CULTURALLY RELEVANT INSPIRATION SEAN STRICEK EDU 692: CREATIVITY CULTURE AND GLOBAL CONTEXTS IN EDUCATION DECISION MAKING INSTRUCTOR: DR. SHELIA G. THOMAS FEBRUARY 2, 2016

DAUPHIN COUNTY TECHNICAL SCHOOL Dauphin County Technical School, Harrisburg, PA Total students: 895, 80.3% White, 4% Hispanic, and 15% African American Dauphin County Technical School offers academics that allow for students to prepare for post secondary education as well as prepare them for the workforce. This school offers all of the core curriculum, in addition to certification programs in automotive technology, arts, services industry, and construction. 21 st Century Skills Offered Drafting Design, Diesel Technology, Electronic Technology, and Web Development & Design (DCTS.org, 2016) “Simply stated, some students with learning disabilities are not oriented toward traditional high school learning, so vocational education may advance this segment of the high school population” (Wilson, 2010)

DAUPHIN COUNTY TECHNICAL SCHOOL Learning experiences that reflect cultural relevant pedagogy “Students are helped to see the big picture, major ideas, overall trends and principles” (Wardle, 2013) “Students are actively involved in a variety of heterogeneous groups” (Wardle, 2013) School promotes creativity in the classroom In Dauphin Country Technical School, students can work together to rebuild a diesel or gasoline engine all the way to learning how to care for children in a daycare setting. Teachers promote creativity by allowing students to brainstorm ideas to create solutions to problem solving.

AFFLERBACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Afflerbach Elementary School, Cheyenne, WY Total students: 414, 60.6% White, 32.4% Hispanic, 4.3% Two races or more. 0.7% Pacific Islander, and 0.7% African American Afflerbach Elementary offers before and after school reading and math programs that are not offered throughout the whole state of Wyoming. In addition to reading and math programs, Afflerbach has instituted a free breakfast and lunch program that is paid for by state funds. (Afflerbach.Laramie1.org, 2016) 21 st Century Skills Offered Use of smartboards and tablets for students, ability to design school apparel, and interaction with other elementary schools through video and web chat

AFFLERBACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Learning experiences that reflect cultural relevant pedagogy “The school leadership and staff commit to a culture that is based on shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning and supports challenging, equitable educational programs and learning experiences for all students that include achievement of learning, thinking, and life skills”(Laramie1.org, 2016) Creativity Working with my children, who attend Afflerbach, creativity is being developed by students with science projects, story telling (students get to write their own stories and submit them four times per year), and working in groups to create projects that deal with the culture of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

CENTRAL DAUPHIN EAST MIDDLE SCHOOL Central Dauphin East Middle School, Harrisburg, PA Total students: 414, 34.8 % African American, 33.6% White, 15.7% Hispanic, 8.9% Two Races or more, 6.4% Asian Central Dauphin East Middle School offers classes to prepare students for post secondary education to continue to high school. This school also offers programs to help students enroll in Dauphin County Technical School. Student are able to take elective classes at Dauphin County Technical School in the ninth grade to see if the school is right for them (Cdschools.org, 2016) 21 st Century Skills Offered This school offers students classes in computer labs and technology education (Cdschools.org, 2016)

CENTRAL DAUPHIN EAST MIDDLE SCHOOL Learning experiences that reflect cultural relevant pedagogy Students can work together in multiple organizations within the school to better their cultural understanding of each other. Students are encouraged to write articles for the school paper and be active in the many clubs the school offers. Creativity Creativity is created in numerous classroom settings. Central Dauphin East Middle School offers computer classes that are designed to help student critical thinking skills. Furthermore, the technology programs that are offered allow students to build everything from computers to repairing televisions. (Cdschools.org, 2016)

References: Central Dauphin East Middle School. (2016). Retrieved from Dauphin County Technical School. (2016). Academics. Retrieved from Afflerbach Elementary School. (2016). Afflerbach Elementary. Retrieved from onid=ccf37d64e3507e0ae97dcd9e021ab5c3&sessionid=ccf37d64e3507e0ae97dcd9e021ab5c3 onid=ccf37d64e3507e0ae97dcd9e021ab5c3&sessionid=ccf37d64e3507e0ae97dcd9e021ab5c3 Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. 4, 112. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Wilson, D. H. (2010). Vocational education in high schools: A future outlook