School texts to promote diversity
Books approved by grade level
Diversity and learning new perspectives have been ongoing topics of conversation all summer, and new additions to the reading list for North Penn students may help keep those conversations going into the school year.
School district staff gave details Tuesday night on four new books being added to the instructional curriculum for 2020-21.
“I think this specific focus on finding texts with characters that students of color can identify with, can see themselves through those eyes, is at least a beginning, a start, to make this district more equitable and responsive to all of our students,” said board member Christian Fusco.
In July the school board adopted a new equity statement and policy goals declaring their intent to combat racism and encourage and support diversity, building on two-plus years of community meetings, climate surveys, cultural proficiency training and public discussions.
As part of their ongoing policy review process, district staff are constantly assessing learning materials to find ways they can better reflect the community and spur conversations, district Director of Curriculum and Equity D’Ana Waters told the school board’s Education, Curriculum and Instruction committee on Tuesday night.
“We really are looking to continue our work in our cultural proficiency and equity efforts,” Waters said.
The new textbooks are in addition to a new African-American studies course the district added earlier this year, Waters said, and each book carries a dif
ferent message meant for young adults, which she described:
Seventh grade: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander “This story is about a teenage boy and his twin brother... it involves a health issue, relationships with other classmates, and it’s really about the brother losing and then finding his way.”
Eighth grade: Never Caught: The Washington’s Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge by Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar - “This is a real powerful story about a woman who risked it all to gain freedom from one of our nation’s founding fathers.”
Ninth grade: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson - “This is an award-winning book, where the author shares her childhood, growing up as an African-American in the ‘60s and ‘70s, during the height of the civil rights movement.”
Tenth grade: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - “this book is a book about self-discovery, a boy named Santiago, is basically on a quest that leads him to riches, and a more satisfying world than he ever dreamed of.”
Waters added that she and secondary humanities curriculum supervisor Rachel Earley have been working with teachers at all levels to prepare for a return to school in an all-online format to start the year, and said staff have begun research by contacting neighboring districts and other sources on another possible book change for 11th grade that could be presented soon.
“What we’d like to do is, after we generate that list, run that by our teachers and see their thoughts, and then come to you in September,” Waters said.
Board member Elisha Gee said she thought the four new books were a start, but far from an end, to developing a more diverse curriculum. “When you look at the novel lists, not just in North Penn but in many districts, they’re not always reflective of all of your students, and what you want every student to see, what the world looks like,” she said.
Fusco added that at these particular ages, in their early teens, are when “students, at these formative years, really identify, figure out in a lot of ways, who they are through the educational process.”
“A lot of that is socialization, a lot of that is exploring activities and extracurriculars, but a big piece of that is also through curriculum,” he said. “I’m very proud of the work that you all are taking on to make sure that we are making these texts something that are a shared experience for everyone.”
Student liaison Adityasai Palaparthi said he thought the novels would spur plenty of thoughtful conversation among students of all backgrounds.
Assistant Superintendent Todd Bauer added that while the COVID-19 pandemic may have delayed certain aspects of curriculum updates, he felt the new novels and a planned consolidation of part of the secondary English curriculum were the result of long hours by Water and Earley, unseen by the public but not by fellow administrators.
The ECI committee then unanimously approved the adoption of the four books into the curriculum, and an order totaling roughly $20,000 to buy 500 copies of each.
North Penn’s full board next meets at 7 p.m. on Aug. 11 and the Education, Curriculum and Instruction committee next meets at 6 p.m. on Sept. 1; for more information visit www. NPenn.org.