Principal Gibson Case Summary

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Recommended: Managing diversity in the classroom

Principal Gibson provides an example of a school leader who due to his embracing of a colorblind perspective possesses all four lacks. The multiple lacks in responding to the unique needs of students of color are sustained and reinforced by his colorblind perspective. Gibson works at an outer-ring suburban elementary school that has less than 5% students of color. His articulation of identifiable characteristics of his school reveals something of his lack of experience in working with students of color. The purpose of this question was to determine how school leaders identify salient features of their school. The following is the response provided by principal Gibson to the question regarding identifiable characteristics of his school,
Identifiable …show more content…

We do have our gifted population. We have a very small group of students that are advanced—we advance them in math. So they’re taking math courses a year ahead of where their grade level is. And we have, of course, our identified tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 students. Tier 3 probably needs some work, but we do have some additional student that we give more intense and more often interventions to. But we have our [tier] groups that we work with at an identified time each day, and they’re made up mostly of our tier 1, tier 2 kids. But our tier 3 kids do go to special education teachers during tier time. Anything specific I’m missing there that you’d like to ask …show more content…

In addition, he ends by asking me if there are any groups that I desire to highlight. By all indications, a major focus for the response to intervention taken at principal Gibson’s school centers on supporting students receiving special education services. Principal Gibson also demonstrates both a lack of language for thinking and talking about race and thinking about race-conscious practices. Gibson’s lack of thinking about race-conscious practice is profoundly influenced by his acceptance of a colorblind perspective. Principal Gibson, when asked to provide a response to the value that black and Latino students bring to his school, replied,

I think every student brings value to your school, it doesn’t matter to me what race or color you are. I think—so I don’t really specifically think of individual students that way, in what value they bring. I think every single individual kid brings value. I mean, they bring a unique perspective, they bring their own home life culture. All of that, for every student, contributes to what makes a school community a school

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