Community Members, Educators Tackle the Challenges of Teaching African-American Students

[UPDATED]  Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Brian McDonald told an online group of community members and educators Wednesday night that the district has partnered with teachers’ groups to answer the question of how “systems in PUSD failed students of color.” 

As about 70 symposium participants from the school district’s community watched, McDonald said, “The African expression that ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ speaks to the importance of the entire community, in terms of coming together to figure out ways to connect and support our most precious assets, our children. We are here tonight to think through and act, on how together we can create a learning environment that is culturally responsive to the values, strengths and cultures of our students.”

The Wednesday symposium, “Back to the Future of a Culturally Responsive PUSD – A Community Conversation,” also featured a host of prominent local education figures as panelists and moderators.

PUSD Chief Academic Officer Dr. Elizabeth Blanco delivered a Powerpoint presentation she called “a snapshot of (the) district’s curriculum and ways that we have worked to support cultural responsiveness.” PUSD District 3 Board Member Michelle Richardson Bailey led the evening’s program.

Blanco highlighted the district’s culture statement , which speaks to “building relational trust with our employees, and our students.”

Blanco continued, “That’s something that’s really important to us, as we work with children. Motivating them and getting them to achieve is really dependent upon relational trust and positive relationships. And we will continue to celebrate our strengths, but also focus on continuous improvement and get better at what we’re doing.

“We would like every child to end up being critical thinkers, creative and innovative communicators,” said Blanco, “ to be collaborators prepared for college and career, and to have external and internal values, and to be culturally competent citizens.”

Educational consultants Dr. Mack Hines told the group, “if you see a child for what he could become, that’s what he’ll aspire to do. And so working with great leaders in this forum tonight, I want to let you know that I am all in on doing whatever it takes to help all of our Afro-American children and students of color.”

Hines, who has worked in Pasadena education for the last five years, said that he and Dr. Blanco have developed a student/parent teaching effort based on two angles.

“One angle is ‘engagement,’ he said. “The other one is ‘involved.’ We want to work with African-American parents to help them build and strengthen their platform of being more involved, or being involved in more effective ways to benefit their children.”

“On the empowerment standpoint,” he stressed, “we want to connect with African American parents to make sure they understand that it is important for them to connect their power to the power that PUSD is bringing to the table to do all that they can to really help African American students be successful.

Hines noted, “There is nothing wrong with black children. There’s nothing wrong with black parents. Everything that we can do and help them is right about helping them be successful. For me, working with the district, there is no such thing as an achievement gap, there’s simply an opportunity gap.”

Educator James, who specializes in teaching mathematics, highlighted his teaching methodology with the SKILLZ summer school program, now in its 11th year, and pointed out that the challenges of the pandemic have led to new teaching opportunities. The SKILLZ program is a joint collaboration of STARS, Day One, College Access Plan (CAP), and PUSD. Students receive 10 units of credit for their participation.

“We really have to step back on the balcony, and look at the opportunities that exist, because now, the zip code is no longer an issue. Class size is no longer an issue. So any kid, anywhere in Pasadena or anywhere in the world can have the best teachers and connect with them online.

“If you are an authentic person,” James offered, “and you bring your authentic self, you show vulnerability and you make the learning experience based on what students want and need, then you will have effective online learning and it could affect every student in Pasadena and every student in LA and every student in the country.”

Following presentations from James, participants formed smaller discussion groups to delve further into the presented issues.

Both Pasadena Church Pastor Kerwin Manning and New Abbey Church Pastor Eric Johnson also spoke about the need for Pasadena churches and schools to work closely together, while another group discussed methods for actually funding District programs to strengthen diverse learning opportunities.

Other panelists included Pacific Oaks College Dean of Education Dr. Jerrell Hill, LAUSD Deputy Chief of Staff Patrice Marshall Mackenzie; film director Pablo Miralles, and Day One Executive Director Christy Zamani.

“A lot of good ‘next steps’ came out of this discussion,” said Pastor Johnson.