Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Penfield schools to pilot new ELA and K–5 'Genius and Joy' materials; high school to offer women's‑studies course
Summary
The board heard proposals to adopt Kate Chopin's The Awakening as an anchor text for a new Intro to Women's Literature course and to pilot the Genius and Joy K–5 supplemental curriculum in grades 3–5 next year; administrators stressed careful vetting and phased implementation.
District instructional leaders described several curricular initiatives during the meeting’s special‑reports segment. Executive Director for Humanities and Innovative Learning Sheena Conway introduced a proposed anchor text selection for a new high‑school Intro to Women's Literature course and presented a separate K–5 supplemental curriculum rollout.
Teachers Amy Powers and John Baxter asked the board to consider Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (first published 1899) as the anchor text for the new course, calling it a foundational work in women’s literature that is accessible to modern high‑school readers. "It's considered to be a cornerstone text in feminist and women's studies courses," they said, and stressed that classroom supports would be used to help students engage with historical language and themes.
Conway and Kumba Kumbaseno introduced Genius and Joy, a research‑based supplemental K–5 resource developed by Dr. Goldie Muhammad. The curriculum is organized around five pursuits — identity, skills, intellect, criticality and joy — and includes vetted texts, teacher guides and family‑connection components. District staff said initial implementation will launch in grades 3–5 next year, with selective book introductions informed by summer curriculum writing, librarian involvement and teacher support; K–2 pilots were deferred because of an existing ELA pilot in those grades.
Conway said the program is supplemental and intended to strengthen existing units rather than add uncompensated instructional time. She highlighted a title in the set, Ruth and the Green Book, as a way to connect students to mid‑20th‑century African American travel history through literature.
Board members asked about readability and parental concerns; presenters said texts would be chosen and framed responsibly and that copies are available at the district office for review.
What happens next: District staff will move forward with summer curriculum work for initial implementation and report back to the board as lessons are refined and piloted.
