When students and educators work together to co-create an equitable school climate, the work is not only more relevant to the school’s context but also more sustainable. Informed by the work of their school and student leadership teams, the advisory team at Urban Assembly Maker Academy has a critical role in setting the school climate for their high school. It’s natural that they have also led the school’s integrated approach to equity and anti-racism. In this audiocast, you’ll hear about one powerful approach to their equity practice: storytelling.
Resources to Share
- Where I'm From
The UA Maker advisory team facilitated an activity centered around George Ella Lyon’s “Where I’m From” poem that eventually developed into a schoolwide practice. After reading Lyon’s poem, students wrote about their own experiences using her poem as a template. Staff also participated in this activity during a professional development session, reflecting on strategies to build community in their classrooms. Eventually, teachers and students shared poems with each other.
- 20 Face to Face Advisories
This resource from Learning for Justice suggests 20 advisory activities that expose students to diverse perspectives, guiding them to understand and critically analyze ideas from various cultures through engaging, guided peer-to-peer activities.
- The Purpose of Stories
This guide from NYU’s Teaching and Learning Resources provides a research-based overview of the purpose and steps to using storytelling in lesson plans.
- School Leadership Teams
At UA Maker, School Leadership Teams (SLTs) play an important part in making school cultures more collaborative. This page from the New York City Department of Education is a useful overview of SLTs.
By the Numbers
Urban Assembly Maker Academy
| Location | District 2, Manhattan, NY |
|---|---|
| Number of Students | 435 |
| Student Demographics |
|
| Geographic Setting | Urban |
| Grades Served | 9 - 12 |
| School Model | Traditional Public School |
| Conditions for Equitable Learning & Development | Personal, Learning Environment |
*Student Demographic data sourced from tools.nycenet.edu and nces.ed.gov. NCES lists Latinx as “Hispanic” and Native American as “American Indian.”