The Shift Towards Street Data

Co-writtten by Shane Safir & Jessica Wei Huang

A few weeks ago, Jamila, Shane, and I facilitated a sold-out Street Data Fundamentals workshop. This was our first time running a PD where a majority of educators work in international schools — about 2/3rds — alongside folks from the U.S. and Canada. In today’s blog, Shane Safir and I will share some emergent lessons on dominant culture in schooling with an eye on the international school context.

Shane’s reflection:

It was so cool to test drive Street Data tools with folks from a diverse range of contexts! We witnessed high engagement, a hunger for the content, and an undercurrent of pain from educators of color in international schools who often feel marginalized and alienated despite DEIJ (Diversity Equity Inclusion and Justice) being the initiative du jour.

The unique mix of learners called on us to add nuance and texture to the workshop, including deeper connections to how colonialism manifests in international school settings. This experience brought me back to 2010–11, the year I taught at an international school outside of Amman, Jordan (when my now 12 and 16-year olds were 1 and 4!). There was no “DEIJ” language on campus, and the cross-cultural dynamics of a predominantly local, Jordanian staff alongside a handful of expats like us were really complex. As an English teacher and colleague to veteran local staff, I experienced a steep learning curve when it came to navigating local cultural norms. Looking back, I still reflect…