Page 60 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

36 M.L. Bentley

• Low student to teacher ratio
• Integration of social justice and environmental education in an interdisciplinary
curriculum
• Infusion of the visual arts, drama, movement, and music into the curriculum.
In starting up, we focused foremost on faculty selection, recognizing that unique
teaching capabilities would be required for enacting the ambitious curriculum. As
it turned out, this was our best decision. The school’s program has evolved from the
collaboration of students, faculty, and educators working in the museum/cultural
community. According to Takahisa and Chaluisan (1995), formerly of the New
York City Museum School:
The Museum School necessarily involves a paradigm shift: requiring new organizational
structures, new role definitions for teachers and museum personnel. Faculty (must have) a
willingness to move in new professional directions, an interest in interdisciplinary learning,
a commitment to urban education, a sense of themselves as learners, an openness to team
teaching and collaborative modes of curriculum development, and a sensitivity to the
school’s diverse community of students and their families.” (p. 24)
Community High School (CHS) (http://www.communityhigh.net) opened in 2002
and now has 60 students. CHS is located in downtown Roanoke in the heart of the
museum and cultural community and now represents a unique local expression of
the “museum school” concept. Today, CHS offers a distinctive learning experience
in an environment of free enquiry and respect for the individual. Its small student
body is diverse and intellectually curious. While most students are college-bound,
they nevertheless have a wide choice of challenging courses and can also pursue
their own interests and can gain hands-on experience through museum and commu-
nity internships. Since they are not locked into classes by age or level, students
develop friendships throughout the student body and are able to work with others of
various ages and both learn from and teach one another. The multiple curricular
offerings and the nurturing environment of the school help students gain self-confidence
and respect for themselves, one another, their teachers, and the environment.

Corporatocracy as the Obstacle to Better Schools

Education is not only about issues of work and economics – as important as these
may be, but also about matters of justice, freedom, and the capacity for democratic
agency, action, and change as well as the related issues of power, exclusion, and
citizenship. Education at its best is about enabling students to take seriously ques-
tions about how they ought to live their lives, uphold the ideals of a just society,
learn how to translate personal issues into public considerations, and act upon the
promises of a strong democracy. (Henry Giroux 2009)
With our high dropout rates some might contend that the USA has a failed public
education system when compared to other industrialized nations. Teachers are often
the scapegoats for those who hold this view, but a much more significant factor is