Pillsbury recommended that Dugsi’s Somali-dominated board engage a small consulting firm, the School Leadership Project, to help a committee solicit and screen proposals from groups interested in leading a turnaround. Representatives from the school held interviews and toured schools run by the groups they were most interested in.
Dugsi family liaison Aden Ahmednur was a member of the committee. Stafford, he said, did as much listening as talking: “When she came here, she asked the community, ‘What are some words that are important?’”
The committee was impressed that Stafford’s first act was to ask about the community’s values, and gave her a unanimous response: A Somali proverb that says, “Without education, there is no light.”
“We chose Miss Mary [because] she would not do anything less, but to add,” said Ahmednur. “The community will stay, the name will stay, the school will function as a community school.
“As Somali people, we are new to this country,” he added. “We are a Muslim community. We have an ancient culture and we want to hold our culture.”
Indeed, the school’s commitment to finding ways make traumatized students feel safe prompted TPT, Minnesota’s PBS affiliate, to feature the school in a recent documentary, Whole People (the portion about Dugsi starts around 16:10). The presence in the school of so many people who understand students’ trauma and are committed to keeping children connected to their native culture serves as a protective factor.
To read more of Beth Hawkins' article, please click here.
Comments (0)