Culturally relevant teaching in the American educational system Assignment

Culturally relevant teaching in the American educational system - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that the documentary Beyond the Bricks offers a very candid snapshot of the systemic failures of the American educational system in regards to relating to African American students. In retrospect over fifteen years ago a literary work The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children† highlighted a similar set of circumstances and proposed systemic changes that could be made to the educational system to better relate and teach African American children.   Beyond the Bricks was released in early 2009; it focused on the goal of promoting solutions for a critical problem in American schools: the consistently low performance of African†American boys in the public education system. The documentary chronicles two African† American students Shaquiel and Erick as they struggle to succeed in the Newark, NJ public school system.   Unlike, other film portrayals of Black youth which introduce a philosophy grounded in the negative imagery associated with ‘blackness and maleness’ in America, Beyond the Bricks offers a view of the Psycho-social trappings of the stereotyping within the system and its ultimate failings.   Though the film focuses primarily on Shaquiel and Erick, the issues addressed extend universally throughout all African American communities. Beyond the statistics are the real stories of students like Shaquiel and Erick who must fight the indifference of the system to build a better future for themselves.