DIVER
English department launches initiativ
T
he Stevenson English department plans to implement a change in which 51% of its books will be written by authors of color. As education boards across the nation are integrating more diversity into their studies, Stevenson’s English department is beginning to use new books starting this year. By having students read more novels set within a variety of cultural backgrounds, the school aims to reflect the student body more closely by ensuring that at least half of the books that students analyze are dedicated to learning more about new perspectives. The Freshman Accelerated English classes provide one example of the new guideline: “A Tale of Two Cities” will be replaced by “The House on Mango Street” at the end of this year. Traditionally, English curriculums have included many works written by white male authors. However, as Stevenson’s population continues to grow, the diversity in its student body has also increased. Instead of the once mostly white demographic, Asians make up 32.1% of the student body, and there has been a larger representation
of the black and Hispanic communities. nglish teacher yan Aronoff voiced his support for the administration’s effort to provide diverse selections of stories. In his perspective, the new structure of the curriculum encourages students to step out of their comfort zones and challenges them to learn from new environments. “It’s about expanding worldviews — both students’ and teachers,” Aronoff said. “I think all of us tend to be drawn to what we are most comfortable with. It’s daunting. I see the necessity in it, the value in it, but I also understand why a lot of teachers, including myself, feel like it’s a lot to take on. But that doesn’t mean you don’t do it.” Stevenson has already begun to implement this new policy by integrating a handful of new novels into various classes across the English curriculum. Doug Lillydahl, Director of Communication Arts, stresses that the formation of curriculum is an ever-changing process. Teachers continuously collaborate to select books that are both engaging and challenging for students of all class levels and also work
I think that’s one the things I really like about Stevenson is that you’re really able to connect with people from all different types of backgrounds.
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February 2020 - News
