School administrators in DeWitt are moving forward with measures to nurture ethnic toleration and respect following harassment incidents last month after the Presidential election. We hear the perspectives of two MSU faculty members who study race and ethnicity in education.
Efforts have begun in Dewitt to address ethnically charged school incidents that followed last month’s Presidential election. School officials have referred to at least three incidents involving harassment of Hispanic students on Wednesday, November 9. School administrators have announced several actions including disciplinary measures and focus groups involving ethnic tolerance and respect.
Meanwhile, the Lansing State Journal has reported that a conversation about the incidents at a public gathering last week at Dewitt High School became heated.
So how does a school and community constructively respond to such incidents?
Current State talks with MSU associate professor of education Dr. Dorinda Carter Andrews, an expert on the role of race in educational outcomes who has worked with school districts on these issues, and association professor of K-12 educational administration Dr. Terah Venzant Chambers, who studies academic achievement and school engagement with a focus on minority students.
