The Shakerite VOL 91 ISSUE I

ing continues, it’s important that white students
help to create an antiracist environment in classrooms.
It is the responsibility of students to turn
classrooms into communities, rather than intense
competitions for top spots.
It is also important for both teachers and students
to break their patterns of unofficial tracking.
Because of the culture in our school, the easy way
to handle detracking would be for students within
de-leveled classes to reproduce homogenous
groups of students should teachers not intervene.
Teachers can combat this tendency by diversifying
seating charts and by carefully creating groups for
projects, activities and discussions. But exquisitely
crafted seating charts will not solve all of our problems.
It is necessary to create community within
our classrooms first.
For example, if teachers meticulously create
project groups so that each group comprises two
white students who have been on the honors track
and two Black students who have not, these students
may not know one another. Why assume that
these groups would not revert to one or two students
taking charge, doing almost all of the work
and excluding peers who might not yet understand
the material in the name of efficiency and a higher
grade? It is necessary to build a classroom community
so that students prioritize their collective
learning instead of the competitive culture of
reaching for a perfect mark.
But, then again, creating this community of
collective learning
is not easy
and requires
resources and
bold actions:
Creating smaller
classes, hiring
more teachers,
making time for
relevant professional
learning,
accepting weeks
of classes devoted
to community
building, and,
David Vahey
dare we say, even abolishing a grading system.
There is no perfect way to create or suggest a plan
to end the racist and elitist culture within our
schools and upper classes. The Editorial Board
members who wrote this ’Rite Idea are white, and
we will neither pretend to know the experience of
our Black peers nor try to anticipate them. However,
we have been students at Shaker long enough
to anticipate where some challenges in de-leveling
classes may lie, and we are trying to draw attention
to and suggest ways to address them. This year
is merely the start of Shaker’s efforts to achieve
equity, which barely scrape the surface of systemic
racism ingrained into both American society and
schools.
The way we do school must change. Right now,
for too many students, it’s everyone for themselves:
Get top grades and move on to top colleges and careers.
Though this is an important aspect of school,
it is not the most important type of learning. Creating
an antiracist world is far more important and
is only possible through an education that Shaker
can provide. However, this type of education will
not exist in Shaker unless all students, teachers,
administrators and parents commit to change our
district.
Shaker can end the stigma that tracking has
created for Black students. Principal Eric Juli is
committed to achieving equity in the high school.
Whether by de-leveling classes, by writing passionate
condemnations of students’ sexist actions, or
by challenging
the staff to forge
an antiracist
school, Juli has
made it clear
that he cares
about equity.
With this
kind of leadership,
Shaker can
begin to break
down racial
barriers, but only
if we all work to
create equity.
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VOL. 91 ISSUE I