Reviews | A Time For Peac3e

Book Reviews and Stakeholder Responses

Student Response

In response to the text, I would like to address the following components.

Overall, the academic system needs reform. First, classrooms need to be led by teachers who actually enjoy children. It seems that so many educators have a desire to share their knowledge, but not necessarily the enjoyment of sharing it with children.

Second, in a perfect world all students would feel equally represented at school – not one child being singled out for athleticism or academic achievement or musical acumen, etc. However, depending on the school, there is generally a feeling of us vs. them instead of the opportunity to celebrate equally all aspects of achievement. In terms of assessments, I don’t understand much of the necessity for them. A lot of it is unneeded stress at any given level, but especially the ACTs and SATs. A lot of regular tests make up your GPA – which has also been inflated (importance) by our need for tests. 4.0 is the minimum for everyone. It is not a want it is a need. While I understand why they exist, I have to believe there is a better way to get to the desired result. Now, I do not have all of the answers, just food for thought. Aligning a student’s academic needs with the ability of the teacher is critical. Misalignment breeds disinterest, lack of engagement and overall academic underachievement. Schools are filled with students who have been misaligned, and therefore continue to coast or tread water academically. A lot of this stems from the fact that people are different. Some teachers are good for some and not all. Most teachers aim to make the class successful for 50 – 60% of the students. Where then does that leave the rest of the students? Socio-economic disparities are often evident regardless of academic institution. For example, the downward spiral of the school lunch program. If you cannot afford lunch, you are likely unable to eat which leads to an inability to focus and ultimately, poor academic performance. While this has been researched, tested and well-documented, it does that without a more level socio-economic playing field, some students are left behind before they really get started. There has been a lot more awareness about socio-economic disparities. However, more can be done. I am fortunate to attend a school that seeks to address such concerns. The reality is that they still exist. Having teachers who truly care about the whole student will certainly set us in the right direction. Students need to know that school is more than just a means to an end, a way they have to spend mandatory hours per week, but a place where they can bring their whole self to the classroom and know that there will be opportunity and equity for them. Anna G. Williams, 15 years old, Grade 10

Elementary Classroom Teacher

Bravo! I am ecstatic about how the book highlights that school is not just being like the real world, but that it is the real world. Scholars (students) need to know and practice real-life experiences in school to begin preparing for what it will look like beyond the classroom. This is not just another book, but another gateway of enlightenment for all readers. The combination of different strategies and amazing tools to apply to diverse learners encapsulates the essence of peace. Peace in the sense it provides comfort and assistance in the learning arena for a variety of learners. Dr. Rachel Bruce, Elementary School Teacher

High School Classroom Teacher

Writing lesson plans is a waste of time, unless teachers are creating lessons for an equitable student-centered classroom using strategies outlined in A Time for PEAC3E. PEAC3E confronts the absence of rigorous and engaging lesson planning strategies for resident students in classrooms necessary to close academic and achievement gaps.

As an award-winning veteran teacher of 30 years, I can say the ways in which Dr. Rodriquez systematically illustrates effective processes of “tell them thrice,” is an astounding insight. She shines a spotlight on conflicts between planning instruction to talk the curriculum versus planning instruction to help students learn. A simple painting analogy of priming and preparing students to learn buttressed by culturally responsive teaching practices found in the five “R’s,” are strategically explained in PEAC3E. It’s not circumstantial; it’s not implied; it’s not something the reader has to figure out. These are direct instructions illustrating how to develop and create essential learning environments utilizing students’ assets and strengths. Instead of cobbling together lessons in contradiction to students’ natural tendencies, Dr. Rodriquez urges us to use the culture to teach the culture. If students are mobile and talkative, create cooperative lessons encouraging learners to move about, talk, and interact with others instead of requiring them to sit stationary in ill-fitting chairs. Furthermore, as illustrated in the reading, measures of success and checks for understanding should be expanded to include differentiated learning goals and multiple ways to assess students. Once upon a time, we taught curriculum in manners designed so any student could learn it. Times have changed. It’s now time to plan and teach in such a manner THE students can learn THE lessons reflecting THE engagement necessary to close academic and achievement gaps. It’s now A Time for PEAC3E. Clayton Singleton, High School Teacher, Clayton Singleton Fine Art www.claytonsingleton.com, Experience Expression

Assistant Principal

This book speaks of looking backward to move forward. It is timely in the age of post COVID where it is imperative that educators get to know their students and use strategies that produce both a cognitive as well as an affective responses from students, this is the core of true learning. As an example, utilizing lesson study can be an example of how tried and true methods of instructional delivery can have a profound impact on student learning. We must delve into the culture and discover where we can bridge the access gap for all students. The unequal funding in education has done a measurable blow to student's ability to thrive in our society. This book is a must read as we make the successful recovery from a period of silent retrograde in student learning. Gene T. Jones, Jr, Assistant High School Principal

High School Principal

This book is nothing short of amazing. The focus on PEAC3E and its acronym is most befitting for educators to implement in their schools. Not only has the author provided a framework centered on the fundamentals of PEAC3E, but it also provides a comprehensive guide to make relevant and meaningful connections that will positively impact urban instruction, school culture and climate, and most importantly relationships.

Rameka Davis, Ed.S., High School Principal, Birmingham, Alabama

University Professor

There are a myriad of challenges facing education today. Most significantly, inequities in government funding for education, school safety and student success are paramount. These issues are even more complex and critical in urban areas. The text A Time For Peac3e: Propensity In Education With An Academic Curriculum Centered On Culture And Equity written by Dr. Eleanor Renee Rodriquez takes a culturally responsive and student centered approach to enhancing student success.

Using Peac3e as a paradigm, teachers are provided a curriculum to engage students in developmental learning opportunities with culture at the center of the communal experience of the classroom. The paradigm is based on evidenced practices, proven theories and offers practical strategies for teachers. By creating greater multicultural awareness and inclusion, students with diverse backgrounds and needs are more likely to succeed. The alignment of Adinkra symbols conveys ancient traditional wisdom about life, philosophical thoughts, and aspects of the environment that are applicable to student engagement. Many of the Adinkra symbols have meanings linked to proverbs and symbols that depict historical events, human behavior, and attitudes. As a clinical psychologist who has spent the last twenty years as an educator in higher education at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), I am well aware of the impact that limited resources, standardized learning strategies and lack of creativity in teaching can stifle students. The strategies and principles espoused in PEAC3E enhance teachers' ability to encourage acceptance and help prepare students to thrive in an exponentially diverse world. When students thrive, their families and communities thrive. When communities thrive then the world that we live in thrives. Ernestine AW Duncan, Ph.D., Norfolk State University, Faculty Ombudsman, Professor of Psychology

School Board Member

Dr. Rodriguez is a long champion of the belief system that SHIFT HAPPENS! A Time for PEAC3E provides a clear, focused, and measurable systematic process to grow success for each child in our schools by teachers, principals, and administrators – all those who affect student learning.

As a school board member, I and other school board members are charged to operate in the governance, visioning, goals, and accountability (progress monitoring) arena. A Time for PEAC3E and the adoption of commitment, high expectations, and accountability describes the SHIFT we need in boardrooms. There are two beliefs that should resonate in our school board rooms: “Student outcomes don’t change until adult behaviors change,” and “Excellence in the classroom starts with excellence in the boardroom.” Dr. Rodriguez provides an additional set of beliefs to connect the boardroom and the classroom in a system of coherence for our students – “Let us have PEAC3E!” Rodney Jordan, 11-year Veteran School Board Member Proud Grandparent Norfolk, VA

Fellow Author

A Time for PEAC3E: Propensity in Education with an Academic Curriculum Centered on Culture and Equity.

Dr. Eleanor Renee Rodriguez skillfully integrates African symbolism from Adinkra symbols with Western educational philosophy in her work. This unique blend effectively guides readers to grasp the profound connection between curriculum and culture. Rodriguez aptly incorporates an African proverb that advises, “Don't look where you fell, look where you slipped,” challenging readers to reflect on the areas where our society may have faltered in educating our youth.

In her book, “Propensity in Education with an Academic Curriculum Centered on Culture and Equity,” Rodriguez astutely highlights that teacher burnout often results from ill-conceived policy decisions that restrict what teachers can teach and, subsequently, what students can learn. This is not due to historical accuracy but rather the emotional aspects tied to historical events. Dr. Renee Rodriguez eloquently elucidates how everyday behaviors can be instrumental in transforming schools. Her example of permitting students to abbreviate a teacher's name rather than helping them understand the rhythmic nuances required for certain unfamiliar names reveals a disservice to students, not a favor. This book addresses a pervasive issue in education where educators frequently espouse the importance of embracing diverse learning styles, yet classrooms predominantly emphasize linguistic, verbal-linguistic, and logical-mathematical intelligence while neglecting other forms of intelligence. “Propensity in Education with an Academic Curriculum Centered on Culture and Equity” advocates for change and offers readers an accessible roadmap to understanding new principles, the current state of education, and actionable steps toward improvement. Instead of laying blame or fostering a sense of shame about prevailing educational conditions, it empowers readers to critically examine current practices and beliefs with a sense of partnership and optimism, paving the way for enhanced educational practices nationwide. Crystal LaVoulle, Ph.D, Author of “Read, Write, Rhyme Institute: Educators, Entertainers, and Entrepreneurs Engaging in Hip-Hop Discourse” LaVoulle Group, International Education Consultants

John L. Brown, Ph.D.,

Writer in Residence for AASA,

The School Superintendents Association

I have had the great pleasure of being a friend and colleague to Eleanor Renee Rodriguez for over 20 years now. During that time, she has consistently impressed and moved me with her deep commitment to children and her profound commitment to ensuring that their education is engaging, rigorous, and equitable. Therefore, I am deeply honored to be writing this forward to her latest book, A Time for Peac3e: Propensity in Education with an Academic Curriculum Centered on Culture and Equity.

Dr. Rodriguez has succeeded in bringing both head and heart to this profound and very moving publication. Perhaps most significantly, she brilliantly synthesizes strategies, processes, and structural changes needed to ensure the success of all learners in our increasingly complex and technology-driven world. Always keeping the heart aligned with the head as a controlling principle of her book, she makes practical and very timely recommendations for the design and implementation of an academic curriculum that emphasizes the critical value of cultural responsiveness and equity-driven priorities as a foundation stone in modern education. Eleanor Renee’s great sense of humor is also evident throughout the text. I could easily hear her repeating her recommendation that “this is a book about teaching, and it is [also] an adult coloring book.” This wonderful focus invites educators to delight in the wonder of education and the role they play in it. It is also a great reminder to remember that there is a playful, creative, and intuitive side to our roles that can sometimes get lost in the midst of high-stakes accountability testing, political divisiveness, and increasing evidence of socioeconomic disparities that are powerfully affecting our existing model of public education. Another moving component of Eleanor Renee’s work is her deep commitment to the principle that the teacher is at the heart of children’s progress, achievement, and sense of efficacy, well being, and safety. She does a remarkable job of exploring the correlation between the expertise, professionalism, and deep caring of the teacher in relationship to the performance of students—especially those identified as being “under-performing.” In essence, Eleanor Renee’s book is a manifesto for a transformed educational system that truly practices the values of cultural responsiveness and equitable access for all learners. The book is also extremely well organized, providing a comprehensive but highly accessible synthesis of evidence-based best practices to ensure transformation. It begins with an overview of successful planning processes, including the “pieces” of high quality PEAC3E-oriented lesson design and delivery, all of which emphasize the Whole Learner and the necessity of addressing students’ need for social interaction, meaning, and purpose. The second section stresses strategies for aligning how PEAC3Eful components reinforce student achievement, including ensuring effective lesson design, addressing learning gaps, and demonstrating sensitivity to the individual’s developmental progress. Part Three focuses on key issues of assessment and evaluation. I was particularly impressed by how Dr. Rodriguez emphasizes the need for the learner to be an active part of the assessment and progress-monitoring process. From the power of self-regulation and self-assessment to the need for multiple forms of authentic assessment evidence, this section highlights much of what requires transformation in the profession today—i.e., using assessment and evaluation as tools for promoting achievement rather than mechanical test-driven accountability. Finally, the book concludes with a series of powerful reflections about the key components of PEAC3E. Eleanor Renee presents guidelines for promoting dialogue as a new paradigm for education is implemented. She also provides reflections on her own experiences with this process—and ideas for cooperative learning, resources and references, and recommendations for instructional leaders aligned with the principles of her book. I believe that you as an educator and reader will find great treasures in this book. It is a breath of fresh air, inviting all of us to stop, reflect, and consider the power of a learner-centered classroom and an organizational culture that invites full participation and engagement by all members of the learning community. Thank you, Eleanor Renee for this opportunity to explore your amazing new contribution to education and the potential it offers to transform students’ lives. Sincerely, John L. Brown, Ph.D., Currently Writer-in-Residence for AASA (The School Superintendents Association)