Chapter 9 Reprint from 1st Edition: Language, Liberty, and Leading for Diversity at Payton High: Case Study

Payton High School (PHS) is a somewhat diverse school, which has been witness to enormous change over time. It was once a predominantly White school until the American Civil Rights Movement and subsequent laws changed the school’s homogeneous racial makeup. Federal law and public outcry from African Americans forced the school to start enrolling African Americans and other students of color. For example, a Consent Decree from the state ordered that PHS address the overrepresentation of students of color in special education and make an earnest effort to hire more teachers and administrators of color (see McCray et al., 2008). PHS had a tradition of administrators and many teachers who spent their entire careers at the school. Payton High School is one of the larger schools in Westland County. It serves approximately 800 students in grades 9–12. The demographic makeup of the school is about 50% White, 30% African American, 15% Hispanic, and the rest of the students are classified as Other (Asian, American Indian, multiracial, etc.). The teaching staff includes 44 teachers and 3 administrators (1 principal and 2 assistant principals). The school had a long history of serving the interests of the White majority. The freedom struggles of the Civil Rights Movement brought changes to the well-entrenched Jim Crow laws that reinforced the legalized segregation of that time period. This part of the South was no stranger to segregation, but the change in this part of the state was less revolution and more evolution. PHS, like many others in the South, dragged its feet with regard to fully accepting students of color, but over time it did. Eventually, the school began to also hire teachers of color. Although many things have changed, many of the biases of past generations are now hidden by smiles and cordiality. The bigotry and hate that was once overt is now covert, but all that is needed is an incident to spark its return.