Ethical Schools

We talk with Marianna Azar, Director and Chair of the NYC DOE’s Institutional Review Boards. The IRBs review all research proposals conducted through the schools to make sure they are conducted ethically and that the benefits to the students outweigh any burdens. In Part 1 of a 2-part interview, Ms. Azar describes how the IRBs work and their impact on researchers, schools, students and parents. Next week we’ll continue exploring the ethical issues that confront IRBs, including issues raised by Big Data.

Overview

00:00-00:57 Intros

00:57-02:42 NYC Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

02:42-07:20 Relevance of background in philosophy and ethics

07:20-10:10 Examples of research projects submitted to NYC DOE IRBs

10:10-14:49 Topics researchers ask about

14:49-16:21 Biomedical and psychology studies

16:21-17:56 Why there are two NYC DOE IRBs

17:56-22:19 Recruiting volunteer IRB members

22:19-36:09 Submittal and review process

36:09-37:37 Factors affecting timeline from submittal to approval

37:37-39:47 Post-approval compliance

39:47-41:42 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcript of this interview. 

References

Click here to listen to the second part of this conversation “Research in schools (Part 2): Safeguarding the data”.

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear

We speak with Herminia (Ita) Saldana, parent coordinator at MS 328, a middle school in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Every public school in NYC has a parent coordinator. Virtually all of the MS 328 students are current English Language Learners or have tested out of ELL status. As parent coordinator, Ita encourages and facilitates parent engagement as both advocate and navigator. She also helps recent immigrant families to access all kinds of community services as they adapt to life in NYC.  

Overview

00:00-02:21 MS 328 demographics

02:21-03:39 Most important aspects of parent coordinator job

03:39-06:44 Job requirements, professional development, career status

06:44-10:01 Issues faced by new immigrant families

10:01-15:29 Tensions between immigrant parents and their children

15:29-19:52 How parent coordinator/school can help

19:52-23:06 Balancing power imbalances between families and the school

23:06-25:46 Culturally responsive support

25:46-29:46 Taking external circumstances into account when evaluating academics

29:46-32:10 Ethical questions

32:10-35:02 How the DOE can provide more support to parent coordinators

35:02-37:00 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcript of this episode. 

We speak with Dr. Sarah Diem of University of Missouri and Dr. Anjalé Welton of University of Wisconsin, Madison. They discuss the seemingly neutral “colorevasive” policies that actually reinforce racial inequity. Drs. Diem and Welton present an action protocol for school and district leaders who seek to create antiracist schools.

Overview

00:00-00:51 Intros

00:51-02:38 Educational policies framed by neo-liberalism; market-driven policies

02:38-06:20 Impact of statewide educational policy approaches

06:20-09:03 Color evasiveness

09:03-11:27 RTI and PBIS and “acceptable student norms”—when students of color are viewed through a deficit lens

11:27-18:04 Anti-racist policy decision-making template

18:04-20:13 Anti-racist work is a continuous cycle

20:13-23:52 Protocol implementation in Latino/a and Black districts

23:52-26:57 Circumstances in which schools/districts are willing to undertake policy reviews

26:57-29:43 Dealing with obstacles

29:43-33:46 Risk-taking; planning and acting strategically

33:46-36:00 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcript of this episode. 

References

As of today, March 31st, 2021, over 550,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. We’re reposting our conversation with Cynthia Trapanese former grief counselor, now teacher, who explains that the adults in a school need to grapple with their own losses in order to help children and families.

Cynthia Trapanese, a teacher who spent 17 years as a pediatric chaplain, observes that we are all grieving right now, and that adults need to be aware of their own feelings of loss in order to help children and families effectively. During this period of isolation, children miss not only extended family, especially grandparents, but also their friends, classrooms, and the details of their school days. The impact of prolonged separation from school will be long-lasting. Cynthia is holding webinars for teachers and parents, and shares tips and resources with us.

Overview

00:00-01:27 Intros

01:30-02:28 Defining “loss”

02:29-04:00 Helping children stay connected while in physical isolation

04:01-05:59 Examples of what loss looks like in children’s lives

06:00-07:45 Responding to children’s expressions of how they are feeling

07:46-09:07 The importance of not trying to “fix”

09:10-11:16 Losses layered onto other Adverse Childhood Experiences

11:16-13:49 When adults don’t have answers

13:50-15:39 Being helpful to children when adults themselves are grieving and frightened

15:39-17:59 How the New School of SF is supporting teachers and parents how other schools can support teachers

18:00-20:56 Parents’ concern about students keeping up with academics during this time

21:20-22:30 How this experience  can help reflection about the most important aspects of education

22:34-25:16 How teaching at Institute for Humane Education (IHE) impacts thoughts on the pandemic and impact on children

25:20-26:43 Integrating humane education about animals into 1st grade teaching

26:45-28:29 Integrating IHE “solutionaries” program into 1st grade

28:30-29:50 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcript of this episode. 

References

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear

We speak with Dr. Sue Winton of York University in Toronto about the effects of private money–much of it from parents–that replaces decreased public funding of schools. Fundraisers and fees for special programs benefit affluent schools and the children who already have the most access to opportunities. Low income parents often feel pressure to donate beyond their means for their children’s sake. 

Overview

00:00-00:45 Intros

00:45-03:18 How private money comes into public schools

03:18-08:18 Impacts of private money

08:18-10:58 Government funding patterns; fees; waivers

10:58-14:03 Discretionary funds

14:03-15:34 Grants

15:34-19:39 Connections to privatization; book sales; school photos; candy sales

19:39-22:45 Fundraising sales: dilemmas for parents

22:45-26:04 Changes in fundraising as public funding for schools decreases and changes

26:04-28:44 Fundraising as part of competition among schools and districts

28:44-32:13 Creating alternatives to individual school fundraising

32:13-34:34 Schools—public good, private interests

34:34-38:35 Short and long-term approaches

38:35-41:17 Toronto school district—things it’s doing right

41:17-43:31 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcript of this episode. 

References

Book Critical Perspectives on Education Policy and Schools, Families, and Communities – Edited by Sue Winton and Gillian Parekh

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear