“We’re Not Like That School”

Did you hear about that high school with the obvious race problem?

You know, the one where the n-word still gets used? Where friendships across racial lines are a rarity? The one where the idea of holding an interracial prom — rather than the traditional approach of holding separate proms for blacks and whites — led to lengthy discussions about “safety concerns” and, ultimately, to the presence of armed guards at the school dance?

Welcome to Charleston High School, the subject of the new documentary, Prom Night in Mississippi, which is airing this month on HBO2.

On hearing this story and in watching the film, a first response might be, “Thank goodness we’re not like that school!” But the truth is, your school likely has some things in common with Charleston High.

Teaching Tolerance research has found that educators generally believe their schools are free of racial or ethnic tensions. Yet students describe their schools as “quick to put people in categories” and identify a multitude of boundary lines on their campuses — boundaries of race, of socioeconomic status, of language, of religion, of sexual orientation, even boundaries between “goths” and “preps.” As Charleston High student “Billy Joe” puts it in the film, “This [school] is a place of judgment. You’re judged every day, by every move you make, by the people you talk to.”

Addressing these realities is important not just because schools have an interest in students’ social development, but also because divisions, bullying and exclusion can undermine academic achievement. Schools must address these issues head-on, however uncomfortable, just like the folks in “Prom Night in Mississippi.”

Teaching Tolerance offers two free tools to help school communities begin to identify divisions that may be impacting students’ lives and educational opportunities:

• A survey of school climate (PDF), which can be completed by multiple constituents — i.e., students, teachers, administrators and parents — and helps reveal different perspectives about the inclusiveness of the learning environment.
• The Mix It Up Survey, which asks students to reflect on the lines of division in their schools.

We encourage you to share your ideas with the online community here as well, and we invite you to join in National Mix It Up at Lunch Day on Nov. 10, 2009. This national event serves as an excellent starting point to begin addressing — and bridging — the divisions on your campus.