Demands for Justice: Cardozo Students Pursue Equity and Justice in D.C. Public Schools

By Kimberly Ellis

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously stated, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” This demand for a better world is doggedly pursued by students in Beth Barkley’s Human Rights and Social Justice class at Cardozo Education Campus (DCPS). Officially meeting every other day (and unofficially every day when students get permission from their other teachers), the class uses their time in a variety of ways. Most recently, students have been committed to organizing for equity and justice in not only their school, but all DCPS schools.

Students began the course by exploring equity and discussing what it meant to them. They then identified equity issues both at their school and in the district at large. Students brainstormed solutions to these problems and created videos to call people to action. Students initially shared these equity videos solely with their principal, Arthur Mola. They were encouraged to present to the DCPS Equity Action and Advisory Committee and at a DCPS Central Office meeting. In these videos, students described the various equity issues of importance to them and proposed solutions. After presenting these videos, they became more than a class project, but a commitment to organizing for equity and justice in DCPS schools around three key equity issues: standardized testing, social workers, and school food. As Barkley reflected, at the outset, the class did not plan on spending this much time organizing around the specific issues in students’ initial equity videos. However, once the exploration of different topics began, they built on the momentum and let their passions and pursuits guide them. This passion has led to students convening several meetings over the past few months with stakeholders, including Cardozo administration, SodexoMagic (DCPS’ food provider), the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), and D.C. Public Schools Central Office.

Food Justice Meeting

On December 8, 2021, students convened a food justice meeting, gathering representatives from Cardozo, SodexoMagic, DC Public Schools Central Office, and OSSE. In preparation for this meeting, students collected 122 student testimonies from all programs and academies within Cardozo. They even reached out to students at other schools in DCPS, like Columbia Heights Education Campus. Students researched food equity issues and made connections to racial injustice. During the meeting, students detailed the food issues, their demands, and proposed solutions. Students identified the three following issues as the main concerns with school meals:

Poor quality food — food that has expired and/or has not been well prepared
Lack of diversity in food — food that does not reflect the racial and ethnic diversity specifically at Cardozo, and more largely within DCPS
Small portions— not enough food to properly energize students

As students candidly shared their experiences with school food, they also made connections to the negative impact it has had on their engagement in classes and school activities. Some students recounted feeling too weak to actively engage in class or even coming to school late because of a desire to eat “better-tasting food” at home. Subsequently, students demand “high-quality food; diversity in food; reasonable and balanced portions; and regular student feedback incorporated in decision making and reflected in the food.”

Students then engaged in an open discussion with participants about federal school food and nutrition guidelines, opportunities for flexibility in menu selections, and ways to increase student voice. Participants, particularly SodexoMagic, agreed to several next steps, including establishing a student group to provide feedback on menus and surveying students on menu items that meet approved guidelines.

Chancellor Ferebee Meeting

On February 16, 2022, students met with Chancellor Ferebee, along with other representatives from various DCPS Central Office teams and SodexoMagic. This time, students broadened their presentation to share not only food concerns but also concerns about standardized testing and social workers. For each issue, students presented a demand or proposed solution.

Regarding food, students continued to assert the same demands expressed in the previous food justice-centered meeting. Students shared they did not receive a clear response to their demands from the previous meeting nor outreach after they followed up. Students noted that Sodexo and DCPS did release a survey on the food served; however, they felt the survey — available only in English — asked “leading questions, made assumptions, and silenced voices.” For example, if students eat the food a certain number of times per week, the next set of statements assumes students “like” the food. If students do not eat the food or only eat it once per week, then they are unable to share feedback. Further, students reported the survey design was not user-friendly; the headings changed from “level of satisfaction” to “level of importance,” adding to students’ confusion. Students demanded changes to this survey, as well as results and next steps from the previously administered survey to be shared publicly.

In addition to the food issues, students shared the following concerns about standardized testing:

The tests are not an accurate reflection of our learning, abilities, and diverse talents, especially for English Language Learners.
The tests are a waste of time and money.
The tests make them feel bad if they do not understand or know the answers.

During their presentation, students shared the stress and anxiety these tests have created for them. As one student said, “Imagine if you don’t speak Chinese and you take a test in Chinese. Even if you have a Master’s degree, you won’t be able to understand and show your knowledge in that content area.” Students posed the following demands/solutions to address their concerns regarding standardized testing:

Replace standardized tests with a more meaningful form of evaluation, such as portfolio projects.
Provide more exemptions for English Language Learners.
Educate students and families on their rights around testing.
Take a test in a foreign language at Central Office and discuss your experience. Please share with us!

Lastly, students shared the following concerns about social workers:

We need social workers dedicated to students in International Academies. Most immigrant students have experienced trauma and need support from social workers.
Our social workers have full special education caseloads, so it’s challenging for them to meet with immigrant students who don’t have an IEP.
There are not enough social workers and they are not well distributed among student populations.
Sometimes we have some social workers that are not from Cardozo. They’re great, but it’s not the same. We know the social workers at Cardozo, and they’re always here every day if we need them. Also, it doesn’t matter if we have insurance.

To address these issues, students proposed the following solutions:

Provide funding for a bilingual social worker position in each International Academy (IA) in DCPS that is dedicated to serving only immigrant students in that school’s IA. Then our social worker will have more time to meet with us about the trauma we experience.
With all of the new students, we need two social workers only working with the IA.

After presenting to the group, students transitioned into an open discussion on school food, standardized testing, and social workers with Chancellor Ferebee and other stakeholders. In this meeting, stakeholders agreed to be as responsive to student demands as possible, including collaborating with students to republish food surveys and considering alternative groupings for social workers’ caseloads.

Students hoped many of their demands would be met. They are scheduled to collaborate with SodexoMagic in a variety of ways, including planning next school year’s menu, reviewing a food survey, and creating a checklist to evaluate school food for quality, variety, portions, etc. Though there have been continued conversations with SodexoMagic and Chancellor Ferebee, students still wonder about the concrete next steps the district will take and what timeline will be followed. They will persist in their demands for change. As Daneuris, a student in Barkley’s class, reflected,

I am a changemaker. I need DCPS to listen to students and to make change with us for a more just district.

Check out photos from these class visits.