SXSWorld
Issue link: https://sxsw.uberflip.com/i/631812
2 6 S X S W o r l d | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6 | S X S W. C O M s the world changes, cultures evolve. Advances in tech- nology and societal paradigm shifts affect not only the way we live, but the way we teach our children, as teachers find ways to relate analog knowledge to an increasingly digital population. Outside of the brick and mortar standard, the rapid increase of alternative, online and home school models has triggered many discussions about how to build new models without incorpo- rating the mistakes of the old paradigm, especially in terms of how to keep students engaged in subject matter. In urban cities, the job of teachers is often made harder by the per- ceived cultural disconnect between what they are teaching, and the children they teach. Class size in overcrowded inner city schools is often presumed to present the biggest road- block to student success. However, while correlation between lower student-to- teacher ratios and higher achievement has been drawn for younger ages, several studies have found that classroom engagement—and not class size—is the larger determinant of success in primary and sec- ondary school. So how do we keep our children engaged in a world of smartphones and HD? Enter hip-hop. Hip-hop is arguably the most dominant cultural force of the last 30 years. It is transformative, deceptively inclusive (despite its over- whelming African-American make-up) and omnipresent in media. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 44% of the teaching population is below 40 years old, with an additional 25% below 50. More than 66% of the teacher population grew up under the hip-hop cultural umbrella. It only makes sense for them to be able to implement elements of the culture into their programming to engage their students. The stories of teachers using hip-hop to connect with their stu- dents are plentiful. From Lynwood, California-based English teacher Alan Sitomer connecting the poetry of Dylan Thomas and the work of Tupac Shakur, to Newark, New Jersey's Kanene Holder connecting Biggie Small's "Mo' Money Mo' Problems" motif with that of the robber barons and the Great Depression, educators have found increasingly inventive ways to incorporate hip-hop into their teaching methods. The success of these educators has led to more initiatives designed to take full advantage of the art form's draw. In 1996, St. Paul, Minnesota, established the High School for the Recording Arts, nicknamed "Hip-Hop High." The school's pillars of project- based learning, business/public partnerships, critical analysis of social issues and physical recording studios are all informed by dif- ferent elements of hip-hop music, business, content and culture. What makes the HSR A so powerful is the school's dedication to reclaiming students who might have slipped through the cracks of the tradi- tional educational system. In New York City, pro- grams like the Urban Arts Partnership, with its Fresh Prep program, have delivered tangible results with their hip-hop-driven model, including 71% of previously failing students subsequently passing their NYS Regents exams. GPAs of CORE students in the program are almost 10% higher than traditional NY Peer Horizon Schools, and the program's graduation rate stands at 100%. "Hip-hop allows kids to have knowledge of self. It's the voice of grit and tenacity," observes James Miles, a UAP educator who goes by the moniker The Fresh Professor. "Our programs allow the estab- lishment of a growth mindset, which fosters individual success. The children realize that they aren't limited to what society thinks they are. It allows them to think outside of the societal norms forecasted for them." Urban Arts Partnership programs employ real hip-hop profes- sional artists who also teach. The result is a bona fide curriculum with instant credibility that can draw in students and be immediately relevant to their lives. The results of this engagement may be reflected in the growing number of minority students graduating high school. In a March 2015 report, the U.S. Department of Education announced that gradua- tion rates of Black and Hispanic students increased by 4% from 2011 to 2013, a bump that surpassed all other measured groups. While it can't be definitively established as the causal factor in that rise, it is not a stretch to assert that the efforts of educators to use hip-hop to connect with their students have had a positive impact. Gone are the days when African-American and Latino students would crack open dated history books and just see the same pictures of Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King. The inclusion of hip-hop into the education process allows these young people to see that their culture and way of life is directly relevant to the greater American experience, with the formerly outlaw rap music telling their stories while now playing in the backgrounds of Target and Apple commercials. Through this connection, inner city students are realizing that immersion in their own culture can take them places further than they ever imagined and offer far deeper options than either the crack rock or the jump shot. T James Miles (aka The Fresh Professor) will be part of the "Can Hip Hop Save Us? Youth & School Culture" panel at SXSWedu, on Wednesday, March 9 at 12:30pm. See sxswedu.com for more details. Hip-Hop Helping to Foster Student Engagement and Success by Odeisel A J a m es M iles A u d r a Th e Ra p p e r