ACPS administrators and guest panelists: Cheryl Robinson, Bethany Nickerson, Dennis Stinchcomb, PreeAnn Johnson, Eric Hershberg, and Micki Suchenksi.
By Cierra Kaler-Jones
As the buzzing energy of a new school year filled the gym at James K. Polk Elementary School, staff arrived for a full-day professional development on Central America. On August 27, 2019, staff engaged in descriptive and informative sessions that detailed the history of Central America to provide background context about many of the students and families they serve, as well as interactive workshops with hands-on activities and strategies to teach Central America through art and children’s literature.
Principal PreeAnn Johnson requested the workshop to provide her staff with the awareness, knowledge, and skills required for effectively using culturally responsive and sustaining strategies that meet the needs of students from Central America.
Prior to this workshop, on May 14, the staff received an introduction to Polk Elementary’s 2019-2020 professional development focus on equity and culturally responsive teaching. Using a framework designed by James A. Banks, which is outlined in the text Beyond Heroes and Holidays, staff members were introduced to the four levels of integrating cultural content into the curriculum. Through interactive exploration and discovery, Polk staff also familiarized themselves with important historical and current Central American figures, activists, and artists. This workshop built on the foundation of the fourth level of multicultural education, which is grounded in the idea that students, teachers, and administrators don’t just discuss social justice issues, but work collectively to take action.