In a district where 90 percent of students are of color, and the achievement gap is wide, a superintendent is betting that the Black Lives Matter movement can make a difference.
Teachers in Rochester, New York — three quarters of whom are white – are getting cultural training and discussing anti-racist strategies. Students are talking about how racism shapes their lives. District leaders hope the proactive effort to tackle race and racism will make teachers more aware and, in the long run, help student performance.