DukeEngage programme interns Anna Qiu and Derek Lindsey look at how Educate Together aims to foster a diverse environment in primary schooling
Eight students from Duke University in the United States are currently taking part in an eight-week internship with different organisations working with migrant communities in Dublin as part of the annual DukeEngage programme. One of these organisations is Educate Together (ET), which establishes multi-denominational schools in Ireland. As graduates of American public schools, which are always non-denominational, we have been surprised and impressed by ET’s multi-denominational focus.
ET schools seek to embrace the diversity of cultures and beliefs as a core element of their mission. With its Learn Together curriculum, the organisation encourages students to think about their place in a society filled with an eclectic mix of different cultures and beliefs.
Our first visit to an ET school – Esker Educate Together in Adamstown, west Dublin – exemplified the benefits derived from the recognition and appreciation of others’ cultures, even at the primary school level. Our time at Esker also highlighted in our minds the differences between the broader educational landscape in Ireland and that which exists in America.
An assembly during which children performed dramatisations of weddings to exhibit different belief systems’ marriage traditions demonstrated ET’s general emphasis on cultural appreciation. Projects illustrating different countries and their unique cultures adorned the hallways and served as a testament to this.
Coloured posters outlining the four strands – ‘Moral and Spiritual’, ‘Equality and Justice’, ‘Belief Systems’ and ‘Ethics and the Environment’ – of the Learn Together curriculum reminded us of the aim to create a more accepting generation of students by exposing them to various belief systems and emphasising the importance of equality, justice, and human rights.
A chorus of both students and staff members belting Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ concluded our visit and highlighted the hope that Esker ET’s students will learn to contribute to and thrive in an accepting society.
The energy and vibrancy of the culture there prompted us to ask ourselves some questions that had less to do with the ET philosophy and more to do with society, culture and education in America and in Ireland. Firstly, we wondered about the implications of emphasising religion as the key marker of difference instead of race, ethnicity or class as in the US.
Certainly religion has been and will remain a key characteristic of Irish society, while racial and ethnic diversity on a large scale is a more recent reality. In America, on the other hand, the separation of church and state ingrained in our constitution has in recent times prevented any sort of religious imprint on the public education system, while race has been the crux of many of the most troubling chapters in our national and educational history.
As America’s public primary and secondary education is characterised by increasing racial and economic isolation, we wondered what might be gained if Irish schools sought to realise the educational benefits of racial and national diversity as well as religious diversity. At the same time, we questioned whether American schools strive to foster religious difference simply as a by-product of an emphasis on racial diversity.
Secondly, our school visit led us to consider how multi-denominational schooling differs from schools under church patronage or non-denominational schools, the basis upon which public schools in America operate. It’s notable that Esker and other ET schools aim to foster an environment that encourages students to reflect upon their beliefs and the appreciation of living with those of different belief systems and perspectives.
While the typical American school values diversity in the composition of its student body, this is rarely mirrored in its curriculum. In our case, a heavy emphasis on political correctness kept us from formally recognising any differences between our peers and ourselves. Of course, no one model alone holds the key to a completely accepting society. Still, we found great value in ET’s approach to embracing diversity in its curriculum.
Currently, only about 3 per cent of primary schools in Ireland are multi-denominational and there are no ET secondary schools. We feel that the ideals of the ET mission are admirable and that this is an opportune time to expand while also exploring what diversity might mean for Ireland’s future.
