Urban Diversity Strategy
GOAL:
- reduce the dropout rate among black students from 40% to 15% in five years.
STRATEGY:
- target the 25 most racially diverse, low-performing schools
- make teachers aware that students from certain groups have problems at school.
Translate this into confusing jargon talk = make teachers sensitive to...
A. the demographic roadblocks facing students of differing backgrounds
B. the challenges diversity can bring.
C. the effect racial diversity has on students' lives
The article acknowledges that Portuguese children also have a very high drop out rate. And it's not because they aren't white; they are white. Nor is it because they suffer from anti-Portuguese prejudice. They don't. Their parents' culture doesn't value schooling. That's obviously the key issue here but no one wants to say so.
RACIAL SCHOOLS
- Africentric schools start in September 2009 but the board wants general programs not tailored for specific groups
MENTORS
- every child in grades 7 to 10 with below standard grades will get a staff mentor to supply personal help
SUMMER CAMPS
- grade 7 and 8 students below standard in reading, writing or arithmetic get free literacy and numeracy camps
EXTRA ACCESS & EXTRA HELP
- establish homework clubs, supply free tutoring, longer hours in libraries and computer labs
- one school extended library hours and added comic books (graphic novels) and borrowing jumped 245%
Source: Toronto Star
