Opinion

George Dei
Guelph Mercury

The call for black-focused schools has re-emerged from a deep frustration on the part of many members of the black community over the inability of the current public school system to effectively educate students from diverse backgrounds, and additionally from successive 1992 and 1994 recommendations from the African-Canadian Working Group and the Royal Commission on Learning.

There is a long history to these voices, and as a community we cannot abrogate our collective responsibilities to the youth in looking for alternative visions of schooling.

A black-focused school is not a "black school." Nor will such a school pull every black youth out of the mainstream system. Parents must have the right to determine whether or not such a school is right for their family.

Since such schools address concerns about black youth disengagement from school, a majority of students and teachers will likely be from black/African-Canadian backgrounds. The key is that the school is defined by its guiding principles, rather than by those it serves.

In proposing a black-focused school, we do not deny that some black students are doing well in the system or that some educators and community workers are doing their utmost to promote the cause of black and minority education.

Despite these successes, however, many students are failed by the educational system. Black youth have a high drop-out/push-out rate. Further, many black students who are physically present in schools, are disengaged in both mind and soul. This is not all the fault of the students or their families. The school system must accept some responsibility and do more to educate its diverse student body.

A black-focused school works with the principles of social responsibility, mutual interdependence, respect, transparency and accountability.

Classroom teachings centre the learner in her own culture, history, personal location and spiritual identity. A focused school treats education as an expression of shared community responsibility.

Teachers work collectively with students and parents, educating about academic and social success, community belonging, social responsibility, mutual interdependence, respect for oneself and peers, and the wisdom of elders.

The school will teach discipline by developing the learners' sense of self-worth, moral fibre and purpose within society. Teachers will invoke alternative ways to practise effective discipline without resorting to suspensions, expulsions or the summoning of law enforcement to the schoolyard.

The school will be established within the public school system. The idea is no different than those behind the establishment of faith-based schools, all-girls schools, the French Immersion programs, specialized arts program, and even boy-only literacy classes in the junior grades.

Some have asked if we should give in to any group that wants such a school. My response is that where there is established educational disadvantage (e.g. Aboriginal students) we must never close the door to new, or even radical educational options for youth.

Still others argue that black-focused schools represent a reversion to the days of segregation. There is a meaningful difference, however, between forced segregation and separation by choice.

Segregationists in the first half of the 20th century sought to exclude blacks from meaningful participation in society. By contrast, black-focused schools aim to address an educational crisis and help minority youth succeed.

The learner must be affirmed in all of her identities if we are to provide holistic education. While racial solidarity alone cannot guarantee academic success for our youth, being exposed to the realities of society in a supportive environment empowers today's learner to deal with pressures of society. This means teaching about race and racism, gender and class oppression.

As a demonstration school, the lessons learned from a black-focused school would be fed back into the mainstream public system to help enhance learning for all.

Rather than weakening current efforts by mainstream schools to be inclusive of African-Canadian experiences, a black-focused school actually enhances them.

Mainstream schools must continue to strive to be inclusive. There is no reason why the existence of a black-focused school should lead to an either/or situation. Above all, a black-focused school can ensure that those youth who either drop out or are pushed out of the mainstream system, have a chance at education.