1

DRAFT
Practicing Psychology in Challenging Times: Schools and the Ferguson
Crisis
There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats
its children. Nelson Mandela, May 8, 1995

In a November 25, 2014 article, author Adam Taylor of the Washington

Post wrote, The killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., by police officer
Darren Wilson has made the Midwestern U.S. city a focal point for the world's
media British news outlets covered the night extensively: In the past few
months, a number had sent war correspondents to cover the violent protests and
the militarized police response. Race tensions flare as officer is cleared, ran the
headline on the Times of Londons Website, featuring a picture of protesters kicking

the window of a St. Louis police car.

There is no doubt that in 2014 the crisis in Ferguson, Missouri became
world news topics such as racial strife, community violence, civil unrest, and
how well or how poorly the police handled the unrest in Ferguson filled the
headlines. And yet, of 633 articles that appeared in the New York Times about
the Michael Brown shooting and resulting crisis in the St. Louis area, only 9 or
1.4 percent were about children and youth in schools. This is a surprisingly low
percentage of articles; of the more than 1.5 million people who live in the greater
St. Louis area, more than 237,000 are children and youth who are enrolled in
state-sponsored public and charter schools. Furthermore, a month before his
death, a teenager named Mike Brown was still a high school student.

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For the psychologists and psychology students who work in St. Louis area
schools, the major concern was how to support children and youth in area
schools during extremely challenging times. In order to understand and help
young people in the St. Louis area during this Ferguson crisis, twenty-one
Webster University students and two professors drew upon their research skills
and their knowledge of psychology, especially developmental, educational and
school psychology as well as childrens rights, an emerging emphasis for school
psychology.
Childrens Cognitive and Social-Emotional Development Overlooked
The psychologists and psychology students found that the best interests
of children were almost forgotten during the Ferguson crisis. In the United States
most adults, especially those in leadership positions, ignored childrens reactions
to the Michael Brown shooting and the subsequent crisis. Even the highest
quality U.S. mass media, such as the New York Times and National Public Radio
(NPR), failed to give appropriate consideration to the needs of children and
youth. A review of 205 radio shows found that NPR devoted less than 4% of its
radio programming about the Ferguson crisis to understanding the impact on
children and youth in schools.
Table 1 summarizes the insights of stage theories on how children of
different ages might understand of the death of Michael Brown and the resulting
crisis in Ferguson. All who have studied developmental psychology have
knowledge of the stage theories of childrens cognitive and social-emotional

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development, especially Piagets theories. The stage theories are especially
helpful for understanding age-related reactions to death, devastation, crisis, and
war. This table summarizes childrens age-related responses to deaths in
families, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the crisis of the 9/11 terror attacks,
and the wars in Iraq and Bosnia (Brown, Mistry, & Bigler, 2007; Himebauch,
Arnold, & May, 2008; Hughes, Bigler & Levy, 2007; Stiles, 2000; Webb, 2005;
Westmoreland, 1996).
Table 1. Childrens Understanding of Death, Devastation, Crisis, and War
Ages
0 - 2 years

Characteristic responses
Sensori-motor stage
There is no cognitive understanding of death, but a grief reaction is
possible.

3 - 6 years

Preoperational stage
Young children have been described as egocentric and illogical in their
thinking. They may be very fearful as a result of traumatic events
because they dont have the conceptual tools to understand them.
Studies about young children, the war in Bosnia, and the attacks on
9/11, found that introducing art, puppetry, and doll play helps young
children to express themselves.
Young children may view death as temporary or link death with sleep.
They may think that they are responsible for death.
Their typical feelings range from worry to intense fear.

7-11 years

Concrete operational stage

There are significant social, emotional and intellectual advances that
are seen in children in this stage.
Although they still think that death happens to other people (mainly to
old people who are frail), they begin to realize that death is final,
irreversible, and universal.
Studies about 9/11 and children of this age group found that they
benefit from writing tributes and poems for those who have died.
Children 7 to 11 years sometimes joke about death as a cover.
There may be outbursts of anger and fighting.

12 + years

Formal operational stage

During adolescence thinking takes wings and young people begin to
think abstractly and to reflect on their present lives and their futures.
Adolescents have significant growth in political and moral
understanding and they can understand the complexities of war and
devastation.
Research about the devastation of Hurricane Katrina found that
younger children can understand the negative effects of interpersonal

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DRAFT
racism, but adolescents can also understand the harm caused by
institutional racism.
Adolescents are curious about the existential implications of death.
They worry about re-occurrence or repercussions and they often have
strong emotions.

Table 1 emphasizes the likely age-related differences in childrens

responses to the death of Michael Brown and the resulting crisis. There are also
commonalities in responses; all age groups tend to feel a loss of trust in adults
and fear the event may occur again.
Child Rights, Non-discrimination, and Learning about Racism Important.
Child Rights. In the past few years, psychologists and psychology
students are directing more of their attention to the 1989 United Nations
Convention for the Rights of the Child. Recently, six U.S. and international school
psychology-related journals wrote articles about child rights in order to advance
the understanding and application of a childrens rights approach for psychology
in the schools (Kosher, Jiang, Ben-Arieh, & Huebner, 2014, p. 7-8). School
psychologists must be aware of the articles in the Convention for the Rights of
the Child and they must respect and protect childrens rights at all levels of
practice (Kosher, et al., 2014). Articles 29 and 12 lay the groundwork for
schools in which all students feel respected, respect others, and have the skills to
succeed (Fiorvanti & Brassard, 2014, p. 351).
All of the rights identified by the United Nations Convention for the Rights
of the Child are relevant to this discussion of the Ferguson crisis, especially
Article 2: (Non-discrimination), Article 12: (Right to be Heard and Participate) and

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DRAFT
Article 29: (Goals of Education). Article 2 explains that no child should be treated
unfairly on any basis and that racial discrimination is prohibited. Article 12 asserts
that a child has the right to have opinions and the right to express those views
freely in matters affecting him or her. Article 29 emphasizes that educations
goals include helping all children to learn to live peacefully and to respect their
own and other cultures. Articles 2, 12, and 29 of the 1989 United Nations
Convention for the Rights of the Child were elaborated on in a 2001 United
Nations conference. One of the themes of the United Nations 2001 World
Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related
Intolerance focused on education measures aimed at the eradication of racism.
Non-discrimination, racism, and goals of education. Knowledge
about racism is a critical component of educational curricula and contemporary
race relations (Hughes, Bigler, and Levy, 2007, p. 1689). And yet, according to
St. Louis area educators, students in St. Louis have a very limited knowledge of
American history. As described by one St. Louis middle school administrator, I
had one kid come [into my office and look at a poster on the wall] and say, I
dont understand whos Jim Crowe? What are Jim Crowe Laws? This young
teenage student did not know that, in the Jim Crow era, racist images were used
as propaganda against African Americans and for justifying violence. The middle
school students reaction to the poster suggests that St. Louis schools have not
done an adequate job of teaching children about the history, struggles, and
accomplishments of all races.

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DRAFT
Non-discrimination, racism, and goals of education. In todays
society, this distinction between a race should not matter perspective and a
race does not matter perspective has become distorted. Neville refers to the
definition of color-blindness as the idea that race should not and does not
matter (Neville, 2000, p. 60). While the notion that race should not and does not
matter fits nicely with the American value of individual membership above group
membership, it is simply a standard that this country has yet to achieve.
St. Louis is racially segregated. According to the East-West Gateway
Council of Governments, St. Louis ranks sixth in the nation with regards to
segregation in a metropolitan area. There can be no doubt that race does matter
in the St. Louis area where racism, especially unintentional and unconscious
racism, effects local institutions including schools. The leaders of many St. Louis
area elementary and secondary schools attempt to adopt a color-blind approach
to racial differences. The color-blind approach to racial understanding can be
unintentionally harmful to children. [Color-blind] strategies leave children to
construct hypotheses about causal links among race, class, and victimization
without adult input (Brown, Mistry, & Bigler, 2007, p. 202).
Our study of schools and the Ferguson crisis. The present study
includes data analysis of 54 St. Louis schools responses to the Ferguson crisis,
reviews of Ferguson lesson plans and other curricula, and in depth interviews
with inspirational school administrators and a description of a school district that
got it right.
Method

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DRAFT
Participants
Most of the participants in this study were not people. Data were
gathered from 54 schools, 5 sources of lesson plans and curricula about
Ferguson, and interviews with two administrators in St. Louis schools.
News stories, press releases, and anecdotal evidence from educators
provided the information from 54 St. Louis area schools. The sample of 54
schools included 28 elementary schools and 26 secondary schools; 49 of the
schools were public schools and 5 were independent schools.
Our study of 54 schools was a sample of convenience and does not
necessarily represent the entire St. Louis area. In all, there are approximately
358 schools in the St. Louis area. This includes approximately 313 public schools
and 45 independent schools.
Among the 54 schools studied, the distance of the schools from Ferguson
ranged from 0 miles to 47 miles. The percentages of African-American students
in the 54 schools studied ranged from 4% to 100%.
Two of the sources of lesson plans and curricula on Ferguson were found
on the internet; three sources were provided by public school teachers.
The human participants were an assistant principal and a school
superintendent who volunteered to be interviewed. Both administrators identify
as African American. The assistant principal works in a school in St. Louis City
and the superintendent works in a district in St. Louis County.

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Analysis of School Data
Schools were categorized according to grade level, distance from
Ferguson, percentage of African-American students, the extent of the schools
response, and the psychological and educational benefits of the schools
response. Schools were rated from the least extensive, .5 to most extensive, 3
and from the least beneficial, .5 to most beneficial. 3. An example of a school that
offered a least extensive and least beneficial response was a school that
forbade students and staff to have any discussion of the crisis in Ferguson. An
example of a school that offered a most extensive and most beneficial was the
school district described later in this article as the school district that Got It
Right.
. Inter-judge agreement was 85% for how extensive the response was and 93%
for how beneficial the response was.
Procedure for Interviews
Semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded for accurate portrayal of
the educators thoughts. The interviews lasted 20 to 30 minutes. Interviews were
transcribed. Each participant had a chance to review the transcript of their
comments before such comments are submitted as part of the research.
Interview Questions
The following questions were posed to the interviewees:

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1) How did your school administration/faculty respond at the beginning when the crisis
first happened? Is your schools response aligned with the districts overall response, or is
it unique in some way(s)?
2) How did your student population respond to this crisis?
3) Did you develop any lesson plans or curricula related to the crisis? If so, would you be
willing to share those with us?
4) What resources were made available to students in response to the crisis? Were any
of these resources psychologically beneficial?
5) Did you have any outside resources come in, or were teachers provided any support
or training following the crisis? If so, what was provided?
6) Has the schools response changed since the beginning, and if so, in what way(s)?
7) Do you have any official procedures for following the verdict, and if so, what are they?
8) Does your school have a response if the parents ask any questions regarding this
crisis? If so, what is the response?
9) What would you do if a parent asked about the response to the crisis or expressed
concerns regarding the schools (or districts) emergency procedures?
10) Is there anything else you would like to share?

Results and Discussion

Data from Fifty-four Schools
The percentage of African-American students in the 54 schools studied
ranged from 4% to 100%. Results are that distance from Ferguson and
percentage of African-American students were negatively correlated, r(52) = - 58,
p =.000. This statistic reflects the racial segregation of the St. Louis area and of
the St Louis area schools. A related finding is that correlations between school
distance from Ferguson and the extent of schools responses were negative,
somewhat low, but statistically significant (r = -.27, p = .048).

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Table 2 presents a summary of intercorrelations among the benefits and
extent of 54 schools responses, their distance from Ferguson, and the
percentages of African American students in those schools.
Table 2
Summary of Intercorrelations: Benefits and Extent of Schools Responses, Miles from Ferguson,
and Percentages of African American Students

1. Psychologically
Beneficial
Response

---

2. Extent of
Response

.90

__

-.14

-.27*

__

.04

.27*

-.58***

3. Miles from
Ferguson

4. % African
American

__

Notes: Intercorrelations for schools (n = 54) are presented above. Correlations greater than + .26
are significant at p<.05 (2-tailed) and correlations greater than + .57 are significant at p<.001
(2-tailed)

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In general, the responses from the 54 St. Louis area schools studied to
the Ferguson crisis were minimal, even from 6 of the predominantly African
American schools (more than 95% of their students identifying as Black).
Examples of minimal responses include a moment of silence in the name of
peace, school staff being told that they are not allowed to voice their opinions,
and teachers told to change the subject and refocus the students whenever
Ferguson comes up. Correlations between percentage of American-American
students and the extent of schools responses were positively correlated,
somewhat low, but statistically significant (r = .27, p = .046). Correlations
between percentage of American-American students and the likely
psychoeducational benefits of those responses were very low and not statistically
significant (r = .04; p = .757). This suggests that the extent of schools responses
was somewhat related to the percentage of African American students, but how
successfully the schools dealt with the Ferguson crisis was not related to the
ethnic/racial composition the student population.
Overall, it appears that secondary schools provided slightly better
responses than elementary schools. When compared with elementary schools,
the responses of secondary schools were more extensive (p = .043) and more
beneficial (p = .030). Differences between elementary and secondary are shown
in Table 3.
Table 3

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How Extensive and How Beneficial Schools Responses Were to the Crisis in
Ferguson, Missouri: Means and Standard Deviations for Elementary Versus Secondary
Schools

Extensive

Beneficial

Elementary

28

1.23 (.78)

1.09 (.73)*

Secondary

26

1.71 (.98)

1.62 (.99)*

________________________________________________________________
Note. * indicates significant difference at *p < .05

Of the 54 schools studied, only 7 schools provided a school-wide

responses that were deemed to provide positive and meaningful
psychoeducational benefits for students. Of the 54 schools studied, only 7
schools provided a school-wide responses that were judged to be psychologically
helpful and educationally meaningful for students.

Ferguson Lesson Plans and Developmentally Appropriate Curricula

In late November and early December 2014, some St. Louis area teachers
were provided with support materials that included Ferguson lesson plans from
two websites: www.teachablemoment.org and
https://sites.google.com/site/fergusonlessonplans/. These lessons plans came from

two places: the Morningside Center in New York City and a Teach for America
website in St. Louis.

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Teachable Moment. Established in 1982, Morningside Center began as
Educators for Social Responsibility Metropolitan Area, with the goal of increasing
the peace in the wake of the nuclear war. Their programs, once geared at
students in New York City public schools, have now expanded and Morningside
Center works hand in hand with educators to help young people develop the
values, personal qualities, and skills they need to thrive and contribute to their
communitiesfrom the classroom to the world. Presently, at the forefront of
their site, www.teachablemoment.org, is a link to lessons created and collected
since the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. Each of the six lessons,
along with guidelines for having controversial conversations in the classroom,
contains step-by-step instructions for teachers who wish to take advantage of the
teachable moments these events have sparked within our society. The lessons
encourage teachers to facilitate open and honest discussions about the events
that may then lead to a brainstorming of the necessary changes that need to take
place.
Five of the six Teachable Moment lessons are intended for high school
students. One of the lessons What is justice? What is peace? can be
used with either middle school or high school students. None of the lesson plans
are for elementary students.
Teach for America website. Similar to the Morningside Center,
educators from Teach for America posted lesson plans on a website. They
created a Google site (found at https://sites.google.com/site/fergusonlessonplans/)
that contains many lesson plans available to educators that can be utilized to aid

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in the discussion and understanding of the events in Ferguson. This site is titled,
Justice for Mike Brown: Lesson Plans and Resources. The lesson plans are
separated by grade level and plans are available for lower and upper elementary,
middle school and high school classrooms.
A closer look at the Ferguson lesson plans reveals that these plans are
also geared for secondary school students and not elementary. The Teach for
America lesson plan called Facing History and Ourselves is recommended for
lower and upper elementary, middle school and high school classrooms, but the
plan is not adapted for the social-emotional and cognitive needs of elementary
school students and there are no suggestions on how to do this.
The Facing History and Ourselves lesson plan has five questions and
all five questions are too abstract and cognitively advanced for the lower
elementary grades. The very first question in the Facing History and
Ourselves lesson plan is frightening, What are your greatest frustrations
regarding Michael Browns murder? It is hard to imagine this question being
posed to first, second, or third graders. For children in the six to eight year old
age group, Death is often personalized or personified. Anger toward the
deceased or towards those perceived to have been unable to save the deceased
can occur. Anxiety, depressive symptoms, and somatic complaints may be
present. The child often has fears about death and concerns about safety
(Himebauch, Arnold, & May, 2008, p. 242). Asking young children at school,
What are your greatest frustrations regarding Michael Browns murder? could
be upsetting, confusing, and even psychologically damaging to children.

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According to the Teach for America website, the lesson plan, Facing
History and Ourselves, seeks to give students a safe outlet, but for early
childhood children, this lesson plan does not provide psychological safety that is
necessary for learning at school. We know from developmental stage theories
(See Table 1) and from our own school-based experiences that asking the
question, What are your greatest frustrations regarding Michael Browns
murder? could prompt feelings of fear, anxiety, and worry in early childhood age
students. One kindergarten teacher read a Martin Luther King Jr. story to her
class that elicited such feelings. When I got to the page where he gets shot,
several of my students gasped, covered their eyes, and later told me that they
did not like that part of the story (Lauren Klaus, Personal Communication,
January 22, 2015). Most children who are 5-years-old do not have the cognitive
skills to understand a shooting death. (See Table 1).
Lesson plans for elementary school. Some teachers in the St. Louis
area did create lesson plans about Ferguson that are developmentally
appropriate for elementary students. One shining example is from a third grade
teacher who described how she and her elementary school responded:
When the crisis in Ferguson occurred, my elementary school decided to reach out to the
children in the Ferguson community. The children in our school knew that in the St. Louis area
there were children who couldn't start school because of violence happening in their community.
The students in grades K-5 were encouraged to make welcome back cards for the students in
the Ferguson-Florissant School District. In school we discussed the gesture of giving a card. How
a card can comfort, welcome, or cheer another person up depending on the situation.
We didn't stop acknowledging the Saint Louis communities and racial issues after

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sending the cards off. As educators we felt it was important for students to become aware of all
communities in which they live not just their own school and neighborhood. With that being said,
my grade-level team discussed where we can fit in important topics such as segregation,
prejudice, and current events [into third grade reading and social studies lessons]. We [teachers]
are aware that it is difficult to incorporate another thing into our day or curriculum, which is why
we took the time to modify and differentiate the current curriculum. [Described here is one of the
many activities that we] have been able to create that help students become aware of prejudice,
and racial issues in the world.
[In December we began preparing for the celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.] Before introducing the discussion of the life of Dr. King to our third graders, we asked
the students what they knew about this man. Teachers allowed all responses without corrections.
We could see the awe in children's faces as they listened to one another and seemed to be
thinking, "How could it be that our world was once like that?" or "Some of these things still
happen." The lesson plan proceeded as described in the following:
1. After everyone expressed their opinion about Martin [Luther King, Jr.], we read
the book, Martin's Big Words. The children listened and watched as Martin dealt with
segregation and prejudice in his childhood to adulthood (We had discussed the
definitions of segregation, racism and prejudice). They listened to the words, "Martin
protested in peace, using words, not violence."
2. After reading we again opened up for discussion. The children were prompted to
share their opinion on what Dr. King did for our world and what his dreams meant
(Students had been taught the different between fact and opinion for reading this same
week so we incorporated this skill into our discussion). Students pointed out the
following: some of their friends would not be at school with them, he used words and not
violence, everyone is equal, do not judge people by their skin or how they look. As
educators it made us proud to hear our students reflect on changes Dr. King made for
them or things he did that are important to do in todays world.
3. We deepened the discussion on protesting with words of peace instead of

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violence and the impact this can make on individuals in a community. Students gave
examples of protest they could organize and protest that have occurred that they know
about.
4. Finally, we encourage students to summarize Dr. King's dreams, write their own
dreams for our world today, and brainstorm five good deeds they would do for others that
will make the world a better place.

This lesson was a perfect introduction for persuasive writing. The students could
persuade others why their dreams will help make the world a better place and how others
will benefit from it. This lesson also focused on our reading skill fact and opinion.
Students were able to express their opinion about Dr. King's words and actions and how
they impact us today or relate to the world we live in. (Kathleen S. Reft, personal
communication, January 5, 2015).

Why these third-grade Ferguson lessons plans and curricula are

so beneficial. The lessons and activities described above demonstrate that it is
possible to address topics such segregation, prejudice, and the events in
Ferguson within the early elementary school grades. If the discussions are
guided by adults who are aware of the cognitive and social-emotional needs of
young children, these topics can be addressed without upsetting, confusing, and
frightening children.
These third-grade Ferguson lessons plans and curricula are also excellent
because they support childrens rights by giving children a voice (Article 12: Child
Rights to Participate and Be Heard) and by giving them the skills to build positive
relationships with one another (Article 29: Child Rights in Education).
Furthermore, these lessons demonstrate that it is not necessary to ignore

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race and pursue a color blind approach in the elementary school curriculum.
Brown, Mistry, and Bigler (2007, p. 202) studied African American childrens
understanding of Hurricane Katrina found that color blind educational strategies
were potentially damaging in that they leave children to construct hypotheses
about causal links among race, class, and victimization without adult input.

Lesson plans for secondary school. The first question in Teach for
Americas Facing History and Ourselves lesson plan, What are your greatest
frustrations regarding Michael Browns murder?, is a frightening question for
elementary school students, but it is not a good question for secondary students
either. Teachers should not refer to Michael Browns death as murder or as not
murder. They should teach teenagers to critically analyze evidence and to draw
their own conclusions. Open-ended questions are much better and secondary
students enjoy discussing events. Here are two examples of open-ended,
thought-provoking questions from the lesson plan called, What Happened in
Ferguson and Why? from the Teachable Moment website:
What do you know about what happened in Ferguson, Missouri, in August?
What do you think the author, Zoe Carpenter, means by Ferguson not being the heart of
the crisis so much as a capillary finally burst"?

One middle school in St. Louis had school-wide curricular responses that
were truly beneficial for secondary students. This middle school incorporated the
Ferguson crisis into the curriculum and promoted the following child rights:
Article 2: Non-discrimination, Article 12: Childs Rights to Participate and Be

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Heard, and Article 29: Child Rights in Education. This middle school did not
ignore race and pursue a color blind approach; the school allowed students to
protest and they used the Ferguson crisis as an educational opportunity.
This middle school had a Teen Summit in which the students studied the
events leading up to the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, the resulting
unrest, and the response by the media, police, and community. This school
provided opportunities for young teens to engage in dialogue with adults
including educators, counselors, news media, clergy, law enforcement, and civic
leaders. Students prepared questions beforehand to ask the panel members. A
power point overview of the events leading up to the Mike Brown protests was
shown after the panelists were introduced. Historical events from the Civil Rights
movement were included as well as strong visual images that portrayed the
unrest and uncertainties of past and present experiences.
After the introductions and the power point presentation, pre-selected
students were called upon to present their questions. For each question that was
asked, at least three perspectives were given from various panelists. Students
were provided with historical context from the Civil Rights lawyer who practiced in
Mississippi during actual events and protests of the Civil Rights movement. They
were also addressed by an ACLU attorney who spoke of rights and legal options
for today. An African-American police officer was able to speak about the
students fear and distrust of the law enforcement community and the officer
informed them of the positive actions of police officers. The students were told
about the opportunities and rewards of making a difference in their communities

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by going into law enforcement. A reporter described the on-the-ground events of
the protests and conveyed the feelings of anger felt by many of Mike Brown
supporters. A civil rights leader affirmed the students feelings of indignation and
encouraged students to make a difference by making sure their parents voted,
enabling their voices to be heard beyond the protests.
After the Teen Summit, students were asked to write down their feelings in
a journal format. Students were assured that this assignment was an informal
writing prompt and that they were not to worry about grammar and spelling. The
goal was for students to record their reactions and feelings about the Teen
Summit, ask enduring questions, and to record how the events of the Mike Brown
shooting made them feel as it related to their safety and security in their
communities.
Later on in November this middle school allowed students to protest and
used the protest as an opportunity for teaching and learning. As explained by the
schools assistant principal,
We want middle school [kids to know that they have rights and that they can
speak up for their rights. At our school] we had a two-minute moment of silence and then
we had a layout for 5 minutes. Kids were able to lay in hallway or in the classroom and
protest what was going on.
The thing that a lot of kids could not really articulate was: why are they were
walking out and what they were trying to accomplish. I said, How many of you have read
the grand jury documents? Two or three kids raised their hand. So I asked the kids who

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[admitted] they didnt read the grand jury document, How can you make an educated
decision?

Through the Teen Summit and other school activities including the schoolbased protests and discussions this school encouraged the students to critically
analyze evidence and to draw their own conclusions. This school recognized that
in early adolescence, teenagers often welcome opportunities to ask questions,
be reflective, and write down their thoughts in journals. Although young
adolescents mature at different rates, many youth want to participate and discuss
their identities, their values, and their emerging political beliefs.
The brilliance of this schools approach was that the school guided the
students and the school did not leave [middle school] children to construct
hypotheses about [race and racism] without adult input (Brown et al., 2007).
The School District that Got It Right
One school district was already highly invested in spreading ideas on
social justice long before the events in Ferguson. The leaders of this school
district began working together as an administrative team two months before the
Michael Brown shooting. The superintendent of this district explained, Back in
June of this year, I took my administrative team to Memphis to launch our work
together on social justice and equity. I really wanted to take them out of their
comfort zone and go to a place where we could really focus on difficult and
courageous conversations around social justice and equity. We went to the civil
rights museum to launch a lot of those conversations and part of our work that

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were studying, the text is Leading for Social Justice: Transforming Schools
for All Learners.
Then August came, and the news reports and everything that was going
on was quite shocking but I felt that my administration team, as much as you
could be, was grounded and confident to begin the conversations. The first thing
that happened was I sent out a letter to everyone, to my staff, to my parents, and
to the broader community, how we felt about this and what we were going to do.
This local school district has made a concerted effort at all grade levels to
address the crisis. Their determined actions began with a letter from the
superintendent to parents in the district in which she assured them that staff
members were committed to supporting the students and families. Counseling
services, open discussions, and the formation of a club devoted to positive social
relations across all boundaries of difference were revealed as parts of the overall
objective to promote dialogue and social justice.
The responses of this school district were developmentally appropriate
(See Table 1). The Early Childhood Center participated in an area-wide effort
known as Hearts for Ferguson wherein all 11,000 students in the FergusonFlorissant School District were intended to receive a heart to symbolize
community support. At the middle school level, select students took part in an allday experiential discussion on diversity and equality. The high school students
are those for whom the new club entitled Student Group on Race Relations was
founded, and they meet weekly to discuss topics related to race. At this school

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district students were given a voice and felt that their schools and the community
cared about what they wanted to say. Parents felt comfortable asking questions
and the district was there to offer them answers. The district was not afraid to
face this crisis and wanted to make sure their community had an understanding
of what was going on. For good reason, as highlighted in the superintendents
letter, this district is a shining example of inclusiveness and diversity, and
through their core values, they seek to overcome the social, cultural, and
educational barriers that members of our diverse population may experience.
Conclusion
During the Ferguson crisis the mass media focused on police
militarization, violent protests, looting, peaceful protests, the economic struggles
that bushiness faced, and the government response to the shooting. The mass
media ignored the impact of the Michael Brown shooting and the resulting crisis
on children and youth in schools. Of the 54 schools studied, very few schools
provided responses that were judged to be psychologically helpful and
educationally meaningful for St. Louis area students. Secondary schools
provided slightly better responses than elementary schools.
One school district was proactive, child-centered, and already committed
to have courageous conversations about race. This school district made a
concerted and developmentally appropriate effort at all grade levels to address
the crisisand.

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References
Hughes JM, Bigler RS, Levy SR. 2007. Consequences of learning about historical racism among European
American and African American children. Child Dev. 78:1689705

Brown, Mistry, & Bigler, 2007; Himebauch, Arnold, & May, 2008; Hughes, Bigler &
Levy, 2007; Stiles, 2000; Webb, 2005; Westmoreland, 1996
Stiles, D.A. (Producer and Narrator). (2000). Psychologists Interpretations of
Childrens Drawings of War. (Available from Webster University, 470
East Lockwood, St. Louis, MO 63119).

References
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Neville, H. (2000). Construction and validation
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Journal of Counseling Psychology,47 (1), 59-70.
United Nations General Assembly. (1989).
Convention on the rights of the child. Retrieved from
http://www.
ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx

United Nations General Assembly. (1989). Convention on

the rights of the child. Retrieved from http://www.
ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx