Out of the Comfort Zone

Codi Van Duzee • Cahn Fellow 2022

What happens when a school moves away from its comfort zone? For years, Boles Junior High was a high-performing school in Arlington, Texas with minimal diversity, catering to mostly middle and upper-class White families. Within the last ten years, re-zoning, COVID-19, and changing demographics have created a more diverse campus of students. As a result, teachers did not feel equipped to relate to the new population leading to an increase in discipline referrals and a decrease in academic performance. While still a high-performing campus on the surface, a more granular view revealed major disparities between students of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Consequently, teachers began to systematically reflect and transform to adapt to the changing population. This paper will discuss the process that was initiated to overcome bias and inequities through student voice, teacher reflection, and student-teacher relationships to create transformational change in the campus culture at Boles Junior High.