Shomari Jones

Many children have learned racial bias simply through facial recognition by 3 months of age, and prior to age 3, can start developing their own racial biases they see and experience around them. The year 2020 has been riddled with complexities and challenges that have reshaped both how we operate as a society, and how we explore the concept of race and racism in America.

You have to help people understand why it’s the right story (because there are a bunch of stories), and you have to give people a place in the story. That’s my mantra for leadership storytelling. As a teacher, stories operate on many levels: the story you’re telling the kids, the story you’re living with them, and the story the kids bring. The more you can get those stories into the room, the more you build a learning community, and in school, building community and a sense of belonging is vital.

If public schools are unable to address students’ needs, more families might choose to leave, and the resulting enrollment declines could make it even more difficult for schools to serve the students who stay. The headlines are ubiquitous: The New York Times has reported on a “kindergarten exodus” (Goldstein & Parlapiano, 2021); students who were “lost” during remote learning (Goodnough, 2020); and a “seismic hit” to public school enrollments fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic (Hubler, 2022).