it has
attracted.
To begin to create
student profiles in
terms of academic
achievement and other
relevant factors that
provides a longitudinal
record of this particular
student population.
6
SUMMARY OF THE YEAR TWO REPORT
Year Two of the project focused on gaining an in-depth understanding of the operation of the
school and building relationships with the students, staff, parents2, and community members
affiliated with the school. In 2012-13, there were 185 students enrolled in the school; 10% of
students resided outside the TDSB boundaries compared to 1% of the overall TDSB elementary
panel. The AAS was ranked in the top fifth of highly challenged schools. Overall, the students
from the AAS come from neighbourhoods where the overall income is fairly low, overall level of
adult education is quite low, and where there are more lone-parent families. Also, senior
kindergarten students were arriving to school with much lower school readiness compared to
other students in the TDSB.
Preliminary findings from the qualitative data (teacher interviews, administrator interviews,
TDSB staff interviews, focus groups with parents, and field notes from school observations)
revealed 26 themes discussed within six categories: 1) A Vision for the Africentric Alternative
School, 2) Leadership, 3) School-Community relationships, 4) Parent and Community
Involvement and Engagement, 5) Resources, and 6) Special Education. Within each of the six
categories, the themes were framed as successes achieved by the AAS, challenges experienced
by the AAS and possibilities for the future of the AAS.
2
Throughout this document, the term parent(s) refers to parent(s), guardian(s), and caregiver(s) of students.
7
Year 2
Emergent Themes
A Vision for the
Africentric Alternative
School
Leadership
School-Community
Relationships
Parent & Community
Involvement and
Engagement
Developing a positive
Black Identity
Creating Africentric
Resources, Lessons,
Teaching Practices
Developing a Sense of
Community as a School
Role of Advocacy &
Agency
Strengthening an
African Identity &
Critical Awareness
Expressing Teacher
Commitment to Black
Student Potential
Developing Quality
Relationships with
Parents
Recognizing &
Valuing Parent &
Community
Contributions
Implementing
Politically-Relevant
Curriculum
Barriers to
Leadership
Building Partnerships
with the Community
Managing Parent &
Community
Expectations
Barriers to Africentricity
Teachers as Experts in
Africentric Curriculum
Overcoming Parents'
Past Negative
Experiences in Schools
Transferable Model of
Parent & Community
Involvement and
Engagement
Connecting Spirituality
& Schooling
Parents as Experts of
realities of AAS
Transferable Model of
Inclusivity
Resources
Special Education
Transforming
General Pedagogy &
Teaching Practices
Accommodations for
Students
Being
Stigma around
Special Education
Under-Resourced
Establishing an
Elders' Council
High Expectations
can Curb Behavioural
Issues
Preparing Students for
an Inequitable Society
8
PROJECT
ACTIVITIES
Year 3 involved the following types of activities: a) qualitative research and b) presentations.
Type of Activity
Description
Observations and field notes
- Various school visits
3
- School Council Meeting
- Parent Forum
- YCEC Summer Institute Closed Workshop –
Africentric Education
Qualitative
Research
Focus Groups
- 3 focus groups (10 students)
Data Analysis
- Transcription of focus groups
- Thematic analysis of the focus groups, as well
as data from year one and year two
Other
- Archiving a collection of relevant media texts
(e.g., newspaper articles, blogs, magazine
articles, etc.) from 2007 to present.
Workshop Title: “Africentric Education at the
AAS: Bridging Theory, Research, Curriculum,
and Practice”.
Presentation
The facilitators prompted discussions on
Africentricity, transformative practices, current
data from the AAS Research Project, curricular
and program ideas, and next steps for the
2014-15 School year. Workshop participants
included: AAS teachers, administrators,
parents, community members and project
members.
Conference: The York Centre for Education and
Community (YCEC) Annual Summer Institute
held at York University in Toronto, ON.
Date completed
Outcome
Jan – May 2014
March 2014
April 2014
August 2014
Used in Data Analysis
June 2014
Used in Data Analysis
July – August 2014
August - Present
Ongoing
August 2014
Of particular relevance to
the project was the list of
issues and concerns of the
school generated
collaboratively by the
participants (See Appendix
A), which were ranked in
order of importance to be
addressed by the school
community. The
discussion that emerged
reflected both the need
for accessibility to and
transferability of what is
being done at the AAS to
other TDSB schools.
Workshop Facilitators: YCEC Research Team Dr. Carl James, Dr. Philip Howard, Julia
Samaroo, and Sam Tecle.
3
‘School Council’ and ‘Parent Council’ are used interchangeably.
9
AFRICENTRIC ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL PROFILE: QUANTITATIVE OVERVIEW AND
CONTEXT
The TDSB Organizational Development and Research & Information Services Departments
prepared the following summary of the quantitative data about the school for 2012-2013 to
provide an overall context of the school.
Introduction
To support discussion and research planning, the Research and Information Services
department has compiled available data for the third Africentric Alternative School (AAS)
report. The following document presents information about the students in AAS and the
school’s community. This information includes:
 School and Community demographics
 Learning Opportunity Index (LOI)
 Student Academic Information
o EQAO- Rolling Averages
o EQAO Achievement in the Context of Special Education Needs and Socioeconomic Challenge of the School
o Elementary Report Card
Demographics
Mobility: The school started as a Junior Kindergarten (JK) to Grade 5 School when it opened in
Fall 2009 and began with 128 students. Four years later, as of Fall 2013, of the 128 students,
116 students (who started in JK to Grade 4 when the school opened4) could potentially still be
at AAS. As of September 30, 2013, the students who were still attending AAS, and those who
were not, include:
-
36% (42 of 116) left the school for another TDSB school;
21% (24 of 116) left the school for another board, for a total mobility rate of 57%;
43% (50 of 116) remained in AAS over four years, between Fall 2009 and Fall 2013.
Grade: AAS is now a JK to Grade 8 school. In 2012, slightly more than the majority (52%) of the
student population was in Grade 2 or below. As of September 30, 2012, AAS had 208 full-time
registered students.
4
12 students started in Grade 5 and would now be in Grade 9 and thus have been excluded from the 128 total.
10
Gender, Country of Birth, and Language: Students are equally distributed by gender; nearly all
(93%) were born in Canada, and most speak English at home (see Table 1).
Table 1: Student Demographics
Africentric Alternative School
TDSB (elementary)
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Male
51%
54%
52%
47%
51%
51%
51%
51%
Gender
Female
49%
46%
48%
53%
49%
49%
49%
49%
Country of Canada
93%
92%
93%
93%
78%
79%
79%
80%
Birth
Other Country
7%
8%
7%
7%
22%
21%
21%
20%
English
97%
86%
69%
61%
44%
44%
44%
43%
Language Other Language
2%
5%
7%
5%
53%
52%
52%
52%
Missing
1%
9%
24%
34%
3%
3%
4%
5%
Geography: The map below shows, as of March 31, 2013, the general area where AAS students reside (by
students’ postal code).
11
12
Learning Opportunity Index
The Learning Opportunity Index (LOI) ranks each school based on measures of external
challenges affecting student success. The school with the greatest level of external challenges is
ranked number one and is described as highest on the index. It is important to acknowledge
that students in all schools have some external challenges, even those schools that are ranked
very low on the LOI.
The LOI measures relative need and compares all schools on exactly the same set of
data collected in a consistent, reliable, and objective manner. The LOI removes the
subjectivity that may shape perceptions of individual school needs. The LOI is based on
neighbourhoods where the students come from, not the characteristics of where the school is
located; this is important for AAS, where most students live outside the school neighbourhood.
The variables that make up the LOI are: median income, low income measure, percentage of
families receiving social assistance, adults with low education, adults with university degree,
lone-parent families. The information is taken from matching student postal code information
to the 2006 Federal Census variables and information from income tax returns. For the 2011
LOI three years of data was used (2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11). For more information, please
visit LOI Information5.
The LOI variables are ranked from 1 to 479, where 1 shows the highest challenge (i.e., low
education, high proportion of lone-parent families, low median income, and high proportion of
families on social assistance). The AAS is ranked 56 of 479 schools on the Learning
Opportunities Index, where 1 has the greatest external challenge and 479 the least challenge,
putting it in the top fifth of highly challenged schools. Looking more closely, the individual
ranks for each variable are as follows:
 Median Income – the school is ranked 164 out of 479 in terms of median income, where
1 shows the lowest median income in the neighbourhood and 479 the highest. Thus,
the students from AAS come from neighbourhoods where overall income is fairly low
(according to the 2006 Federal Census).
 Percentage of Families whose income is below the Low Income Measure (before tax) –
the school is ranked 53 out of 479 in terms of low income measure, where 1 is the
school where family income is most likely to be low and 479 is the school with the
fewest number of low-income families; again, this shows that students from the school
live in more financially-challenged neighbourhoods.
 Percentage of Families Receiving Social Assistance – the school is ranked 29 of 479 in
terms of proportion of families receiving social assistance, where 1 is the school with the
highest proportion of families receiving social assistance. Thus, students at AAS tend to
come from more financially-challenged neighbourhoods.
 Adult Education – the school is ranked 84 of 479 in terms of education, where 1 shows
the lowest overall education in the neighbourhoods and 479 the highest. Thus, students
5
The LOI information will be next updated in 2014.
13
from AAS come from neighbourhoods where the overall level of adult education is quite
low.
 Lone-Parent Families – the school is ranked 100 of 479 in terms of proportion of loneparent families, where 1 shows the highest proportion of lone-parent families and 479
the lowest (i.e., 479 showed a high proportion of two-parent families). Thus, in general,
students attending AAS tend to live in neighbourhoods where there are more loneparent families.
Special Education Needs
Looking at the Special Education Needs (SEN) programming, as of May 2013, 87% of the AAS
students are students without SEN (excluding those with Gifted exceptionalities). Similar to the
TDSB elementary panel, 13% of the AAS student population consists of students with Special
Education Needs excluding Gifted (see Table 2).
Table 2: 2012-13 Special Education Needs Programming Status (Elementary)
Special Education Needs (SEN) Programming Status
Name
AAS
FOS: NW2
TDSB
Count
Students
w ithout
SEN
IPRC Gifted
(SEN classes
or regular
classes)
IPRC Nongifted (SEN classes or
regular) and Nonidentified Special
Needs
IEP Only (IEP but
no SEN
programming)
192
8,394
87%
83%
*
1%
13%
16%
*
0
172,260
84%
2%
14%
0
14
Elementary Report Card
Similar to EQAO, the small number of students per cohort makes it difficult to draw conclusions.
Generally, the proportion of students at Levels 3 and 4 in Grade 1 to 4 is slightly higher than the
TDSB overall. In Grades 5 to 8, the percentage of students at Levels 3 and 4 decreases and is
below the TDSB overall percentage for Reading and Writing. The opposite is true for
Mathematics. The percentage of students performing at Levels 3 and 4 is higher in Grades 5 to
8 and is also higher than the TDSB overall. Table 3 shows the Term 2 overall report card results
for Grades 1-4 and 5-8 in 2011-12.
Table 3: 2011-12 Report Card Results, Term 2 Overall
Subject
Division
Name
AAS
Gr. 1-4
Reading
Gr. 5-8
FOS: NW2
32%
23%
AAS
37
51%
49%
FOS: NW2
Name
FOS: NW2
AAS
FOS: NW2
Division
Name
AAS
Gr. 1-4
Mathematics
Gr. 5-8
22%
71%
TDSB
Subject
75%
60%
TDSB
Gr. 5-8
81
3,160
AAS
Writing
% L2
68,942
Division
Gr. 1-4
% L3/4
TDSB
TDSB
Subject
Count
FOS: NW2
3,145
61%
32%
66,673
71%
24%
Count
% L3/4
% L2
81
70%
25%
3,160
50%
41%
68,929
62%
31%
37
51%
49%
3,145
58%
33%
66,668
68%
26%
Count
% L3/4
% L2
83
81%
17%
3,145
66%
31%
TDSB
68,706
79%
18%
AAS
38
84%
16%
3,140
63%
27%
66,546
72%
21%
FOS: NW2
TDSB
15
Table 4 presents ‘rolling averages’, where multiple years of EQAO data are combined to provide
an overall picture of achievement. For 2011-12, the proportion of students at Levels 3 and 4
were examined for Reading, Writing, and Mathematics, for three successive years (2009-10,
2010-11, and 2011-12). For 2012-13, the three successive years of achievement were 2010-11,
2011-12, and 2012-13. Table 5 shows rolling averages for AAS, the TDSB, and Ontario.
As seen, when multiple years and subjects are included, results for AAS are below the TDSB and
Province for both 2011-12 and 2012-13. However, the rate of change is higher; that is, the
improvement of AAS between the 2011-12 and 2012-13 three-year rolling average was 4.37%, a
much higher rate of improvement than the TDSB (1.54%) and the province (0.88%).
Table 4: EQAO, Three-Year Rolling Averages, 2011-12 and 2012-13
AAS Rolling Average Grade 3
and 6 EQAO Scores
TDSB Rolling Average Grade 3
and 6 EQAO Scores
Ontario Rolling Average Grade 3
and 6 EQAO Scores
2011-12
2012-13
Improvement
2011-12
2012-13 Improvement
2011-12
2012-13
Improvement
58.33%
62.70%
4.37%
69.02%
70.56%
68.56%
69.44%
0.88%
1.54%
AAS and EQAO Achievement in the Context of Special Education Needs and Socio-economic
Challenge of the School
Figure 1 provides a useful look at school achievement in relation to challenges faced by the
school.6 Across the bottom (the 'X' axis) shows a composite of two key variables strongly
associated with student achievement: the proportion of students in the school with Special
Education Needs (excluding Gifted) and the degree of external socio-economic challenge in the
school as measured by the LOI. Achievement is measured by EQAO scores in a combination of
Reading, Writing, and Mathematics, that is, the rolling averages in the above section. For each
school, the higher the location of the school (seen on the left, the 'Y' axis) the higher the total
achievement.
Thus, each dot on the figure represents a TDSB elementary school. If a school is located on the
left it shows that the school has lower challenge (Special Education Needs and socio-economic
challenges) compared to other TDSB schools, and the highest dots show the highest
achievement. Generally, schools on the left, with lower challenge, have higher achievement,
while schools on the right, with higher challenge, have lower achievement. Together, Special
Education Needs and socio-economic challenge explain about two thirds of the variation
between schools in our measure of EQAO achievement. The red line (the regression line) shows
this relationship statistically. If a school is above that line, it means that the school appears to
be doing better than would be predicted given the degree of challenge; if the school is below
the line, the schools is not doing as well as might be predicted. The line is higher on the left,
where the challenge is less, and lower on the right, where challenge is greater
6
Figure 1 was a result of analysis of Erhan Sinay, Research Co-ordinator, TDSB.
16
Africentric AS is well on the right hand side of this figure, showing that it is one of the more
challenged schools in terms of looking at the proportion of students with Special Education
Needs and socio-economic challenges. However, it is also above the regression line, indicating
that it is doing better in terms of EQAO results than would be expected, given the challenge to
the school. Coupled with the higher rolling average changes seen above, this appears to
indicate that the school is doing well given current conditions, and that achievement is
increasing above TDSB and provincial rates of increase.
Figure 1: EQAO Achievement and Composite Index of Special Education Needs
and the Learning Opportunities Index (LOI) 2011
Note: Africentric AS seen as a red star on the right.
17
CURRENT QUALITATIVE FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
The overall research findings were grounded in the lived experiences (e.g., perceptions,
understandings, beliefs and values) of the AAS community gathered through the observations
of and narratives shared by students, teachers, TDSB staff, administrators, families and
community members. Using the Grounded Theory framework (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Glaser,
1978; Glaser & Holton, 2004), the Year 3 data (focus groups with students and observations
from various school and school-related activities) were coded and triangulated with existing
data (focus groups with parents, interviews with teachers and administrators, and
observations) from the first two years of the project. The emergent themes were framed as
successes achieved by the school to implement Africentric Education within a larger
challenging institutional context.
Figure 2: Implementation of Africentric Education at the AAS
CONTEXT
Negative
Media
Attention and
Portrayal of
School
APPROACHES TO AFRICENTRIC
EDUCATION
Stigma around
Special Education
Barriers to
Africentricity
Changing
Administration
Limited Resources
18
The findings revealed a complex working definition of Africentric Education at the AAS that
centers around three components: relationships, ethos, and pedagogy. These components are
complex, multilayered, evolving, not mutually exclusive, and were framed as some of the
successes of the school. Also, the working definition of Africentric Education is specific to the
way it has developed and continues to evolve in this particular context (i.e., an alternative
school within a public school board in Toronto, Ontario, Canada). For additional models of
Africentric Education in other Canadian contexts see Calliste (1994), Enidlee Consultants (2009),
and Hampton (2010).
Relationships referred to: caring connections established between staff and students; a strong
sense of community and family nurtured among students, staff, families, and community
members; and high levels of parent and community involvement and engagement. Ethos
denoted the articulation of the school environment and atmosphere that was deemed
significantly different from other mainstream public schools. Ethos involved the: integration of
the Nguzo Saba principles and African-centered practices, development of a positive Black
identity, nurturing a strong sense of belonging, and establishing a culture of high expectations
of students. Pedagogy represented the efforts by staff to create, implement, and make relevant
Africentric curricula and resources, as well as strengthen their teaching practices by centering
their students (i.e., identity, experiences, interests, and needs).
The school community (e.g., administrators, teachers, families, and community members
involved with the school) has continuously been tasked with the development of a vision for
the AAS. These stakeholders have been grappling with establishing a clear vision of the school
within a challenging context of: limited resources (e.g., funding, space, Africentric resources,
training, etc.), negative media attention and portrayal of the school, stigma around special
education, changing administration, and barriers to Africentricity (e.g., multiple
conceptualizations of Africentricity, operating within the alternative school model, Eurocentric
curricula and standardized assessments, board policies, time restrictions, etc.).
19
APPROACHES TO AFRICENTRIC EDUCATION:
THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS
One of the strongest sentiments that reflect the Africentric nature of the school is that “it takes
a village to raise a child”; this permeates every aspect of the AAS as the school, families and
community work together to collectively enhance the educational experiences of AAS students.
Staff, students, parents, and community members asserted that
It takes a village
one aspect of what makes the school Africentric was the explicit
prioritization of a sense of community and family that was
to raise a child.
created through a concerted and collective focus on developing
quality, respectful relationships. It was implied that these
– African Proverb
commitments were uncommon in most public schools and unlike
what Black parents, students, and community members had
experienced historically in mainstream schools.
Caring Staff-Students Connections
While “caring” may be a common criteria in developing strong relationships between students
and staff, at the AAS it is more than just being kind, thoughtful and considerate. The school
community asserted that caring relationships involved staff demonstrating a genuine care about
students’ well-being through the efforts made, time invested, interests in, and commitment to
helping the students succeed.
The potential to enhance the educational
We feel like if we don’t, there will never be
experiences of Black students underscored many
another opportunity like this again. So you may
teachers’ desire to teach at the AAS. Teachers
have someone that has to leave at a certain
time, but for some reason, we just don’t want
indicated that their interest in improving Black
to leave just yet. We want to make sure that
students’ education was a passion, informed by
these kids are able to make it, by any means
their own experiences as students, and aligned
necessary. It doesn’t matter how far you have
with their academic interests (i.e., related to their
to take it, you will take this journey with them
graduate degree work). Many staff implied that
until they get there.
building genuinely strong, trusting, caring
– Richard (Teacher)
relationships with students was one way to
improve students’ educational experiences. These genuine connections were described as
being essential to schooling, more than lip service and strengthened by a commitment to know,
understand, and help the ‘whole’ student succeed. Teachers asserted that one factor that made
the school Africentric was the staff commitment to believing in the Black student and her
potential, and doing whatever it took to ensure that they fulfilled that potential. This
commitment is demonstrated through teachers’ initiative – taking on more responsibility to
ensure the success of their students when it is not expected of the teachers. Richard7 (teacher)
framed this initiative within the recognition that teachers’ work at this school is timely, urgent,
and unique, such that their commitment to the success of Black students sometimes supersedes
their job description. Travis (teacher) emphasized that educators’ commitment to helping
7
All names are pseudonyms.
20
students succeed must include addressing the “whole student – their academic piece [and] their
social piece” and that when students recognize that teachers were there to support them and
were wiling to go “above and beyond to make sure that they are successful in whatever it is that
they need to do to get where they need to get”, it improved classroom management and
students’ motivation because students understood that “this teacher is there for me, [to] back
me 100%.”
Parents and students echoed the importance of building strong relationships with teachers and
administrators and valued staff who demonstrated that they cared about the students’
education. Darlene (Grade 7 Student) asserted that, “every teacher cares” at the AAS. Tameka
(Grade 8 Student) described how, “knowing that they care
One thing that I do like about the
about how I learn and my education, then it helps me
Africentric School is that every
realize that there are people who actually care about my
teacher cares. There’s not one
education, not just [like] other teachers who say, ‘Do this.
teacher in this school that doesn’t
care.
Do this. Do this’. Like they actually care.” Chantelle
- Darlene (Grade 7 Student)
(parent) highlighted teachers’ efforts and the time they
invest in communicating with parents as another way of
showing how much they cared about the students. Chantelle stated that,
You could see it in them. You can hear it by they way they talk [and] by the way
they pull you to the side to tell you about your children even though it’s not a
parent-teacher interview day. …She would always be sure to give me these
updates. …It’s like they care so much. They’re so invested in our children and I
think that’s so beautiful and…it makes me feel like I’m in the right place.
Gail (parent) added that AAS teachers were so invested in the success of all students that they
willing to help students who are not in their class and this was unlike her past experiences in
mainstream schools. Gail explained that,
I can go in there with my niece, sit down and she say, ‘now this is what we’re
going to do to help her’. And she will stay there 15 [minutes] to half an hour
helping that child that’s not in her class. …And I was looking at it and saying,
where else can I go in Canada and find this? A teacher willing to sit for 30
minutes, and she lives very far and [is] not looking outside [where] it’s snowing
[or] it’s raining. She say, ‘come, this is how I’m going to help you, so tomorrow
when you go back to your class the teacher can bring you up’.
Students also valued having strong, trusting, open relationships with their administrators.
Students felt the following traits were indicative of how an administrator cares about them:
understanding, enforcing but also bending the rules to help students when needed,
showing an interest in students’ lives, and listening to and taking students’ ideas into
consideration.
21
Developing a Sense of Community: “School as a Family”
At the AAS, the sense of community nurtured among students, staff, families and community
members involved: a close-knitted network where everyone knows each other, inclusivity,
acceptance, listening to one another, a welcoming environment and unity through culture,
heritage, and history.
Students stressed that everyone at the school knowing each
other was one way the school felt like a community. Tameka
(Grade 8 Student) asserted that “one thing I like about the
school [is that] it’s like we’re a little community – everyone
knows everyone.” And like most communities, members are
aware of the presence of newcomers or those who are not
part of the community. Darlene (Grade 7 student) stated,
“It’s like we know each other by names
One thing I like about the school
[is that] it’s like we’re a little
community – everyone knows
everyone. Every time you see
someone it’s, ‘Hi, how are you?’ or
‘Hi. Hi. Hi.’ We’re like a small
community.
- Tameka (Grade 8 Student)
[and] by faces, that [when] we see somebody [we don’t know] walking the halls, we’ll be like,
“Who’s that? Where’d they come from?” That’s how well we know each other.” Similarly,
Monique (Grade 8 student) also described how well everyone knew each other by drawing
connections to villages in Africa and educational experiences in the Caribbean. She stated that,
Like in Africa, everybody in the village is caring [and] we know each other. …it’s
more ‘home-ish’. For a lot of Caribbean people…when you come to school you
feel like you’re home, and for us …it’s a school full of 17 different villages but we
all know each other.
Parents and staff emphasized that the sense of community at the AAS included the aspects of
understanding, looking out for each other, and taking care of one another. For instance, Gladys
(parent) stated that, “When my children are there I am not worried.” For example, there was
one day where she forgot to give her son lunch for school and she was not concerned that the
staff would think she’s a “terrible parent”. Instead, his teacher bought him lunch that day; she
had the comfort of knowing her son was taken care of at the school. Similarly, Jada (parent)
explained that being more willing to understand other parents’ circumstances and helping them
out when needed was common at the school. This understanding and support was positioned
to avoid the involvement of institutions, like Children’s Aid Society, that may be called upon by
staff or other parents who rush to judgment – something commonly experienced in other
public schools. Jada stated that:
One time there was a child [and] his mom didn’t come on time [to pick him up].
…She didn’t come until 8 O’clock actually. And so what we did was we stayed
with this child. See, if it was another school they would’ve called CAS already.
Because we have a level of understanding about [those] kind of institutions,
right? …Things could happen you know. So we have that understanding. So we
stayed with that child until the mother came and the mother…apologized. But
you see, if it was a different school, right away [they would have contacted CAS].
So when it comes to raising our children you know, we know, that okay, if you’re
22
not coming on time we will, I will, take your child so that part of it you don’t have
to worry [about]. So, that’s how it goes [and] to me that’s Africentric right there.
A sense of understanding and support permeated the relationships between staff, students,
and families. Rebecca (teacher) asserted that under the alternative school policy,
transportation was the responsibility of parents and since many students don’t live in North
York, arranging busing can become quite costly. Accordingly, she drives a group of students to
the school each day in order to eliminate affordability of transportation as a barrier to the
students attending the AAS.
Staff, parents, and students asserted that a welcoming environment for students and families
was absent from their past experiences in mainstream public schools. Marcus (parent)
highlighted the alignment of the school’s explicit prioritization of a welcoming environment
with its actions as being unlike other schools where a welcoming environment is either lip
service or just not a priority. He stated that,
So you talk about being African-centered, you talk about community, but your
actions are [actually] in sync with that. The one thing I think that’s in sync with
that is actually saying this, ‘we want to create a community that’s welcoming’,
right? …[The] goal is to create an environment where people feel welcome. So I
think that is a lot different than other schools.”
Gail (parent) explained that, “I feel [like it was] ‘welcoming’. …It was more like a family
environment, you know? …I said, ‘this is a good place to learn’. …You can interact with the
teachers at any minute. You know, they stop [and] they talk to you. And it make[s] me feel like
home. I [have] never been to a school in Canada where I feel so homely.” She also compared her
experience as previous schools and stated that,
“I don’t get that same feeling. I wish I could get that feeling. I wish when I walk
into a school, in the other school, to speak as a grandparent to the teacher about
my grandchildren I [could] feel that [sense of welcoming]. [Instead] I feel like I’m
so tight in my shell, you know? I’m not easy to open up, you know? …And you
know, the feelings that I get [are] totally different. [Whereas at the AAS] I can sit
and I can go through things…with myself [if] I don’t understand, the teacher will
say, ‘well this is how he learns, the different ways, and this is how you can help
him at school’. You feel different; more like a home.”
Chantelle (parent) further clarified that a sense of community “was completely missing from
other kinds of schools when you walk in” and described other schools as,
“often very cold or just not receptive or just indifferent; you know, it’s just kind of
day-to-day business. But here there’s that sense of community. …I remember
walking in at first and not knowing too much about the school and stuff, but you
saw just kids just saying hi to you, out of nowhere. And it’s just a beautiful kind of
thing.
23
Likewise, Jada (parent) asserted that this “feeling of community” was absent from her
daughter’s previous school, stating that:
With the Africentric School it’s about all of us helping each other with our
children. …It takes a village to raise a child…because in the other school my
daughter was going to…it wasn’t like that. …There was no welcoming. You didn’t
feel like you’re welcomed to the school. …The parents were for themselves; it was
[a] more individualistic type of environment.
A sense of community is nurtured in various ways at the classroom level. For instance, Althea
(teacher) highlighted the use of Nia Circles to build community in her classroom. She stated that
“building a community” requires:
Listening…all my children are required to listen to each other. I used to end the
day with ‘what did you learn?’, but I start my day with ‘how are you feeling?’
…that set the purpose and I can tell you that my kids will freak out if you don’t
give them the Nia Circle. …Yeah, because they haven’t had a chance to express
themselves. …but just having them sitting there, listening to one another,
listening to how they feel, …that develops a community [because] now your voice
was heard by everybody. …and for kids that are this young, it is crucial for them
to be heard.
Judith (teacher) described a poem she used in her class to discuss the concept of community,
drawing comparisons to the school:
The chorus of it or the verse that kept repeating was, “here we stand open like a
flower into the sun; here we land following the rhythm of the drum.” And it talks
about how we were raised in a village though we were scattered like trees all
over the TDSB and other Boards but now we are creating a village, coming
together from all different places. “We’re creating a village and we are planting
our seeds, and we reach for the stars like branches of a tree. I’m a child of the
village so the village lives in me”. So when I talk about community, we’re talking
about you know just people coming from various places, coming with a similar
focus, working together, living together with similar values. But to me it doesn’t
have to be the skin colour, doesn’t have to be the same race, and you come
together with similar understanding of what your values [and] belief systems are
and come together for the betterment of everyone in that space.
Novelette (teacher) explained that a sense of community was fostered by “focusing on our
common heritage [and] their differences”. She stated that, “there is a commonality in culture,
bringing attention to that [and] the things we have in common, focusing on…the strength of our
people, the love for hard work…I find that bring[s] a sense of unity and community”.
The sense of community at the AAS extends beyond unity through race, culture, and history; it
is underscored by a sense of family. The development of a strong sense of community and the
sentiment of the “school as a family” were illustrated not only through the narratives of
24
students, parents, and staff, but also through observing numerous daily interactions between
school community members, the implementation of school policies (e.g., School Council), and
various activities at the AAS (e.g., Kwanzaa Assembly, School Council meetings, Parent forum,
Parent workshop, and the AAS Annual Gala). This notion of being a family is comprised of a
sense of respect for one another, taking care of each other’s kids, being comfortable around
and accepted by one another, still caring for one another despite disagreements, and building
trust.
Darlene (Grade 7 Student) described the school as, “It’s like a second family. So for example,
you get up in the morning, you see your family that you live with and then you come to school –
the second family that you get to spend the whole day with, and then you go back home and
start all over again”. Clayton (Grade 7 Student) stated that, “what I like most about this school
is like all of us know each other and stuff, kind of like a family. So even if we fight in our class
and stuff, it’s not like a permanent thing.” Gail (parent) explained that it’s a “family school”
where she can depend on teachers and other parents to care for her niece in the same ways as
she does for other students at the school. Althea (teacher) articulated this sense of community
as a “sense of belonging” and the feeling of “being at a family barbeque” when you walk into
the school. Anita (Grade 7 Student) explained that at her old school her “family was like my
little circle of friends”, whereas at the AAS, “my family now is like my whole class”. Chantelle
(parent) referred to the sense of “collectivity…community…family…[and] cooperation” at the
school as “what’s at the core” of Africentricity.
Strong Parent and Community Involvement and Engagement
Parent and community involvement and engagement
I think that’s what’s at the core. …I think
(PCIE) at the AAS is uniquely high as evidenced by: 1)
that’s part of what Africentricity is. You
the ongoing presence and participation of parents and
know, it’s about that collectivity; it’s
community members in the school, and 2) the strong
about that community, that family, that
relationships developed between parents, community
working together, that cooperation, all
members, and the staff. Various committees made up
of it. Like I think all of those key values is
what we hold there or here.
of staff, parents and community members facilitated
- Chantelle, Parent
parent and community participation in the School
Council, snack program, fundraising initiatives, extracurricular activities, roles as guest speakers, and regular, ongoing communication with staff. As
mentioned earlier, the school has established a welcoming environment for families such that
parents were able to come into the school before, during and after school hours to speak to the
staff, volunteer in a classroom, or use the computers or library resources when available. Also,
the school adhered to a relational approach where the parents and community members were
treated as knowledgeable and their contributions to the school were valued.
In accordance with the Ministry’s (2010) initiatives on parent engagement, the model of PCIE
developed at the AAS demonstrated all six of Epstein’s (1995) types of involvement:
communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, collaborating with the
community, and parenting. Underpinning this model of PCIE at the AAS is an overarching vested
25
interest, of parents and community members, in both the success of one’s own child(ren) as well
as the success of the school. Most parents, arguably, become involved in their child(ren)’s school
with the motivation of impacting the success of their own child(ren). However, at the AAS, there
is a palpable desire to ensure the success of the school in order to enhance the educational
experiences, achievement, and well being of Black students. For instance, Travis (teacher)
attributed the success of the school partially to the involvement of parents in the school. He
stated that,
Single parent fathers, single parent mothers, two parent families, and the things
that they do and they go above and beyond to make sure that their children are
successful and that the school is successful. And that is powerful. …You see
parents going above and beyond for things, you know, that might not even be
directly [impacting] their child but it’s the school – the parents care that much
[and] the grand parents care that much more about it. I think that part of the
success of the school is [the] parents.
The desire to ensure the success of the school is framed as having an “attachment” to the
school. Terry (administrator) explained how this “attachment” differs from involvement and
engagement and plays out at the AAS:
Parent engagement is when the parents are, they’re there ([e.g.,] they come to
the meetings, they’re listening, they’re commenting, they’re critiquing, they’re
participating with the teachers) – those parents are engaged, okay? Now parent
attachment is different. Parent attachment is about being attached to the school
where your body, your heart, your mind, your soul is attached; you have a vested,
direct interest, beyond your own child in the school surviving, and in the school
being successful. …[and] it’s directly related to making the school a better place.
This vested interest in the school is grounded in the history of the schooling of Black students in
Ontario and the treatment of their families. Rosa (administrator) highlighted the “high level of
parent engagement” at the school in contrast to the “myth around Black parents and education
and [that] somehow they are not involved academically in their children’s educational
experiences. Not true. Not true at all.” Similarly, Rebecca (teacher) suggested that, “often,
schools with lots of students of African descent say they don’t have parent involvement”. She
critiqued this assertion about parent involvement by highlighting that parent engagement is
validated “usually in terms of middle class values” for instance, “parents coming to parent
council”. However, not attending parent council meetings should not imply parents are not
engaged and involved in their child’s education, as there are multiple ways to participate in the
educational experiences of a child. Rebecca argued, “We have to always acknowledge the
different ways that parents are involved and engaged.”
26
Although difficult to do at times, in building quality
relationships with parents, the staff must recognize, and
work to not replicate, some parents’ past negative
experiences in public schools. Administrators summarized
the challenge of trying to build relationships with parents by
talking about how “messy” but necessary it is. There
seemed to be both a sense of understanding that these
relationships were difficult because of systemic issues,
historical distrust, and negative prior experiences, as well as
an understanding that somehow these relationships need to be maintained even if they are
difficult. They highlighted the difficult challenge of balancing the efforts to enhance student
achievement and address the needs of parents. Past experiences were articulated in the ways in
which parents have been historically treated by school staff and the outcomes of school practices.
For instance, Marcus (parent) described that “there’s that experience of walking into a school
and the administrators look at you like you’re a problem. Right? That, in the beginning, that
alone, it’s the initial sign to you that this is not a friendly place for me”. One administrator
explained that, “we get lost with the parents and what the parents desire and how the parents
have been disenfranchised in the system. …We forget that the reason that our school is there is
student achievement – that’s what [the] TDSB is about”. To varying degrees, AAS staff have
developed a model of inclusivity whereby priority is placed upon working and negotiating
through difficult relationships among stakeholders rather than seeking to exclude them. For
example, efforts are made to work with challenging students and to engage dissatisfied parents.
These approaches might be used as a model for student, parent, and community engagement in
the wider school board.
Parents have been historically
disenfranchised, marginalized and
distrustful of the public education
system. …And that toxicity that
actually comes with that, [and]
means it makes it messy, but it’s
something that they [teachers] have
to grapple with and understand.
- Administrator
Other components of the PCIE model at the school were the roles of advocacy, valuing expertise
and skills, agency, and collaboration. Patrice (parent) asserted that, “Parents are the voice of the
children” and mentioned that parents felt comfortable enough
Schooling and community go
to address certain issues at the School Council meetings, or to
hand-in-hand, and when the
bring up issues with the school administrators. Yolanda
community’s involved with [the]
(parent) highlighted the role the community played in
education of our children, it
works better for our children.
advocating for the creation of the school, as well as its’
ongoing support for the school’s success and operation (e.g.,
- Yolanda (Parent)
fundraising, programs, guest speakers, development of future
high school, etc.). She asserted that, “schooling and
community go hand-in-hand, and when the community’s involved with education of our children
it works better for our children.” The recognition of both the involvement of community and the
added educational value that accompanies that participation in schooling speaks to the vital role
of community in the education of Black students.
27
Parents and community members were invited to the school as guest speakers and experts in
particular fields. Within these relationships, parents and the community were seen as sources
of knowledge or as supports/resources for the school. Judith (teacher) described examples of
parents doing workshops and presentations with her class:
I have one student in the class, her mom came in and did an Amharic workshop
with my students. Another one came and did the head wrap [presentation
about] all the different styles of wrapping their heads. She also went on to talk
about how she goes to the hospital and she works with patients who have
cancer. And [so] it’s not just about the head wrap, she helped the patients to feel
better about themselves. …That was a good contribution and it wasn’t only focused
on Blacks wrapping their heads or just for fashion. I have another parent who will
come and do workshop on the different dances in the regions of Africa – North,
South, East and West. Even in diet, I have parents come and do a cooking
workshop.
Marcus (parent) asserted that an Africentric approach to education ensured that, “all the parents
are looked at by the teachers and administrators in that setting as carriers of wisdom, [and] as
teachers themselves”. Marcus used the Nia Circle, and the way the School Council meetings
were carried out as examples of ways the school viewed parents and community members as
‘carriers of wisdom.’ Unlike most School Councils, the meetings at the AAS were run by the
executive members of the council rather than the principal; this change in power dynamics
speaks to the respect and value placed on parents and community members’ expertise and
contributions. Trina (parent) described the nature of parent engagement at the school as
working with administrators on developing and strengthening Africentric Curricula. Within this
model of parent engagement, despite parents’ varying conceptualizations of Africentricity, their
contributions were still welcomed by school administrators.
In relation to advocacy, the agency of parents and the community was evoked within
descriptions of resiliency and power. Marcus (parent) highlighted the resiliency of parents and
explained that they were learning about school board policies and practices in order to navigate
the context of the AAS. Rebecca (teacher) asserted that as a community, they both hold and have
exercised their power to establish the AAS. She pointed out that,
There’s really important lessons in terms of the power we hold as a community
and the fact that we were able to use self-determination and say that what we
have in terms of [an] educational option is not what we want. …As a community,
we have the power, and the capacity, to demand something else and…I think that
whether it’s in this school or any school, we can learn that we have a right to
demand high standards and excellence, respect and love for our students and
also for parents.
The school also built collaborative relationships with community agencies. Althea (teacher)
described a partnership she developed with the African Food Basket, a local community
28
organization in Downsview, through one of the parents of her students, to “create an Africancentered concept of agriculture, food security, and sustainability” that would be explored
school-wide (Kindergarten-Grade 8). Yolanda (parent) explained how parents also benefited
from the relationships between the school and the community. She described the possibilities
for learning together as families in reference to the efforts made by the school to have the
Black Inventors and Innovators Museum, who hosted a few information sessions for the
students, to remain open in the evenings to accommodate parents coming in.
Students were more aware of the level of parent involvement and engagement in the school
than that of the community. Students credited Parent Council with finding ways to “fix the
school” and planning a lot of events. Clayton (Grade 7 Student) explained that,
When the school first started, I think most of the parents played like a good role
[to] help keep the school alive. …Most of the parents just, they come here, they
help out, there’s Parent Council and they plan a lot of the things…[and] the Gala.
They’re basically the ones that help keep the school getting money and [organize]
fundraisers.
As a result, students expressed a sense of gratitude for the efforts put forth by parents. Jemisha
(Grade 7 Student) stated that she was “grateful for some parents that we have. I’m grateful for
Ms. Gail. …Ms. Gail stresses out herself every single day just to make us…the best. …We should
give them some awards or something. They really don’t know how much we appreciate them.”
In reference to the community, students were ambivalent about their role in the school. Anita
(Grade 7 Student) said, “I don’t know if they’re kind of like behind the scenes…in doing stuff”.
Clayton (Grade 7 Student) could offer some examples of their involvement, but pointed out
that there were members of the community that supported the school as well as members that
were not in favour of the school; for example, he stated that,
I’m pretty sure the community – they’re the ones that helped the school from the
outside. I know for sure a lot of the community members are the ones that were
hoping for the [school]; [well], some of them were hoping for the school to come,
[and] some of them weren’t. And then some of them also wanted the Africentric
High School; I know that. So yeah, I think the community helps us more from the
outside. We don’t really know much about it.
APPROACHES TO AFRICENTRIC EDUCATION: A SCHOOL ETHOS THAT INFORMS,
STRENGTHENS, AND SUPPORTS STUDENTS’ IDENTITIES
The school community has worked together to create and nurture a welcoming environment at
the AAS that allows students to explore, develop, strengthen, and feel proud of who they are.
Due to the Africentric premise of the AAS, the ethos of the school was informed by the
integration of the Nguzo Saba principles and African-centered practices. However, the
atmosphere of the school was constructed as more than just “what is on the walls”, it involved
cultivating a space that fostered a positive Black identity, set high expectations of students, and
strengthened students’ sense of belonging and self-confidence.
29
Integration of Nguzo Saba Principles and African-centered Knowledge and Practices
The AAS is based on the seven Nguzo Saba principles8 – Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Nia, Ujamaa,
Imani, and Kuumba, which translate to “Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and
Responsibility, Purpose, Co-operative Economics, Faith, and Creativity” (Rebecca, Teacher). These
principles were perceived to have permeated all aspects of the school – practices, interactions,
curriculum, activities, etc. Wendy (teacher) explained that,
It’s value-based, right. …It doesn’t matter which part of the African diaspora you
happen to have come from, there’s certain values that join us. And when we talk
about the seven principles, that’s like the string that goes through everyone. And
I think that we can always pull something together through that. No matter what
you think [and] where you are [from], that to me is part of the grounding for the
school.
Students and parents that were not familiar with the Nguzo Saba principles prior to attending the
school welcomed opportunities to learn about them as a family. Patrice (parent) described how
enriching it was to learn about the principles through her children:
They come home and sometimes they’re pretending they’re doing the morning
assembly and they’re (hitting her knees to mimic drumming) “do, do, do. U-moja. Unity”. And they’re going through the seven…Nguzo Saba principles. And I like
to learn along with them, you know?…the experience feels more real [and] more
rich.
Likewise, Gladys (parent) explained that despite being initially unfamiliar with the Nguzo Saba
principles, both herself and her son were learning, understanding, and applying it in their lives
together:
I didn’t even know the seven principles of Kwanzaa. And I heard it many times but
I never knew them. And I could not relate to them in one way because I always
tied it into religion as opposed to a lifestyle. I mean it’s not that I had anything
[against] celebrating Kwanzaa, but it was not something I was familiar with.
…But when they went to the school, and they implement the principles of
Kwanzaa in everyday learning …we were learning [too]. My son was somewhere
and they were talking about something else and…said, ‘mommy they’re talking
about cooperative economics’.
At the classroom level, the principles were directly and indirectly integrated into lessons. For
instance, Judith (teacher) described how she connected Ujima, (“co-operative economics –
creating opportunities that will benefit us as well as others in our community”) to a unit on “social
justice and bettering our community and actually making a difference in someone else’s life”.
8
See Appendix B for a description of the N’guzo Saba principles
30
Judith explained that,
We read a book [about] Ryan and Jimmy. Ryan was Canadian and Jimmy was from
Uganda. …the boy in Canada [was] helping to build a well and the endresult of the
well was that more kids were able to go to school because there was clean drinking
water. And so we [then] learned about a project that a teacher in the school was
working on and he was actually raising funds to build a school in Africa. …My
students…were asking, ‘what can we do to help? We want to do something
too’. And there was this one student who plays this instrument, it’s called the
mbira. He and his dad would go out on the weekend and play. The lesson was
Friday and the [next] Monday he came to me with five dollars and he said, …’I got
some money from my dad this weekend and I want to contribute to this’ and that
led other students to want to become a part of it as well. And I told students I don’t
want this to be birthday or Christmas money this has to be the money you work
for, because Ujima is about creating opportunity – where you actually make
some money and create opportunity. So some of them came with a note [saying]
that they washed the dishes, or wiped the kitchen floor, [or] they cleaned the
washroom.
Teachers also looked for and provided opportunities for their students to serve their
communities. This is consistent with James Banks’ "Transformation and Social action”
approaches (Banks & Banks, 2006/1998).
Other influences on the ethos of the school included African-centered practices such as valuing
oral traditions, Nia Circles, morning assemblies, daily or weekly affirmations, drumming, African
dancing, a politically relevant curriculum informed by the agency of African people, and the
integration of Black history into the curriculum. Valuing oral traditions was illustrated through
teaching approaches and Nia Circles. Anita (grade 7 Student) explained that, “when our teachers
teach us, it’s like a conversation. It’s not really a lesson; it’s more of a normal conversation”. Nia
Circles, a process used to address conflict resolution, represents a gathering of people to discuss
an issue(s) and this gathering allows for each person to speak, be heard, and respected. Students,
parents, and staff asserted that Nia Circles were useful. Clayton (Grade 7 Student) stated that,
“the Nia Circle really does help, like if you’re part of the situation, it’s pretty good to get out what
you want to say. …I think it’s good to try and prevent arguments. …Otherwise you’re holding it in
the whole time and you’re just angry”. While Nia Circles have been attributed to conflict
resolution, teachers have now adopted the practice into their daily class routines. Errol (teacher)
stated that, “every morning [when] we come in, we start off with a Nia Circle. We have to end and
start off with a Nia Circle just to go over some thing we need to talk about – just like how families
come together and they talk about issues”. Nia Circles were also introduced with parents. For
example, parents’ concerns about the introduction of slavery to primary students were alleviated
through a Nia Circle. Wendy (teacher) explained that within one teacher’s unit on “the power of
reading and writing” in the grade 2 class, the topic of slavery was introduced. Wendy emphasized
the success of the Nia circle as “a real high point” since there was concerns regarding,
31
Whether or not at that level the children should even be hearing about things like
slavery, then it made you [as a teacher] say things like ‘oh okay, as an Africentric
school what are we doing in this case and how do we really present this to our
children, and at that early age can they really understand or handle’. But talking
about reading and writing was actually a great way to really talk about the issue
you know. …Some parents were saying, ‘I think this is going to be too difficult for
the children’ and ‘how are we going to do this?’ So we had a Nia circle. The
parents had the opportunity to come in, sit with the teacher, and talk about how
the approach was going to be used. They talked about it themselves. …We had
got parents involved this time [because] they actually read the material.
The morning assembly is essentially a school-wide practice where all students and teachers meet
in the gymnasium and start their day together – “community building…[and] community bonding”
(Paul, Teacher). Paul explained that one of the goals of the morning assembly was to collectively
focus on achieving success on a daily basis. It involved singing the national anthem, O Canada,
followed by James Weldon Johnson’s, Lift Every Voice and Sing – referred to as the Black
National Anthem. The school pledge is then recited:
Today I pledge to be the best possible me. No matter how good I am, I know I
can do better. Today I pledge to build on the work of yesterday, which will lead
me into the rewards of tomorrow. Today I pledge to feed my mind knowledge,
my body strength, my spirit faith. Today I pledge to take my education seriously.
I will always do my best at school, at home and in my community. Today I
pledge to be focused, self-disciplined and ready to learn. Today I pledge to
believe in me. Ashe! (Amen) (TDSB, n.d.).
A drum call then followed, during which the Nguzo Saba principles were recited. Paul (teacher)
described the relevance of drumming:
[The] role of the drum, specifically, it is not to dance …[and] it was not to
accompany music. It was to send messages from the king to the people. So any
noise that the drum makes…they understand the way they beat the drum it talks.
…So the original name for the drum, whether the jembae or whatever drum, the
original name for the African drum is the talking drum.
Terry (administrator) explained the historical importance of the drum:
The drum is a powerful instrument…that African people have used…in their
rituals, …ceremonies, they use it for when they’ve gone to war, they’ve used it for
their festivities. The drum is an essential instrument and it’s pleasing to the ear,
but it’s more so pleasing to the heart because that base line from the drum
makes your heart beat. …It can be used for storytelling, it can be used for poetry,
it can be used for various reasons, again it’s about the base line and it’s about
the having your heart jump, it’s about getting one’s attention and it’s about
communication.
32
Next, a daily affirmation (i.e., a motivational and inspirational quotation from a prominent Black
person) was presented by one of the staff members. Gloria, a teacher, explained that the
affirmations were helpful to strengthening students’ understanding of the contributions of
people of African descent and to motivate students to succeed. Some teachers engage in
discussions or Nia circles to follow-up the affirmations presented in the assembly. Each aspect
of the morning assembly is crucial and aims to prepare students for a successful day and that
preparation is done collectively as a school community.
There are common assumptions about the school which include: “everything is just…centered
around African history – that’s why it’s called Africentric, it centers around Africa” (Devon,
Grade 7 Student) or “It’s like Black history month all year” (Tameka, Grade 8 Student). However,
those statements were deemed as incomplete understandings of the essence of the school.
Students, parents, and staff described various ways African history, in addition to aspects of
Black history9, African culture, African languages, and the agency of African people were
integrated into the curriculum. Paul (teacher) referenced a Ghanaian saying – “whoever forgets
where they are coming from cannot reach their destination” to justify the efforts of staff to
integrate African history into the curriculum. Paul explained that “as an African in this society
where we believe that there is much injustice perpetrated on us, …[we must educate] the
children to know about their history, their background [and] then they would know…how to
fight for social justice.” Tameka (Grade 8 student) explained that African dance, “we
incorporate it with gym – with Jamaican or Caribbean dances, mixed with Spanish dances, [and]
with hip-hop.” Monique (Grade 8 Student) explained that there were benefits to both people
from Africa and those who were not, in learning African languages. Monique stated that, “Yeah,
it’s really good for people that are actually like full African descent that speak different
languages because we have a lot of teachers that can go back and forth with ‘Twi’. And we get
to learn a new language so it’s really, it was awesome.” Students also highlighted that there
were things they were learning at the school that would have been absent from their learning at
their previous public schools. For instance, Devon (Grade 7 student) asserted that,
Okay, like at my old school, so we’re learning like regular things, …math…
science…but like the history part – I’ll be like any other regular student [learning
about] like World War 1, the Vietnam War, stuff like that, or like the Holocaust.
So when I come here…I would learn…for example, who invented the traffic
light?…Garrett Morgan! And he was a Black person.
Patrice (parent) pointed out that the school offered students opportunities to learn African
languages and about aspects of African culture that they would not learn at home. Patrice
admitted that, “I realized, you know what the stuff that they’re teaching them about, you
know, culture and learning Swahili, and you know learning the things about the African culture,
that’s actually rich because I can’t give them that, I don’t know it.”
9
While some may use the terms interchangeably, students, parents, and staff discussed “African History” and
“Black History” as separate concepts. Similarly, distinctions were made between an “African identity” and “Black
identity”.
33
Likewise, Chantelle (parent) emphasized that not only are children being given those
opportunities, but parents were learning as well.
She stated that, “I’m learning. …I’m from Ghana, my parents are from Ghana. And we’ve always
been instilled with a certain set of values. …I think it means different things…when you have a
big group of people and a new group of people and we’re all learning together.
The staff felt that part of what made the school Africentric was one of the ways the curriculum
was implemented, that is, integrating materials that were politically relevant and highlighted the
agency of African people. This included giving attention to the past and present circumstances
and struggles of African people. Novelette (teacher) explained that, “the struggles that our
ancestors…went through, what they fought for, and how we can learn from them and build on
what they fought for – that theme is infused in every area”. Wesley (teacher) highlighted the
connections made to the curriculum with ancestors and their contributions and achievements.
This idea was that more than being merely “culturally relevant,” Africentricity asserted that Black
people have exercised agency and ingenuity in solving issues and problems facing them as
Africans such as racial inequality, and more generally, the human problems any racial or cultural
groups face. It was suggested that the importance of teaching students about
the resiliency and agency of Black people was the potential to increase students’ sense of agency.
For instance, Patrice (parent) asserted that,
You know the thing with us Black people – we’re fighters and we will struggle with
stuff and we’ll overcome it. So no matter what situation we’re put in, we will cope
with it…that teaches our children that life isn’t perfect and…you still have to fight
for some stuff.
The African-centered practices mentioned in this section, in addition to staff drawing on
examples, referents, and objects that were associated with the African Diaspora, strengthened
students’ sense of African identity10 and their critical awareness of that identity. The use of
African cultural referents to enhance the curriculum and school ethos was viewed as one of the
successes of the school by staff and parents. Here, the inclusion of cultural referents, however,
represents intervention likely consistent with James Banks’ “additive approach” (Banks and
Banks, 2006/1998). Paul (teacher) described how proud he was that he could “open up
something to a child or to a family” as he offered an example of a student who took such a keen
interest in learning Ghanaian names and numbers that she wanted him to write it on chart
paper so she could teach her mother. Gladys (parent) explained that her children were learning
about Imhotep and that one example of their critical awareness was when a child in their class
said, “when somebody asks you who is the smartest person ever, don’t tell them Einstein, tell
them Imhotep”. Yolanda also asserted that students learning about the accomplishments of
African peoples encouraged, motivated, and empowered them to achieve and excel
academically because “they see where their ancestors came from, what they’ve struggled
against, what they’ve accomplished, what they’ve contributed, and so…it’s a guiding post for
them.”
10
Again, while some may use the terms interchangeably, students, parents, and staff discussed “African Identity” and
“Black Identity” as separate concepts. This speaks to the dynamic, fluid nature of identity construction, as well as the
potential for nationality to complicate constructions of Blackness and Africaness within a Canadian context.
34
Fostering a Positive Black Identity
Parents and staff felt that the Africentric nature of the school was partly created by the quest to
foster a positive Black identity (e.g., defining Blackness, Africanness, and Africentricity in
Canada) in students in such a way that both recognized a shared identity as well as the diversity
within that unity. Wendy (teacher) described the process as “finding out who we are as a big
group” because there were various distinctions based on nationality that were unified by a
sense of Blackness – “there’s Caribbean, there’s African, there’s African Canadian”. She asserted
that these distinctions were apparent because “different parents expected different things
based on their cultural differences. But what it helped the kids to see too, is that despite if you
were African Canadian, [or]…African [or] Caribbean, there were some similarities in there that
really pulled people together”.
The school environment nurtured and strengthened students’ confidence, self-worth, pride,
and sense of belonging by developing a safe space for students to embrace who they were as
Black youth. Travis (teacher) asserted that, “another big
[Students] have been wounded by
success is just to see students have pride in who they
other TDSB schools and right now
are, in themselves and love themselves – that’s
there needs to be that, ‘you’re in a
powerful”. Yolanda (parent) offered an example of how
safe place where Black is beautiful.
the girls’ sense of belonging was reinforced through
You know, just in case you were told
feeling accepted and comfortable to “be who you are”
something else at another school. You
need to be clear that it is beautiful’.
(e.g., to wear their hair in a variety of ways – “with their
– Kenisha (Parent)
beads, and their braids, and their plaits and their
clips...[or] wear their weaves or their extensions”) and it
not being questioned. Kenisha (parent) asserted that developing a strong, positive Black identity
was needed in part due to students being exposed to negative conceptualizations of Blackness at
other schools. Kenisha stressed that:
[Students] have been wounded by other TDSB schools and right now there needs
to be that, ‘you’re in a safe place where Black is beautiful. You know, just in case
you were told something else at another school. You need to be clear that it is
beautiful. You need to be clear that Africans are great world producers, our
civilizations are ancient… and are infused and have been stolen by others’. Others
have built great societies because of our work so if our children didn’t know that
when they came in, they need to be taught that. And so right now, yes, it
continuously needs to be pumped because whatever toxins our children have
taken in previously, it needs to be ejected, right?
On a broader scale, teachers’ positioned their work at the school as influencing an AfricanCanadian perspective of Blackness. Rebecca (teacher) indicated the tendency to be limited by
mainstream conceptualizations of Blackness and how that detracts from the diversity within the
concept of Blackness. Rebecca explained:
35
And what we don’t want to do is become very tunnel-visioned about what’s
Blackness and just that it’s just Kwanzaa. It’s not that and that doesn’t show all
of our experiences. …It can break out of…an American context of Africentricity, and
it can look at a more global perspective - an African- Canadian perspective.
Strong Sense of Belonging: Confidence, Ownership and Advocacy
A welcoming environment at the AAS enhanced a strong sense of community among students,
parents, teachers, administrators, and community members, as well as cultivated a strong
sense of belonging in students. The school provided a space and opportunities for students to
develop and strengthen their sense of identity, belonging, selfWhen it comes to the wellworth, and pride. Accordingly, such a strong sense of belonging being of the school, we are
the school; so, it should
to the school, coupled with open, caring, respectful
include us.
relationships with staff, resulted in students feeling a sense of
ownership over their schooling experiences and developing the
- Anita (Grade 7 Student)
self-confidence needed to critically interrogate their education.
Anita (Grade 7 Student) highlighted the importance of student voice and the desire for students
to be more involved in the decision-making at the school. Anita illustrated students’ ownership
of their education stating that, “when it comes to the well-being of the school, we are the school;
so, it should include us.” Judith pointed out that, “they had that voice, but in certain spaces it
probably wasn’t encouraged”. Trina (parent) explained how confident her son was by comparing
his experience at the school to that of her younger daughter. She asserted that, “I feel like his
sense of identity at his age is so well grounded that he doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone
at any time. He’s okay with being himself.” Staff described behaviours and sentiments perceived
to be indicative of a stronger sense of belonging and self-confidence: sense of pride, positive
change in demeanor, critical awareness of being happy to come to school, and having a love for
school. Students’ self-confidence and belonging were evident from their articulations of:
what worked well in the school, what was missing from their schooling experiences at the AAS,
and the questions they had about their schooling experiences at the AAS.
While students’ perceptions on what worked well in the school were mostly informed by what
they liked about the school (e.g., caring teachers, sense of community and family, etc.) it was
framed within having a positive impact on them. In relation to a sense of belonging, students’
recognized that a welcoming environment strengthened their confidence and belief in
themselves. For instance, Jemisha (Grade 7 Student) explained that, “I kind of believe in myself
more rather than if I went to the school I used to go to. It was kind of like, ‘you have to be like
this or you’re not cool’. …So coming to this school, I feel like, ‘Oh I can be myself’. I can do this. I
can be anything I want to be.” Marlon (teacher) asserted that, “Students are definitely a lot
more confident.” His assertion was informed by teaching a group of the same students for two
years, first in one grade and then the next year in the subsequent grade. Like other staff, he
associated a critical social awareness of “who they are in society and the places that they live”
with students’ self-confidence and sense of belonging. For example, his students asked
questions like, “how come there is only one Black person on the panel, or how come we are the
only Black school here, [or] how come they were talking about African art but there was only
White people talking about African art?”
36
Students’ pride in themselves and self-esteem were aspects of the strong sense of belonging at
the AAS. Chantelle (parent) pointed out that one of the reasons she enrolled her daughter in the
school was because “Self-esteem is another big thing…I wanted her to…surround herself with
people who had a similar kind of viewpoint, like about nurturing the child and the soul of the
child, and the being of the child; so that’s what kind of drew me into the school”. Jemisha
(Grade 7 Student) illustrated a sense of pride in herself and her knowledge of prominent Black
people that she judged her older sisters for not knowing who Ruby Bridges was – “It’s very
embarrassing at their age”. Staff noted students’ increased pride and self-esteem when
students’ experiences were compared from one year to the next. For instance, Judith shared
that one year a Grade 2 student was chosen to be the “Kwanzaa Queen” in the Kwanzaa
performance and “she cried. She didn’t want to do it” and “her head was in the ground, her
shoulders up, and always very shy – you know, not confident.” Judith described the girl as being
“a whole different kid” the next year as evidenced by her wanting “to be in the dances on stage
and she performed at the JCA [Jamaican Canadian Association]”.
The school nurtured such a strong sense of belonging within students that they felt confident
enough in that space to advocate for themselves and have their voices heard. This advocacy
was demonstrated through students’ identification of what they were missing from their
schooling experiences at the AAS (e.g., a consistent Student Council, Spirit Week, school dances,
a grade 8 class trip). Students articulated that re-establishing a Student Council was a priority to
provide an additional space for students’ voices to be heard, rather than just at the classroom
level. Students were well informed of the various types of activities and events (e.g., Spirit
Week, PJ day, Twin day, school dances, and Grade 8 class trips) that occurred in other public
schools and felt that they had missed out on such activities and events. Students insisted that
most of these types of activities were inexpensive and required little planning. Also, Jemisha
(Grade 7 Student) explained why students would advocate having the aforementioned activities
and events, that is, “[just] because our school may be different, [doesn’t mean] that we have to
do things different. They have to remember that we’re still kids” and will want to do those
things too. In terms of school dances, students wanted to have dances with the junior and
intermediate students together, and the primary grades would be on their own.
Students’ critical thinking skills were evident as they felt confident and comfortable enough to
question and interrogate school policies, practices, and activities, etc., (e.g., high school
transition, dress code, not celebrating various holidays, fundraising initiatives, allocation of
fundraising proceeds, and the selection of world issues and pop culture addressed in the
classroom). Students were concerned about their transition into high school. Tameka (Grade 8
Student) questioned the usefulness of what she learned at the school in high school: “I learned
a lot here, but I’m going to high school and they don’t use [an] Africentric mentality when they
learn.” Other concerns were underscored with the assumption that in mainstream high schools,
students do not establish close, caring relationships with staff. Monique (Grade 8 Student)
argued that since “they’ve built this school so homely and friendly and so close where
everybody’s love[d]… it’s kind of messing up my transition into high school” because “you don’t
have a relationship with your teachers. You don’t have any of that. …Some teachers, they have
37
their own life [so] they can’t help you if you need extra help; so you’re literally on your own.”
The discourse around the school dress code was perceived to be unfair by the female students.
These students recalled several comments made by staff that suggested in the absence of a
dress code some female students would dress inappropriately on ‘dress-down’ days. However,
students asserted that: their parents would not approve of inappropriate clothing, they held
each other accountable to the dress code, and that what matters is “how you carry yourself
when you’re in the clothes”. Students’ comments about the perceived bias regarding the dress
code speaks to the nature of the caring relationships built between staff and students, whereby
these female students desired approval of their teachers and for teachers to perceive them as
responsible.
In relation to having a sense of ownership over their education, the students were curious
about fundraising initiatives and the allocation of fundraising proceeds; this illustrated the
importance of accountability – “I really want to know where all this money is going. …I just
don’t see any change” (Anita, Grade 7 Student). Students questioned the value of pizza
lunches and freezie sales as fundraisers because those food items were cheaper at the store.
Also, Pizza Pizza is walking distance from the school so students suggested that ‘cooked lunch
days’ remain a part of fundraising, but should include other types of food, such as patties, roti,
jerk chicken, etc.
A Culture of High Expectations of Students
The school was focused on cultivating a culture of high expectations of students and that it was
crucial to students’ success. Crystal (teacher) explained that high expectations of students were
needed “because the whole premise of our success is based off of what we expect from these
children.” Demanding high expectations of students also related to genuinely caring about the
students’ well-being and success. When caring relationships are built between staff and
students, Richard (teacher) argued that high expectations, “has had a huge impact for these
students because they know that we’ll never give up on them. …We will let them know that the
only thing we care about is you showing that you can get it done because we know that you
can.” As a result, students and parents articulated that students’ felt a sense of not wanting to
disappoint the staff. For instance, Gladys (parent) described the level of respect her
son had for his teacher, that when he got a 24/32 and she said “okay good”, her son responded
to her with, “you’re not supposed to say good. You’re supposed to say, you know, go ahead and
do more.” She explained that he says “I want to be getting 100%; if I’m not getting 100% you
don’t just tell me, oh that’s okay” and that his teacher “tells them…to strive for success”. Lance
(teacher) echoed this experience stating that students “need to be told ‘I know you have the
ability [and] I am not going to accept substandard work from you.”
38
In addition to high expectations in terms of academic achievement, there was also a culture of
high expectations in terms of social skills and behaviours, that is, staff expected students to be
respectful, responsible, and resilient. Parents described how students hold themselves
accountable to the high expectations of staff. Gail (parent) explained that if her grandson forgot
his homework at home, he would say, “Grandma, you have to go back for my homework
because it’s due today and my teacher…he’s going to say I’m irresponsible.” Chantelle (parent)
stated that her daughter in kindergarten has already developed “a sense of work ethic and
sense of achievement” because “if she doesn’t do her sentences the right way” she says her
teacher will be “sad…or…disappointed”; so she really wants to do well. Anita (Grade 7 student)
described how one teacher encouraged her to join the dance group despite her being
intimidated to do performances by persistently demanding that she join the group when school
resumed. Anita stated that, “she made me, like she forced me to do it and now I love doing it”
because dance is one of her favourite things about the school. Crystal (teacher) argued that,
Because you’re building a tolerance and a resilience in children that doesn’t
mean you’re insensitive. And I think that this is where our students excel because
they know that we care about them. You know, it’s not to say that we don’t care
about their situations individually; …we also have the understanding that
regardless of what’s going on, when you come to school, you need to operate like
you are at school, you know, situations in your life - don’t make that an excuse
for you to misbehave.
APPROACHES TO AFRICENTRIC EDUCATION: PEDAGOGY
Teaching Approaches that Center the Student
The efforts of staff to not only take students’ identities, experiences, and interests into account
in their learning, but to also position those aspects as the driving force of pedagogy at the
school sent a clear message to students and parents – that they matter. Centering the student
was described as: a component of being Africentric, teaching to the whole child, getting to
know students, collaborating with students to co-create their classroom environment,
providing opportunities for students to voice their opinions, and making learning relevant to
students’ lives and interests. Gloria (teacher) maintained that,
some people might not fully understand that being Africentric mean[s] centering
the child. ...It’s centering the child, first and foremost. Also, understanding it’s not
just singing and storytelling [and] dance, that is just a component of it. It is also
the child[‘s] learning and understanding and [having] pride and understanding
themselves and the past and using that past to build on their future. …All of these
pieces to the puzzle to make the whole child.
39
Centering the student was framed as having contributed to building caring relationships
between staff and students, cultivating a welcoming school environment, increasing students’
sense of pride and self-confidence, and nurturing a sense of belonging. For instance, Judith
(teacher) argued that co-creating the classroom environment with her students involved
developing caring connections with them to even be able to set the tone for them to want to
contribute to their learning. She explained that,
If I’m speaking for more than 15 minutes then I’m speaking too long. …There
should be collaboration in every lesson where the kids learn from each other and
they can talk to each other. The teachers talk [and] the students talk. …I think
that one of the things that I’ve learned too is students need to know that they’re
loved and they’re appreciated and they [can] make a contribution to the learning
environment. …They shouldn’t walk into a class and say, ‘oh this is Mrs. Swaby’s
class’. The environment should be co-created so that they feel ‘this is my class’,
then they [will] begin to take ownership of their space and their learning and it
makes more sense to them.
Modifying the power dynamics between teachers and students played a role in nurturing a
space where students felt like they want to contribute and their contributions were valued.
This represented a key intervention that aligns organically with Ministry of Education
initiatives to engage students and strengthen student voice in response to what students
have said is lacking from their education (Ministry of Education, 2013). In this respect, the
AAS illustrated contemporary best practices in student engagement and taking student
input seriously. Anita (Grade 7 Student) highlighted the difference between most
mainstream classrooms where teachers just tell students what to do (e.g., “This is what
happened, and this is what you’re going to do. And if you don’t like it, then you don’t have
to do it”) and her classroom where it feels “like more of a discussion” and the teacher is
interested in students’ opinions (e.g., “This is what happened, so what do you think about
this?”).
While centering the student seemingly framed learning by taking into account students’ past
and present experiences and interests, there was also an aspect that focused on their futures –
teachers’ desire to prepare students for living in an (in)equitable society. Underlying teachers’
identification of an inequitable, anti-black contemporary landscape, was the assumption that by
addressing students’ lack of awareness of their Africanness or Blackness, and the effects this has
in an inequitable society, and by raising students’ political consciousness, students will be better
equipped to cope, survive and succeed in and be critical of the world in which they live. For
instance, Wesley (teacher) articulated this desire to prepare students to “hold their own against
anybody” as he described the outcomes he envisioned for students regarding their identity;
underpinning this need was a society that devalued the heritage of Black students, undermined
their potential and marginalized them. Similarly, Wendy (teacher) emphasized that building a
stronger awareness of themselves would translate into students’ being better prepared to
engage in the larger society. Wendy explained:
40
I think sometimes within our society, people don’t always understand the
importance of knowing who you are, knowing that you’re a contributor, knowing
that your history is tied in with other histories, knowing that you have a part or
place. I think a lot of times when I [am] looking at the system and having been
apart of it, a lot of times you’re like looking in on [what] somebody else has done
– you’re looking in. When you know that you’ve contributed, you know you have
that strong sense of self, it doesn’t matter…I think they’ll survive even better,
‘cause…I think what it’s doing is opening up these children; it’s like opening up
the potential for them.
Curriculum Translation
Despite a lack of Africentric resources, teachers and staff employed a variety of ways to transform
and infuse Africentricity into mainstream teaching practices and pedagogy. The need to become
innovative in altering the ways they teach and the references they use was apparent and speaks
to the lack of general availability of Africentric resources and materials. Crystal (teacher)
mentioned the ways teachers incorporate African languages and cultural referents to get the
younger children to re-group or come together
To get them organized we have a song
(i.e., “Che che koole”) and get students to transition
called ‘Che che koole’ and it’s kind of like
from one class to another (i.e., “Ago amay”).
‘head and shoulders, knees and toes’, but
‘Kujichagulia’ is one of the seven principles of the
it’s like ‘che che koole, che che koole, ko
fisa’, but that’s how we get them, get
Nguzo Saba, and refers to self-determination. Richard
them to re-group. There is ‘ago amay’,
(teacher) explained the “kujichagulia chart” that he
that’s like a call and they respond. Yeah.
implemented in his class: “So if you’re showing that
So just like a lot of …ways to, to transition
you’re being determined and you’re being focused and the students. – Crystal (Teacher)
you have that readiness to learn, you get the point.
And the student with the most points gets a little prize.” Teachers feel proud of the ways that
have made their lessons and resources work for them in spite of limited or non-existent
resources and supports. Teachers’ creativity, perseverance, and determination to make the
school a success using what they have was highlighted, though this does not negate the need to
address the lack of resources, it illustrates the ways that the potential of the school, in terms of
staff efficacy and student achievement, may be stymied by the lack of resources.
Teachers expressed concerns regarding professional development activities they had been
exposed to. Teachers suggested that some workshops were limited in terms of relevance and
applicability to the AAS. As a result, they felt like they were “always constant[ly] reinventing the
wheel” (Marlon, Teacher) which can be time-consuming, tedious, and exhausting. Travis
explained that:
When I go to workshops – the Board has many workshops – most of them that I
go to [I get] things that can’t be applied here. Or they have to be drastically
modified because the Board is still doing things one way – with one type of
teacher in mind, one type of student in mind, no matter how much we have these
buzz words: ‘differentiated instruction’, being there for all students from all
cultures, [and] all backgrounds. It doesn’t roll out that way. That’s like we talk a
41
good [talk] but we don’t follow through and back that up as a system. So it
becomes challenging.
Creating Africentric Curricular Resources
Although access to existing Africentric resources was limited in terms of general availability and
financially, teachers were proud of the Africentric resources and lesson plans they developed to
address the lack of Africentric resources at the school. Innovations mentioned were about
creating new resources as well as the ways teachers alter basic teaching to infuse African
experience and concerns. Christina (teacher) described
I am proud of the materials that I’ve
the “flipbooks” she created for younger students about
created. I tried to do some books, like
prominent Black figures. Patience (teacher) highlighted
little flipbooks for the children to read …I
her use of ‘Awari’, a Ghanaian game, to teach counting
wanted to teach the kids about Mathieu
Da Costa, the first recorded Black person
and problem solving skills. In addition to creating
in Canada, so I created a little book with
resources, and infusing African referents, teachers also
very simple language.
used a critical (race) lens to inform their lessons and
– Christina (Teacher)
offered students critical learning experiences. For
instance, Rebecca (teacher) described how she
connected components of the French curriculum to students’ lives and presented a critical race
examination of why it is important and useful to speak French, while drawing on the context of
colonization. Rebecca explained that,
it looks at reasons why we might, as a community, want to speak French and then it looks
at [the] French colonization of French speaking Africa and [the] Caribbean like Martinique
and Guadeloupe, and then it also looks at different French speaking communities in
Canada, like Montreal. So the kids can have more of an Africentric frame of reference as
to why that might be pertinent to us to learn.
Teachers’ work in this aspect of the development of curriculum and resources was viewed as a
form of leadership, not only because they are innovative but they are advancing the integration
of Africentricity into the curriculum and enhancing students’ understanding of how race, and
other grounds of discrimination, impacted people historically and how that is relevant to their
lives today.
The staff at the AAS have the potential to get recognized for their work in developing and
implementing Africentric curricula and resources in their classes. This recognition can be
established as published collections of Africentric lesson plans or resources, or ‘demonstration
classes’. Marcus (parent) advocated for teachers creating a book regarding their experience of
“teaching an Africentric curriculum” as a “teaching tool”, as well as hosting a conference to
share best practices with other teachers across North America since he thinks that “a number
of teachers have been incredibly successful with [Africentric] approaches”. Terry
(administrator) also highlighted ways to position teachers at the school as experts in Africentric
curricula by suggesting that they host “demonstration classrooms” for other teachers. These
classrooms would facilitate the transferability of Africentric pedagogy and curriculum to other
teachers within the TDSB as well as other school boards, while formalizing the processes of
reflection, refinement and assessment that teachers work through on an ongoing basis within
their practice at the school.
42
LARGER INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT: CHALLENGES FACED BY THE SCHOOL
Limited Resources
Students, parents, teachers and administrators positioned the overarching theme of a lack of
adequate resources and support for the school as a barrier to fully implementing Africentric
Education at the AAS. Resources were interpreted as any person, material, service, or space
that supports the operation of the school. The issue of resources was discussed in the following
ways: inadequate staffing and Africentric curriculum materials, lack of staff training,
professional development methods that were not helpful, the lack of a separate school space as
well as missing key spaces (e.g., music room, staff room, lockers, own library, own gym), too
many “multipurpose” rooms, and costly school transportation. For example, Gail (parent)
stated that, “And our children they learn through music. They love music. Our culture – we love
music. …It’s so sad…to see [us] having a music room at the school, and putting our drums, our
organs, or our guitars and everything.” Existing within a shared space without the schools’ own
gym, library, computer lab, etc., was challenging and sometimes posed as a hindrance to
accomplishing class activities because of scheduling issues. Clayton (Grade 7 Student)
highlighted students’ disappointment with scheduling issues because “[if] Sheppard’s using it
we don’t really get to”. Travis (teacher) explained that “most of the rooms are multipurpose, not
by creative plans but because there’s nothing else.”
Within the context of high expectations of the school from the Board and wider community,
this produced for many teachers, a catchThere’s a lot of things we want to do, but we don’t
22 where they were expected to
have the resources for, and it’s sometimes
accomplish great things with significantly
disheartening. …but you just want to make sure
you’re…giving these kids the same platform as
fewer resources than other public schools.
everybody else …I find a lot [of] times, especially at
This inequality exists partially because of
the beginning of the school, a lot of teachers were
the Alternative School model that the
like making things, bringing things from home, they
school operates under, as well as other
were spending out of their own pocket. …When I
policy and procedural guidelines that do
started up, I spent hundreds of dollars to start my
classroom because the funding wasn’t there.
not serve the school well. Many teachers
have spent personal funds to try to offset
– Patience (Teacher)
this inequality, but this is not equitable for
them or sustainable, and increases the challenges they face in making the school
Africentric and achieving academic success. Patience (teacher) explained that not having
adequate resources was “disheartening” at times because teachers wanted to ensure that their
students were given the same tools as other students, which was underpinned by an equitable
approach to schooling. Students insisted that funding was an issue for the school evidenced by
limited resources and the numerous fundraising initiatives. Students asserted that they spent a
lot of money in fundraising for the school (e.g., dress-down day, AAS Gala, freezie sales, dancea-thon, etc.) in addition to anticipated expenses like trips and uniforms. Monique (Grade 8
Student) asserted that, “you can’t break the students’ back.” Yolanda (parent) referred to this
under-resourcing as being a “recurring issue” and noted that despite the best intentions and
eagerness to learn, not all teachers may not be trained in Africentricity, and “that impacts the
full delivery of the program”. Having support staff that were not trained in Africentric Education
43
was perceived by staff to negatively impact students. Travis (teacher) explained that:
Being at this school is not an easy school to be at; it is very demanding and if you
have somebody who doesn’t know anything about Africentric education or about
our community and they just are thrown into being here and they don’t want to
be here, it’s going to be a disconnect with students. The students will know it
even if it’s not said and also …they’ll feel uncomfortable.
Changing Administration
Students stressed that the school required consistency and longevity in terms of administrators
because the annual turnover of principals disrupted students’ learning and schooling
experiences.11 Annual changes in administration were identified as “another challenge of the
school” (Clayton, Grade 7 Student). Tameka (Grade 8 Student) explained that, “we keep getting
different principals and…keep changing how we do things. They have different ways of ‘principaling’.” As stated earlier, students articulated the importance of having caring relationships with
their administrators. Accordingly, within the context of losing a principal and having to build a
relationship with a new principal, students were impacted emotionally. Jemisha (Grade 7
Student) began crying as she described how principal turnover affected her. She stated that, “I’ve
experienced changing teachers, but changing principals – that’s a different story. …Because the
principal holds the school together, the teachers just only teach you. …I didn’t feel loved as much.”
Jemisha also asserted that the impact of changing principals “was harder for the little kids.” While
it is common for different administrators to have distinctive approaches to leading the school,
Devon (Grade 7 Student) noted that, “the philosophy of the school changed”. Monique (Grade 8
Student) indicated that,
The first principal, she made time for the older kids but these [other] principals
they don’t have as much time for the older kids. They still give [us] their time, but
mainly they’re trying to make sure that the younger kids are being prepared
because we’re supposed to trust our teachers to make sure that we know what
we’re going to do when we go off to high school.
Negative Media Attention and Portrayal
The media attention that the school has received since even before it was established to present
day has been quite negative, biased, limited, disruptive, and damaging. Students interpreted the
media attention as leaving the impression that, “just because it’s a group of Black people they
think it’s going to be horrible” (Damon, Grade 7 Student). Jemisha responded to Damon saying,
“Exactly. …they didn’t want [it] to happen that’s why they want to try to put us down.” Travis
(teacher) summarized the damaging misrepresentation of the school in the media and wider
community:
11
It is important to note that at the time of the focus groups, students had experienced three principals in five years.
Accordingly, this was a prevalent theme and included in this report despite it not being an issue with teachers,
administrators, and parents.
44
there is a misconception that the school is filled with a whole bunch of bad kids
coming from low socioeconomic statuses and you know, our school is here to just
deal with behaviours and we just fix kids that are rude.
While teachers, parents and students agreed that there was less media attention on the school
than compared to three years ago, the majority of the information being presented was still
unacceptable. Students and teachers expressed being frustrated at the inaccurate and biased
stories about the school, the staff, and the students. Jemisha (Grade 7 Student) stated that: “it
actually really frustrated me because all the stuff they’re talking about, it’s not true; most of it
isn’t true.” Likewise, Anita (Grade 7 Student) explained her frustrations with the misconception
of the school being a “Black School”, she stressed that,
It’s actually really annoying. [They say], ‘oh that’s an all Black school’. [I say], ‘No,
it’s not an all Black school. Okay? It’s not an all Black school’. [Then they ask],
‘well is there a lot of Black people that go to it?’ [I say], ‘Yeah, but it’s not…just a
Black person school, it’s a school that’s built on the African principles and African
pride and all that type of stuff.
Students blamed the media’s portrayal of the school for the lack of other schools partnering with
the AAS. While there could be multiple factors (e.g., decisions by administration, existing
partnerships preventing schools from establishing more initiatives with other schools, etc.)
students felt that other schools had decided not to partner with the AAS based on the negative
representation of the AAS in the media. Jemisha (Grade 7 Student) asserted that based on, “all of
the stuff that they’ve heard, why would you [partner with the AAS]? I kind of feel like they
wouldn’t really want to... But we partner up with a lot of foundations and stuff, meaning adults;
we don’t partner up with kids our age in schools.”
Educating the public about the AAS will debunk some of the negative ideas perpetuated in the
media. The assumption underlying this assertion was that when people learn about the things
going on at the school, they would view the school in a positive way; but some of the
misconceptions about the school were perpetuated by “people who don’t have direct contact
with our school” (Judith, Teacher). Lance (Teacher) offered numerous examples of positive
experiences at the school (e.g., the Oware Tournament, students’ artwork on display at the
TDSB, and the school drama group doing performances across the GTA) that would never make
it on the news or into a newspaper because “the media has to sell papers…they just want to get
the juice” (Marlon, Teacher). Accordingly, parents advocated for the school to “be proactive”
(Yolanda, Parent) and ready to deal with the media attention, or control what gets released to
the media (i.e., through statements, approved pictures for use, etc.) and select what media
outlets it gets released to. Marcus (parent) asserted that the “media should be checked at the
door in terms of staying outside” because “it created that sort of fishbowl effect for the kids. No
child can learn effectively.” He also highlighted that other alternative schools receive
significantly less or no media attention.
45
Stigma of Special Education
The AAS has faced a lot of issues regarding special education resources, supports, and parent
responses to teachers’ recommendations for their children. Under the TDSB alternative school
policy, the school did not receive special education resources and support initially, unlike other
public schools. Even with the limited, but additional support the school later received, the AAS
staff was still faced with the challenge of serving students with exceptional needs and
negotiating the stigma many parents associated with special education.
Parents highlighted how impressed they were by teachers who created accommodation plans
for students with varying exceptionalities (e.g., high functioning, behavioural, autism, etc.)
within their demanding work environment. Yolanda (parent) indicated that teachers use “peer
teaching” techniques to facilitate a sense of responsibility in high-functioning students and
respect among students of all abilities. Teachers’ efforts to modify learning experiences for
students, to address their specific needs, were perceived as indications of how much they cared
for students – strengthening that sense of community and taking care of one another. Patrice
(parent) offered an example of how her son’s teacher took the time to discuss ideas with her to
curtail his disruptive behaviour, and create a plan for him, without negative judgments that are
commonly experienced in other schools. Patrice explained:
The teacher recognize[d] that he’s a very busy kid and doesn’t want to sit down –
he’s quite disruptive sometimes… We had a meeting and we spoke about ways to
engage him…She made up a plan for him that when he comes in…[if he] doesn’t
want to do what the classroom’s doing…he can go and choose from a set of
activities that she has planned out for the day. So either way he’s going to be
doing the work, just he gets to choose the order that he does it in, whereas if he
was in a different school, [they] wouldn’t do that. [They would say], ‘Miss, you
just have to learn how to deal with your kid’.
A critical challenge for administrators and teachers who wanted to modify, alter, and support
the learning experiences for students with exceptionalities was attempting to navigate through
the stigma some parents associated with special education based on well-founded and historic
mistrust of an education system that has over-labeled Black students. Terry (administrator)
acknowledged that, “special education is… extremely political when it comes to Black children.
Special education means intelligence; that’s what’s in the minds of Black people because that’s
what we’ve been systemically taught.” Marcus (parent) indicated that there is “the issue of
shame [among the] African community anyway. At large you don’t want to be identified for
anything that places you in sort of that scrutiny and that works…to limit your child’s
development.” Accordingly, there have been understandable challenges with communicating to
parents when the staff suspects their child needs Special Education support. Terry described
the difficulty but necessity of having ongoing conversations with parents about the benefits of
identifying and supporting any exceptionality a child might have:
Working with the parents has been extremely challenging and we’ve had a lot of
hits, and a lot of misses…where we have a child that appears to be exceptional,
46
we want the child to be IPRC’ed and the parents directly refuse, every time
refuse. Even when the child is failing, they say, ‘look we’re at the Africentric
School, let’s look at a different strategy, let’s just give them a little more time’.
The child is in grade 5 now and they’re reading at a grade 2 level, they have some
challenges and we need to know specifically. Now some of the parents don’t
want…their kids labeled. So…we had to engage the parents by having parent
council meetings, where we specifically talked about the problems. We had to
show the parents some of the benefits of their children being, quote-unquote,
labeled as exceptional student. …Directly talking to the parents about the kids
having a challenge and that what we’re doing is finding a way of getting around
the challenge so the kids could demonstrate who they were, the best person that
they were, so that they could truly demonstrate their academic achievement –
that was the hardest discussion.
This approach clearly includes reassuring parents
that the school is reflective about how and when
it seeks to identify students as having special
needs, and reassuring them that this will not be
used as an excuse to give up on their children,
but rather to provide additional resources to
assist children in coming to their full academic
potential. Marcus (parent) also highlighted the
difficulty of having conversations with parents
when he mentioned that parents did not even
want to talk to him, a fellow parent whose child
There are huge issues in terms of parents
acknowledging children have actual
exceptionalities. …A lot of them will not
acknowledge that. We have been approached
two or three times by teachers to say, you
know, ‘…Would you be open to talking to
[other] parents that we think their child has
certain issues?’ Yes! Have I had a
conversation? No. And it’s been four years
now because the parents are not interested in
having that conversation. – Marcus (Parent)
had been diagnosed with an exceptionality, and who had worked with teachers and community
agencies to reduce the negative effects of his exceptionality on his schooling. In addition to the
stigma around special education in general, there seemed to be an underlying stigma around
the school, as parents and community members had been told that, “in terms of the first few
years a lot of children were steered to the school who were considered challenging in their home
school in their area” (Marcus) despite that not being the school’s reality.
Barriers to Africentricity
There is consensus among staff and parents that
structures and limitations within which the school
operates (Western framework, alternative school
policies, school board policies, time restrictions, etc.)
prevent the school from being able to have the holistic,
experiential focus that they feel characterizes Africentric
Education. Christina (teacher) pointed out that to
incorporate Africentric Education holistically,
pedagogical changes would be essential and she
questioned whether that is permissible under the
Sometimes I feel it’s “Africentric-lite”
because if we were to really go full force
with it, we’d have to change up the
structure. If Africentric means holistic
and democratic and circle and all of that
then we would have to have our…whole
teaching practice changed. …But if we
were trying to teach with that value in
mind then we have to change a lot and I
don’t know if our school board or school
system can adjust to that or can allow
for that.
– Christina (Teacher)
47
structures of the public model, and she calls what happens at the school – “Africentric-lite”.
Parents and staff recognized that there was a mismatch between the school and the alternative
school model in a public school board. Parents and staff suggested that operating as an
alternative school was counterintuitive to the idea of Africentricity. Marcus (parent) pointed out
that the alternative school model was framed within a middle class perspective which advocates
for alternative foci of a school, whereas the AAS was “put into that box” to expedite the opening
of the school. Marlon (teacher) highlighted the contrasts between African and Western teaching
philosophies and argued that the school was limited in how it adhered to African pedagogies
within an alternative model that values and encourages Western teaching practices. Parents also
recognized the limitations of the school operating within a public school board, but asserted that
“it’s still better” than their experiences in other schools. Some parents and teachers questioned
the integrity of using the EQAO as an achievement measure because “it is reinforcing that system
that doesn’t necessarily...work well for some of our children” (Yolanda, parent). However, there
were also other parents and teachers that used the EQAO scores as an example to illustrate how
well the school was doing.
There seemed to be a disconnect between the expectations some parents and community
members had of the school and the policies under which the school operates. This lack of
congruency between expectations and policies was connected with the absence of a clearly
articulated vision for the school. Rebecca (teacher) explained that, “our parent community
wants different things. Some of them want Swahili language instruction in the day time, or they
want a lot of drumming…so the conversation about what exactly is Africentric Education is one
that is always being had.” Marcus (parent) argued that:
There’s people to this day that still will not acknowledge it’s a TDSB school. To
this day, they walked in and expected, I don’t know, Kwame Ture, you know, his
ghost, and [the] ghost[s] of others to be teaching the classes? It’s a TDSB school.
So treat it like it’s a TDSB school and acknowledge it’s within a system.
In observations of meetings and other activities involving staff, parents and community, it was
also evident that there were sometimes differences about the vision for the school that played
out in discussions. While these differences were always respectfully and collegially addressed,
they point to an ongoing need to negotiate how community visions for the school can be
realized within the TDSB. The school community called for a more explicit outline of what
Africentric Education looks like “in this building, or in this country, or in this province” (Marlon,
teacher) to address the disconnect between expectations and school policies.
48
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The AAS plays a significant role in the development and implementation of Africentric Education
in Toronto, Ontario. In 2012-13, the fourth year of its operation, the AAS served 208 students
who resided within Toronto and various surrounding regions (e.g., Mississauga, Brampton,
Scarborough, Ajax, Pickering, etc.). In terms of achievement (as measured by the EQAO), the
research shows that the while the AAS is lower than most TDSB averages, the
school demonstrated higher achievement in some areas and has shown higher rates of
improvement than the TDSB and Ontario. For the EQAO, the only years released for the school
were those in which the scores were statistically significant; within those years, the AAS was
above TDSB averages for students achieving Levels 3 and 4 in Reading and Writing for Grade 3
and Grade 6, and Mathematics for Grade 6. With the rolling averages of EQAO data, information
from all years for the school could be released. Between 2011-12 and 2012-13, the three-year
rolling average of EQAO scores of the school was 4.37%, a much higher rate of improvement
than the TDSB (1.54%) and the province (0.88%), even though the results for the AAS are below
that of the TDSB and province. Also, the AAS is ranked in the top fifth of highly challenged
schools within the TDSB as measured by the LOI. However, when the AAS is placed on a
regression line with all the other TDSB schools to examine achievement levels (EQAO scores) in
relation to challenges (Special Education needs and socio-economic challenges), it reveals that
the AAS is doing better in achievement compared to schools with similar challenges.
The research revealed that the perceived successes of the school are indicative of three
components of a working definition of Africentric Education at the AAS: Relationships (i.e.,
caring connections between staff and students, strong sense of community and the ‘school as a
family’, and high PCIE), Ethos (i.e., integration of Nguzo Saba and African-centered knowledge
and practices into schooling, a positive Black identity, strong sense of belonging, and a culture
of high expectations), and Pedagogy (i.e., teaching approaches that centered students’
identities, experiences, interests, and needs, and efforts to create, implement, and make
relevant Africentric curricula and resources). These components were complex, multilayered,
evolving, and not mutually exclusive.
The implementation of Africentric Education at the AAS occurred within a challenging context
of: limited resources (e.g., funding, space, Africentric resources, training, etc.), changing
administration, negative media attention and portrayal of the school, stigma around special
education, and barriers to Africentricity (e.g., multiple conceptualizations of Africentricity,
differing expectations of school, operating within the alternative school model, Eurocentric
curricula and standardized assessments, board policies, time restrictions, etc.).
In examining the ways Africentric Education has developed and evolved at the AAS, the
following findings were prevalent and salient:

The prevailing narrative that emerged was one of a school creating a sense of community
for Black people in ways that have not been historically present in public schools and
49
resulted in a distinctly different school climate for Black students, teachers, administrators,
parents, and community members,

The PCIE model developed at the school emphasized the vital role of both parents and
community in the education of Black students, extending beyond participation in school
activities and School Council to include the recognition and valuing of the expertise and
potential contributions by parents and the community (i.e., members and agencies),

AAS staff have developed a model of inclusivity whereby priority is placed upon working
and negotiating through difficult relationships among staff, parents, and community
members, rather than seeking to exclude them,

The model of PCIE, culture of high expectations, integration of Nguzo Saba principles and
African-based knowledge and practices, and development of a positive Black identity were
framed as overall successes of the school in terms of positively impacting students’ identity,
confidence, social development, awareness of African culture, and critical thinking skills,

A clearly articulated vision of the school, although an ongoing process, is necessary for the
school and community to work together, without public misconceptions detracting from the
school’s success,

There were some differences between the vision of the school, as understood by the
community in demanding this school, and the existing frameworks the school operates
within, as laid out by the TDSB and Ministry of Education. While these differences were
respectfully addressed, they frequently inform discussions at meetings and activities
involving staff, parents, and community,

Under-resourcing referred to a lack of funding, space and appropriately culturallyresponsive school and support staff, and was framed as a hindrance and limiting factor to
the school’s success, and

The issues regarding resources, changing administration, stigma about special education,
and negative media attention were laden with challenges and require significant attention
from the TDSB to ameliorate the learning experiences of students at the school. Teachers
remain hopeful that the school board will become more responsive to the needs of the
school and the negative effects of under-resourcing on student achievement.
These areas have the potential to enhance the educational experiences of all Black students
across the TDSB. The following recommendations were informed by the research – which
reflect the narratives of students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members.
The suggested actions were proposed to support the ongoing development, operation, and
success of the AAS:
 A clear vision of the school, consistent with the impetus for the school and a critical race
(critical equity) perspective, must be articulated, which takes into account structural
aspects of anti-black racism and its impacts on Black students’ schooling,
 Establish an ongoing working group consisting of administrators, parents, community
members, and academics to examine the points of disjuncture between current models of
education and the vision of the AAS, with a view toward determining how these differences
50
may be resolved, and how the AAS program of education can be supported and
sustained thereby realizing its transformative potential,
 Continue to track the best practices of AAS teachers in reference to pedagogy that
addresses the needs of Black students, in order to determine its impact on student
achievement, identity, confidence, and engagement,
 Continue the documentation of best practices in terms of building parent and community
engagement with a view toward enhancing Black student success, and providing a model
for the wider TDSB community,
 Develop a more intentional approach to releasing information to the media to protect
controversial schools (e.g., AAS) from harmful media attention,
 Develop a culturally and politically relevant special education support strategy at AAS,
 Document the strategies used by the AAS staff to alleviate the apprehensions of parents
about special education in order to provide a model for this intervention across TDSB, and
 Provide professional development for incoming and in-service staff to ensure alignment
with the school’s vision informed by best practices developed at the school and beyond to
engage Black students. The YCEC research team, TDSB Equity department and Beginning
Teachers Program have begun collaborating on this matter.
51
REFERENCES
Banks, J.A., & McGee Banks, C. (eds.) (2006/1998). Multicultural Education: Issues and
Perspectives. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.
Calliste, A. (1994). Anti-racist educational initiatives in Nova Scotia. Orbit, 25(2), 48–49.
Enidlee Consultants Inc. (2009). Reality check: A review of key program areas in the BLAC Report
for their effectiveness in enhancing the educational opportunities and achievements of
African Nova Scotian learners. Available at:
http://acs.ednet.ns.ca/sites/default/files/REALITY_CHECK_FINAL_REPORT_FOR_WEB.pd
f. Retrieved on August 15, 2014.
Epstein, J. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi
Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701-702.
Glaser, B. G. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity: Advances in the methodology of grounded theory.
Mill Valley, CA: The Sociology Press.
Glaser, B. G., & Holton, J. (2004). Remodeling grounded theory. Forum: Qualitative Social
Research, 5(2), Article 4, 80 paragraphs.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for
qualitative research. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter.
Hampton, R. (2010). Black learners in Canada. Race and Class, 52(1), 103-110.
Ministry of Education. (2013). Student Voice. Available at:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/students/speakup/. Retrieved on September 7, 2013.
Ministry of Education. (2010). Parents in Partnership: A Parent Engagement Policy for Ontario
Schools. Available at: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/involvement/FS_PE_PolicyEn.pdf.
Retrieved on September 7, 2013.
TDSB. (n.d.). Africentric Alternative School: School Pledge. Available at:
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/SchoolWeb/_site/ViewItem.asp?siteid=10423&menuid=25012&pageid
=21647. Retrieved on June 1, 2012.
52
August 22nd, 2014
Summer Institute Workshop – Africentric Education
APPENDIX A12
ISSUES/CONCERNS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Staff Retention and Turnover – What supports are in place?
Leadership (Admin) with strong Africentric expertise
Space: Physical, LGBTQ positive space, creating a safe space for staff, students and community
Student Retention – returning students
Informational Resources, Ongoing Research/Sharing Research data and connecting with past
efforts and initiatives as well as those from other jurisdictions
Special Education, Bullying, Behaviour, Social, and Emotional Issues
Financial Resources
Role of Parents and Community – community relations
Defining Africentricity / Staff, Parent and Community training on Africentricity/ Developing an
School Morale/Healing spirit injury
Student Attendance and punctuality
Improving public perception of AAS
Relationship with School Board (TDSB)
Top Priorities
List of Issues and Concerns as identified by Parents, Community Members
and Staff Members
Defining Africentricity; Staff, Parent, and Community Training on
Africentricity; Developing an Africentric Curriculum
Informational Resources; Ongoing Research; Sharing Research Data;
Connecting with past efforts and initiatives as well as those from other
jurisdictions
Special Education; Bullying; Behavioural, Social, and Emotional Issues
Administrative Leadership with strong Africentric expertise
Space: Physical, LGBT positive space; Creating a Safe Space for Staff,
Students, and Community
Role of Parents and Community – Community Relations
Staff Retention and Turnover
School Morale; Healing spirit injury
Student Retention; Returning Students
Financial Resources
Improving Public Perception of AAS
Student Attendance and Punctuality
Relationship with School Board (TDSB)
12
Number
of Votes
13
11
8
7
7
4
3
3
2
2
2
0
0
Names of workshop attendees assigned to issues or tasks were removed to preserve confidentiality and anonymity.
53
August 22nd, 2014
A) Defining Africentricity / Staff, Parent and Community training on Africentricity/ Developing an
Next Steps
Organize formal group meetings (various formats)

School Setting
o Workshops facilitated by Elders, or retired teachers with expertise in area
o Workshop on Parenting in the Africentric context (e.g., ACHA);
o “Africentric Institute” which would provide ongoing training for parents, community,
staff
o Mandatory “Africentric Training” and orientation for all staff
 Revisit original School proposal to explore supports for teacher education on
Africentricity
o Annual Curriculum Retreat at ADINKRA Farm

Wider Community Setting
o International Summit or Forum for multiple groups
o Brainstorm session with those who have experience in Africentric Education
o Discussion between ACCO, Black Student Achievement Group, AAS Parent/Community
group, and York research project
Explore, create, and connect with resources and community agencies
 Consult existing resources:
o Welcome banner, Parent Guidelines Document, Ethical guidelines, theace.me website,
The BLAC Report (Nova Scotia), TDSB Equity and Race Relations
 Connect with the following community organizations:
o Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth (SAPACCY) @
CAMH
o Rites of Passage (Upcoming 2016 Conference)
o TDSB Equity Department (Equity and Race Relations resources)
o Camp TIAMOYO
o ACHA program – Parenting piece
o Nova Scotia group that runs the annual Institute
 Create:
o Resource Guide or Resource Assets Map (Need a person or organization to develop this)
o Africentric Resource Website (Teacher from Year1 started one)
o Orientation Manual for incoming families
o Emotional and mental space for staff and community to discuss LGBT issues
o “Exit Interview” for staff members to assess any issues/problems that contributed to
staff member leaving
 Explore the following areas to inform school practices:
54
August 22nd, 2014
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Intersections between CRT and Africentricity
Youth Voice – how do students’ experiences shape what Africentricity is at the school?
Current findings from TDSB Africentric High School Programs
Local and international contexts of Africentricity
Past and present Africentric schools or models within Toronto and US
Traditional African frameworks, spiritual rituals, etc.
Intergenerational Learning being integrated into curriculum
Arts-based (music, drama, dance, etc.) tools and resources
Identify weaknesses of Africentric Alternative School
Explore academic supports
 Develop an Africentric Education qualification (AQ) course for wider community and educators
 Push for an accreditation process and body to recognize the work done in schools and
institutions in Toronto – generate set of standards for practice
 Advocate for an Africentric Studies Dept at university level – Consult local academics
 Appoint a Community Think-Tank to help construct a definition of Africentricity – in
collaboration with teachers
Establish a clear research agenda
 Expand research on implementing Africentric model within other TDSB schools
 Develop ongoing group or organization with a research agenda focused on Africentricity and
Education that will report findings back to school/parents/community
o Example: Think-Tank can organize curriculum to bring back to community
o Grounded in the needs, potential and possibilities of Africentric Education
 Historical documentation of Africentricity in Canada
Other
 Identify organizations that deal with Africentricity in Canada
 Strategic development of newspaper articles
 Encourage Volunteerism among parents and community
55
August 22nd, 2014
B) Informational Resources, Ongoing Research Initiatives, Connecting and Disseminating Research
Next Steps
Explore existing resources
 Conduct literature review on Africentric Education
 Conduct Assets & Resource mapping on existing resources
 Examine and exchange ideas with US
 Explore research and data collection training for students – may lead to employment options
within the work
 Explore and incorporate research on techniques, approaches, etc., from Africa
 Consult Black Identity Project, theace.me website, and UBUNTU
 Identify friends, allies, and people that can influence, support goals of etc.
 Ensure that resources support and connect to teachers’ work
Explore financial resources
 Explore any opportunities for financial support from TDSB (e.g., partnership established
between TDSB, AAS, and communities) with the autonomy to decide allocation of funds.
 Advocate for support from Ontario Ministry of Education
 Advocate for University support (e.g., student and community scholarships for Africentric
discipline)
 Look into other funding sources
Develop a ‘Research Dissemination’ Strategy
 Conduct focus groups with community groups and agencies re: dissemination ideas
 Connect AAS, TDSB, community, and York
 Include Action Research grounded in community
 Document and share teacher-created resources
 Use multiple methods to disseminate: music, play, social media, etc.
 Create a “Content Development” Committee to develop and release small articles about the
school publicly
 Develop a Media tool focused on positive aspects and successes of school
 Consider using Micro Press and expanding internationally
 Establish community’s ownership over Africentric Education – it is not owned by TDSB, the
school is one part
56
August 22nd, 2014
C) Special Education, Bullying, and Behaviour, Social, and Emotional Issues
Overall Next Steps
 Develop student mentorship programs and the Eldership model (Older students in younger
grade classes to model behaviour) in the school
 Advocate for mandatory Physical Education and Recess – (complaint that some teachers dismiss
this time and allocate it for other school-related matters)
 Implement extra-curricular programs such as Boys to Men, Girls Club, Rites of Passage
 Educate parents, community, staff, students on aspects of historical White supremacy and its
impact on daily lives
 Consult UK models (e.g., Jim Brown, Twilight Program Amer-i-can)
 Infuse healing and connections to nature into classrooms
Specific Next Steps
1. Special Education
 Develop a more Inclusive, Holistic, and African-centered approach/framework to Special
Education to address the stigma around Special Education
 Advocate for more behavioural support (e.g., CYW) within school
 Sensitivity Training Workshop for staff, parents, students, and community on definitions of
terms associated with Special Education and Mental Well-Being
 Develop resources to address the perception of “TDSB dumping students into school to deal
with special education issues”
2. Bullying
 Organizations with free Bullying Resources: Harriet Tubman Organization, PEACE/POR AMOR
(assemblies/workshops) etc.
 Clarify bullying policies – what is the process, steps, etc. (e.g., Child Protection Act)
 Progressive discipline processes
 Tapping into organizations that focus on discipline (e.g., Boxing Gym)
3. Behaviour, Social, and Emotional Issues
 Bringing Elders into classrooms to address behavior
 Find additional resources for students requiring emotional support
 Building teacher capacity around engaging students with social and emotional needs
 Create a parent-peer support centre – provide support and resources for parents to address
challenges they may face at home and learn to navigate community
 Tap into Pan-African Leaders as resources about psychology (e.g., Amos Wilson)
 Smaller class sizes to accommodate different learning styles
 Healing Circles, Nia Circles, rituals, meditation as part of curriculum
57
Appendix B
Nguzo Saba – Guiding Principles
We explore the teaching and learning approaches using the principles of the Nguzo Saba
Umoja (Unity)
Things that bring our school community together:
 Morning Assembly
 Nia Circle
 Parent engagement
 Days of Significance (Kwanzaa Celebration, African
Heritage Month)
 Teamwork, cooperation
Kujichagulia (Self Determination)
Student based work:
 Goal setting
 Weekly Affirmations linked to self esteem, resilience,
self-concept and self confidence
 Student Leadership and Student Voice (conferences,
workshops)
Ujima (Collective Work and
 Restorative practices for students
Responsibility)
 Parent Council meetings
 Conflict resolution
 Rites of passage
 Parent Nia circles
 Parent/ Community Partnerships
Ujamaa (Cooperative
Embedding the concept of sharing and service into the fabric of
our school:
Economics/Sharing)
 High Parental Engagement
 Planning Round table discussions with existent and
potential partners
 An exchange of time and/or volunteerism to enhance
school’s programs
 Fundraising efforts (i.e. Hair day, Annual Gala)
Nia (Purpose)
 Staff/Student/Parent sessions on the School’s vision
statement
 Curricular focus: social justice, leadership, conflict
resolution, academic excellence, social excellence
Kuumba (Creativity)
 Fostering students’ talents and strengths to promote
excellence
 (i.e. – Dance/Drama Troupe, Poetry writing, Art Club,
Public speaking
 Innovation and enrichment (i.e., Imhotep Robotics
League, math Challenge, Oware tournament
Imani (Faith)
 Building self-esteem
 Motivational speakers, presentations
 Celebrating accomplishments
 Intentional curricular teaching of resiliency (unit based)
 Mentorship
Adapted from an Africentric Alternative School Handout provided by Thando Hyman.
58

Africentric Alternative School Research Project Year 3

Transcription

Similar documents

Empowerment through an Africentric Informed Research: A master`s

Gracedale Public School

Fairglen Junior Public School - Toronto District School Board

Flyer - Toronto District School Board

Bendale Business and Technical Institute

Eastdale Collegiate Institute

Denlow Public School - Toronto District School Board

Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute - Toronto District School Board

Clairlea Public School

Flyer