Stevenson High School in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Lincolnshire, Illinois, announced this week that it is adopting a variety of initiatives that are designed to promote racial justice. In the memo, school administrators praised the activism of students that had recently come together to promote the Black Lives Matter movement.
In a memo that was sent to members of the community, Stevenson High School announced that it is introducing several initiatives to enhance “diversity and inclusion” in the community.
The memo, which was penned by superintendent Eric Twadell and principal Troy Gobble, praises students that have worked together to promote the Black Lives Matter movement. The memo suggests that the Black Lives Matter movement is compatible with the values of the school.
We are very proud of the way our students have recently come together to support the national Black Lives Matter movement. Their actions exemplify our Portrait of a Patriot who: celebrates, honors, and respects diverse people and perspectives; and develops a sense of empathy for those around them. Stevenson’s faculty, staff and administration join our students in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Racism will not be tolerated and will be confronted at Stevenson High School. We will work relentlessly to ensure that our school is a safe and inclusive environment for all students, families, faculty and staff.
Stevenson High School also announced that it has reformed its curriculum to place a greater emphasis on “race and diversity.” These changes have impacted the study of many subjects at Stevenson including history, geography, and constitutional law.
Teachers conducted a Literature Review of the AP US History Textbook from an Asian Critical Race Theory lens and changed the text for the 20-21 school year to provide a full narrative of the contributions of Asian Americans in US history. The Director and the AP US History Team prepared a presentation for the National Council of Social Studies on literary analysis and inquiry activities used to respond to the dearth of Asian American inclusion in many history texts. Additionally, race and diversity are explicit elements of the curriculum in History, Government/Civics, Sociology, Geography, and Constitutional Law courses.
Faculty at Stevenson High School will be forced to participate in an extended series of learning events that are designed to promote “diversity and inclusion.” The learning events will focus on topics such as “microaggressions” “racial bias” in the classroom.
U.S. News & World Report ranks Stevening High School in the top 200 high schools in the nation, and #66 for STEM education. Although Stevenson draws students from a number of nearby communities, its core population resides in the northwest Chicago suburb of Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire’s median income of more than $121,000 is about double the median for Illinois. The median home in Lincolnshire costs more than $525,000, and less than one percent of its residents are black.
Breitbart News reported this week that the prestigious Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, California, had introduced a similar “social justice” initiative. As part of the initiative, faculty members at Harvard-Westlake will be required to participate in “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” training workshops. Additionally, Students will experience a modified curriculum that will replace classic literary works with texts by minority authors.
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