100 word response 1 reference Due 6/17/2023
Hampton
For the past few years, our state has been dealing with the concerns of specific groups regarding the teaching of CRT in public high schools. While our sate legislature has filed several pieces of legislation to address the issue, the 2022-23 fiscal spending plan for our state actually included a proviso that addresses any type of racially sensitive material. Specifically, any subject matter deemed to make another race of student or individual feel responsible for the past treatment of another race was prohibited in school curriculum. To comply with the state law, our district adopted a similar policy through our state board. The policy provided an avenue for student's to notify school and district staff, should they encounter such content, and also requires and our chief academic officer to review district syllabi to ensure compliance. To facilitate the change in the schools, professional development was provided throughout the year with a DEI expert, to coach teachers on dealing with such topics, and train them on introducing them to the classrooms in ways that do not alarm students, or generate feelings of responsibility for past race relations. Small group meetings were held with teachers to allow them to provide feedback on the change. Public hearings were also held to discuss the implementation, with opportunity for public comment. I believe the process for implementation was good. The change went through the process described in the text by Ornstein and Hunkins (2017), moving from initiation, implementation, and is currently in the maintenance phase. The district is in compliance with state law, and students are protected. That is probably the only real determinant of success with this change. However, the policy was able to be tested for effectiveness. Recently this Spring, a teacher in our of our high schools introduced a work from a controversial author, who frequently cited systematic racism in their works. One of these pieces was actually introduced in a lesson for an AP English course. Two students filed formal complaints with the school, and the teacher was instructed to cease with the use of the text, and related concepts. The teacher feedback was mixed, with many teachers understanding why the policy had to be put in place. However, a consistent theme was that it was that the policy restricted academic freedom, and limited their ability to challenge the students. Ultimately, they had little opportunity not to implement the change. However, there was appreciation in the ability to impact the change process.
Change processes ultimately come down to the impact of the change and the ability to show the participants the impact of the change. While I personally have views of the policy and its impact that do not support it, I believe that it ultimately was done to protect students, and that helps with acceptance.
