A Sense of Belonging Is A Vital Instrument in Combating School Pushout in Oakland
By: Basheerah Omar
During our process of researching solutions to combat “School Pushout” in Oakland, my fellow energy convertor research team interviewed Kimi Kean. Kimi Kean is the CEO and Co-Founder of Families in Action for Quality Education. She has more experience than many people. She’s been a teacher, principal, and a leader in both charter and district systems in Oakland. In this interview she talks about how the lack of teachers who can model effective teacher moves while delivering instruction play a vital role in scholars being suspended and pushed out. She also touches on possible restorative practices that can help build teacher/student relationships before and after consequences.
Lack of Diversity and Teachers
Would you believe that the lack of teachers and a lack of diversity storage can partially lead to School Pushout? Well, Kimi Kean stated that this is one of a hundred reasons why there’s such a thing called a Pushout. For those who don’t know what Pushout is, let me explain. According to girls inc. , Pushout refers to the punitive discipline practices schools use, which exclude students from class and too often push them out of school altogether. This happens a lot when a student is not academically engaged and their basic needs are not being met, but is still attending the school for attendance purposes.
The reason why lack of teachers and diversity can lead to a School Pushout is because there should be more teachers who represent the culture of the students in order to make the students feel more at ease and for them to be more engaged. The teachers also need to not just work ethically but with their heart. Students need to feel that their teachers enjoy it and make it enjoyable for the students also.
Restorative Solutions to Rebuild Student and Teacher Relationships
Kimi Kean had said we need to build student and teacher relationship before and after the consequences, so that the student has a sense of belonging. Schools where Kimi Kean has taught or led had a system where before starting school in the beginning of the school year they would go over the consequences if a student got in “trouble,” but also what could happen if they continue to maintain a good behavior. At those schools, they would make sure their students have an understanding of the consequences drilled in their head so they would know what will happen, therefore they will not do it.
However, if a child were to receive consequences and return to school, they always try their best to welcome the student back and rebuild the relationship. An example that Kimi Kean gave was to give a student a mentor to be able to talk with and help them feel the sense of belonging and love.
