Summative Assessment & Taking Informed Action

In the three-step process for “Taking Informed Action,” students consider how to apply lessons from their study of the pursuit of educational justice in Boston in the 1960s and 1970s to their local community today. The three activities associated with the informed action ask students to a) UNDERSTAND the issues evident from the inquiry in a larger and/or current context, b) ASSESS the relevance and impact of the issues, and c) ACT in ways that allow students to demonstrate agency in a real-world context. We encourage educators to modify the informed action to suit their unique classroom context and the needs and interests of their students.

What can we learn from Boston’s past about what it takes to make progress toward educational justice today? 

In a format of your choice (e.g., digital presentation, poster, essay), discuss two to three actions taken by Bostonians in the 1960s and 1970s as part of their pursuit of educational justice for all of the city’s children. Explain how each example offers lessons or inspiration for those who continue to fight today for educational justice in Boston, your community, or in the United States. 

You have built understanding through the supporting questions and formative tasks. You may do additional research about challenges facing public schools in Boston or other places today.

Building on the self, text, and world connections you made in Supporting Question 2, as well as the past and present comparisons you made in Supporting Question 4, identify a challenge related to educational justice that your community experiences today. If you identified multiple challenges, choose one to work with for this activity.

Once you’ve identified a challenge to educational justice, research answers to the following questions: 

• How is this challenge impacting young people in your community?
• What are the root causes of this challenge?
• Which individuals, groups, organizations, or leaders have the power to address this challenge? What should they do?
• What new sources of power can you or others seek to cultivate in order to address this challenge? 
• What lessons from history might inform or inspire us as we address this challenge to educational justice today?

Engage more deeply with your community about the challenge to educational justice by taking one or more of the following actions:

• Interview a community member about the challenge to educational justice that your community is experiencing. Your interviewee might be someone who is directly affected by the challenge, a community leader who has power to directly address the challenge, or an activist who is starting or participating in a campaign to solve the issue. Report back to the class what you learn from the interview, or invite the interviewee to class to discuss educational justice in your community with the entire class.
• Create a class position paper that (1) describes the challenge to educational justice your community is facing, (2) explains why it must be addressed, and (3) identifies actions that members of your community—including yourself—should take. Consider sending the position paper to one or more community members who have power or influence to address the challenge, or to a local newspaper or website.