Social Angle

  Quote: We must recognize that difference is a reason for celebrating and growth, rather than a reason for destruction.   (Audre Lorde) Reading "The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies" led me to reflect more deeply on the shortcomings of school curricula rather than their content. For years, many teachers assumed that textbook publishers had "fixed" the problem of bias by adding more diverse historical figures and personalities. On the surface, representation appears broader than before. But as this research analysis shows, inclusion has been primarily additive rather than transformative. The dominant narrative in elementary and secondary school curricula remains centered on Euro-American experiences, while communities of color are relegated to the background, portrayed as victims or brief participants in someone else's history. Moreover, when representations are focused on communities of color, they are portrayed negatively in history. One of th...

Reflection on the article: Shifting the paradigm from Deficit Oriented Schools to asset Based Models: Why leaders Need to Promote an Asset Orientation in our Schools by Shannon Renkly and Katherine Bertolini Renkly and Bertolini argue that if we want schools where all students genuinely thrive, we have to stop obsessing over what kids can’t do and start intentionally building on what they already bring to the table. Their call to “shift the paradigm” is a call to move from deficit‑oriented schools to asset‑based models, and it has big implications for how we lead, teach, and partner with families and communities. From deficit to Asset Model: According to Rose (2006), a deficit-based model focuses on students' difficulties. If a student experiences academic difficulties, proponents of this model assume that this failure is due to a lack of effort. Most schools still operate according to this logic: students "at risk" are identified, their failures are monitored and t...