Welcome to Creating Racially Just Schools:
Lessons Learned from Frances (Fanny) Jackson Coppin
Spring 2022, Mondays, 4:15 – 6:15
Synchronous Zoom Meetings / In person April 25 and May 2, 9, 16 and 23
Class Zoom Link - https://ccny.zoom.us/j/82578193090?pwd=RU5OOC9iVUtxZ0xxT3BIRkQyZUNwUT09. The passcode is: 179648.
Instructor: Terri N. Watson, Ph.D. Email: [email protected]
Teaching Assistants: Adelia Gibson: [email protected]
Noelle Mapes: [email protected]
Office hours: Mondays, 2 – 4pm and by appointment.
Synchronous Zoom Meetings / In person April 25 and May 2, 9, 16 and 23
Class Zoom Link - https://ccny.zoom.us/j/82578193090?pwd=RU5OOC9iVUtxZ0xxT3BIRkQyZUNwUT09. The passcode is: 179648.
Instructor: Terri N. Watson, Ph.D. Email: [email protected]
Teaching Assistants: Adelia Gibson: [email protected]
Noelle Mapes: [email protected]
Office hours: Mondays, 2 – 4pm and by appointment.
It was in me to get an education and to teach my people.
This idea was deep in my soul. Where it came from, I cannot tell, for I had never had any exhortations, nor any lectures which informed me to take this course. It must have been born in me.
– Fanny Jackson Coppin
Course Description
The disparate educational outcomes between Black and white children are longstanding and reflect the permanence of racism (Bell, 1992) in the nation’s public schools. Despite a range of efforts including the landmark school desegregation ruling, Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and a series of federal mandates (e.g., Every Student Succeeds Act) aimed to ensure equity, access, and educational opportunities for all students, race-based disparities remain evident in school discipline data, graduation rates, and college readiness levels. Nevertheless, Black women were found to have a profound impact on the well-being and academic success of Black children and in creating racially just schools (Lomotey, 2019; Watson & Baxley, 2021). This course explores and celebrates the advocacy and efficacy of Black women school leaders, teachers, mothers, and othermothers. Grounded in Black feminism, the course begins with an overview of Black Feminist Theory and Motherwork (Collins, 2000, 1994). Next, an explication of a Black Feminist School Leadership framework is proffered and then used to examine the lived experiences of Frances (Fanny) Jackson Coppin (1837-1923), America’s first Black woman school leader. Along with Coppin, the contributions of Black women educators, mothers, and othermothers will be profiled. We will also discuss the (un)intended consequences (Tillman, 2004) of the Brown ruling and the efficacy of Black women’s motherwork in the schoolhouse. The second part of this course is collaborative as students will select the readings and will elect a Black woman school leader, teacher, mother, or othermother to profile. Portraiture will be utilized along with other theoretical methodologies to celebrate their lives and contributions to the schoolhouse. Students will have an opportunity to share their profiles on The Center for the Humanities’ website (https://www.centerforthehumanities.org). Writer’s workshops led by Carole Saltz, former Director of Teachers College Press, will be offered to assist students with this final project.
References
Collins, P. H. (1994). Shifting the center: Race, class, and feminist theorizing about motherhood. In E. N. Glenn, G. Chang, & L. R. Forcey (Eds.), Mothering: Ideology, experience, and agency (pp. 45 – 65). New York: Routledge.
Collins, P. H. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. New York: Routledge.
Lomotey, K. (2019). Research on the leadership of Black women principals: Implications for Black students. Educational Researcher, 48(6), 336–348.
Tillman, L.C. (2004). African American principals and the legacy of Brown. Review of Research in Education, 28, 101-146.
Watson, T. N., & Baxley, G. S. (2021). Centering “Grace”: Challenging anti-Blacknesss in schooling through motherwork. Journal of School Leadership. 1-16.
Class Meeting Day /Time: Our class will meet on Mondays during the spring semester from 4:15 pm – 6:15 pm via Zoom. As noted, we will meet in-person for the last five class sessions (April 25 and May 2, 9, 16 and 23) at the Graduate Center. A specific room / location will be shared after in early April. If you cannot attend any class session, if possible, please let me know beforehand. An excuse nor doctor’s note is not required. I just would like to make sure that you are okay. I care about YOU. Further, please refer to the Graduate Student Center Handbook (p.28) should you need disability services.
Beloved Community: We will have a safe, respectful and loving learning community. For our on-line class meetings please make sure to:
Course Objectives: This course highlights and examines the advocacy and efficacy of Black women in the schoolhouse. We will create an inclusive learning community and build shared knowledge. The following objectives will serve as guideposts for our beloved community:
Grading: Class participation is essential to student success and reading assignments should be completed before each class meeting. Students will be assessed using a variety of tools that are intended to demonstrate their learning and to build on prior knowledge. Final grades for this course will be determined as follows:
References
Collins, P. H. (1994). Shifting the center: Race, class, and feminist theorizing about motherhood. In E. N. Glenn, G. Chang, & L. R. Forcey (Eds.), Mothering: Ideology, experience, and agency (pp. 45 – 65). New York: Routledge.
Collins, P. H. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. New York: Routledge.
Lomotey, K. (2019). Research on the leadership of Black women principals: Implications for Black students. Educational Researcher, 48(6), 336–348.
Tillman, L.C. (2004). African American principals and the legacy of Brown. Review of Research in Education, 28, 101-146.
Watson, T. N., & Baxley, G. S. (2021). Centering “Grace”: Challenging anti-Blacknesss in schooling through motherwork. Journal of School Leadership. 1-16.
Class Meeting Day /Time: Our class will meet on Mondays during the spring semester from 4:15 pm – 6:15 pm via Zoom. As noted, we will meet in-person for the last five class sessions (April 25 and May 2, 9, 16 and 23) at the Graduate Center. A specific room / location will be shared after in early April. If you cannot attend any class session, if possible, please let me know beforehand. An excuse nor doctor’s note is not required. I just would like to make sure that you are okay. I care about YOU. Further, please refer to the Graduate Student Center Handbook (p.28) should you need disability services.
Beloved Community: We will have a safe, respectful and loving learning community. For our on-line class meetings please make sure to:
- Include your name and preferred pronouns in your profile.
- Mute your mic when you are not speaking.
- Feel free to turn your camera off if you need to, but know that our class thrives on visual feedback and engagement.
- Use the gallery view so that you can see everyone in our community.
- Use the chat, hand raise, and other reactions tools to help us stay connected and engaged.
Course Objectives: This course highlights and examines the advocacy and efficacy of Black women in the schoolhouse. We will create an inclusive learning community and build shared knowledge. The following objectives will serve as guideposts for our beloved community:
- Review literature that examines Black women’s contributions to the schoolhouse.
- Demonstrate how Black women have always advocated for racially just schools.
- Identify effective Black women school leaders, teachers, and othermothers.
- Utilize portraiture as an effective methodological tool.
- Work collaboratively to meet personal learning goals.
Grading: Class participation is essential to student success and reading assignments should be completed before each class meeting. Students will be assessed using a variety of tools that are intended to demonstrate their learning and to build on prior knowledge. Final grades for this course will be determined as follows:
Required Texts: Coppin, F. J. (1913). Reminiscences of school life, and hints on teaching. Philadelphia, PA: A. M. E. Book Concern.
Weekly Feedback: After each class meeting, specifically before 9 pm, in 2-3 paragraphs students will share what they are thinking / feeling. This weekly feedback is intended to help us better plan the course discussions and, if needed, revised the format and course readings. Please be specific as possible and share what you would like to know more about, what interested / intrigued you, and what, if any, frustration you may have encountered. Also, students should feel free to share ideas to improve the class as meaningful learning is always a collective endeavor. This feedback is considered part of class participation, which accounts for 30 percent of students’ grades.
Learning Journals: Learning Journals are used to support the development of your ability to reflect on and analyze what you have learned in this course. Students must submit two entries. An entry consists of 5-7 pages including a Title page and a Reference page – and contain reflections on the readings, activities, and exercises assigned in this course during the respective week and, where applicable, previous weeks.
In developing a response, focus on the question, “What have I learned?”
Then make connections along the following three headings:
Session Facilitation: All students will have the opportunity to facilitate a class discussion. The student will be responsible for leading the class in a 30-minute discussion (including Q & A) of a pivotal Black woman school leader, teacher, or othermother not discussed in class. The conversation should utilize media and must connect to the course readings and include an insightful analysis of impact and effect / affect of the respective Black woman’s motherwork in the schoolhouse. The sign-up sheet is posted here. This discussion accounts for 10 percent of students’ grades.
Portrait: All students will utilize portraiture as a methodological tool to create a portrait / profile of a pivotal Black woman school leader, teacher, or othermother not discussed in class. Students will participate in a writer’s workshop in conjunction with this project and will have an opportunity to publish their profiles on The Center for the Humanities’ website (https://www.centerforthehumanities.org). The writer’s workshop will be led by Carole Saltz, former Director of Teachers College Press. The final and draft profiles account for 20 percent (each) of students’ grades. Draft profiles are due on April 16th (500-750 words). Final profiles are due on May 15th (1000-1250 words).
Weekly Feedback: After each class meeting, specifically before 9 pm, in 2-3 paragraphs students will share what they are thinking / feeling. This weekly feedback is intended to help us better plan the course discussions and, if needed, revised the format and course readings. Please be specific as possible and share what you would like to know more about, what interested / intrigued you, and what, if any, frustration you may have encountered. Also, students should feel free to share ideas to improve the class as meaningful learning is always a collective endeavor. This feedback is considered part of class participation, which accounts for 30 percent of students’ grades.
Learning Journals: Learning Journals are used to support the development of your ability to reflect on and analyze what you have learned in this course. Students must submit two entries. An entry consists of 5-7 pages including a Title page and a Reference page – and contain reflections on the readings, activities, and exercises assigned in this course during the respective week and, where applicable, previous weeks.
In developing a response, focus on the question, “What have I learned?”
Then make connections along the following three headings:
- Text (A) to Self: How has what I read / witnessed / participated in affected my perspective of schools and the process of schooling?
- Text (B) to Text (C): How does Text B compare and / or contrast to Text C?
- Text (D) to World: How has what I read / witnessed / participated in impacted my understanding of US public schools and Black women?
Session Facilitation: All students will have the opportunity to facilitate a class discussion. The student will be responsible for leading the class in a 30-minute discussion (including Q & A) of a pivotal Black woman school leader, teacher, or othermother not discussed in class. The conversation should utilize media and must connect to the course readings and include an insightful analysis of impact and effect / affect of the respective Black woman’s motherwork in the schoolhouse. The sign-up sheet is posted here. This discussion accounts for 10 percent of students’ grades.
Portrait: All students will utilize portraiture as a methodological tool to create a portrait / profile of a pivotal Black woman school leader, teacher, or othermother not discussed in class. Students will participate in a writer’s workshop in conjunction with this project and will have an opportunity to publish their profiles on The Center for the Humanities’ website (https://www.centerforthehumanities.org). The writer’s workshop will be led by Carole Saltz, former Director of Teachers College Press. The final and draft profiles account for 20 percent (each) of students’ grades. Draft profiles are due on April 16th (500-750 words). Final profiles are due on May 15th (1000-1250 words).