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Illinois School Board Journal
November/December 2005

Maryland study circles address race, ethnicity

This article originally appeared in the May 9, 2005, issue of The Bulletin, a district newsletter published by Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools, and is reprinted with permission.

Principals, staff, parents and students throughout Montgomery County Public Schools are praising the Study Circle Program for helping schools and communities address issues related to race and ethnicity.

"Racial and ethnic difference affect our communication, our decision making, and ultimately, the success of our students," said Fred Lowenbach, principal of John F. Kennedy High School. "These issues are not easy to discuss in diverse communities. Participating in a study circle during the fall of 2004 was one of the most helpful things that I could have done in learning about the Kennedy community. Hearing from students, parents and staff members in this informal setting was absolutely invaluable in helping me understand my new school and community."

After two years as a pilot project with the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education, the Study Circles Program became part of the MCPS Department of Instructional Programs in July 2004. The program organizes roundtable dialogues with teachers, parents and students to help participants understand diverse experiences and create unified groups working together for the success of all students.

Twenty-three study circles have been organized over the past two years. While specific goals vary, each study circle uses the same discussion materials, has about 15 participants, is led by two trained facilitators and meets for six two-hour sessions.

"I wanted to invite a diverse population from our community to take a look at the state of our school and make suggestions for change that could impact student achievement," said William Gregory, principal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, which recently completed its first study circle. "But the usual meeting format would not have worked. We needed to find a way to trust each other and understand each other's experiences before delving into the problems and solutions."

While most study circles are school-based, the Wheaton Cluster* has had four clusterwide study circles. Two Wheaton Cluster staff members, Gay Melnick and Shauna Brown, organized the study circles as a first step for a state-sponsored grant they received to increase the number of students in Advanced Placement classes.

"We have one of the most diverse clusters in the county. This diversity makes communication and collaboration much more difficult," said Brown, who is Wheaton High School's AP coordinator. "We believed strongly that any strategy to accomplish the goals of the grant had to be coupled with a process that addresses our differences."

Melnick, who is academic intervention teacher for the Wheaton Cluster, agrees.

"Teachers and parents from different schools and who, in some cases, speak different languages now have a better understanding of the challenges and strong collaborative relationships," she said. "The participants are now working together to create changes at the cluster level as well as the individual school level."

Garrett Park Elementary School teacher Dara Feldman pointed out that it's not just highly diverse schools that need to address these challenges.

"The gap in achievement among students from different backgrounds, uneven parent participation, and a need for cultural understanding among staff and school leadership are issues that every school in Montgomery County faces," she said. "I'm proud of Garrett Park staff and parents for jumping into a study circle to tackle these issues."

At the conclusion of each study circle, participants create action plans and begin working together. For example, participants from King Middle School have begun working in three subcommittees to address school image, student achievement, and parent empowerment and education.

"We began the experience by getting to know one another and sharing our backgrounds," Principal Gregory explained. "We now have 12 people, who normally were not vocal in terms of school improvement issues, coming together to propose actions for our school to consider based upon the review of the data and the shared experiences. This is great!"

The team has now divided into three subcommittees to complete action plans that will be presented to the school leadership and the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA).

"Our work together is making a difference in the lives of our kids," Gregory said.

*Because school districts are organized in Maryland on a countywide basis, a large district such as Montgomery County, just northwest of Washington, D.C., may operate based on clusters of schools, depending on geographic location within the county.