Exploring School and Community Dynamics at Sherman School of Excellence

Fieldwork Project Part I: The School and Community Name Institutional Affiliation Course name Instructor’s name Assignment due date Fieldwork Project Part I: The School and Community Name of the School and Community The characteristics of the community can impact the capacity of the school to meet the needs of its students. For this project, I chose to observe the community and school that I have worked in for the past 4 years since I have access to information regarding its culture. Sherman School of Excellence is located on the south side of Chicago, in a neighborhood called “Back of the Yards.” Sherman has become a very crucial part of my teaching career because it is the first school I have ever worked at as a teacher. I have a great rapport with students, parents, and colleagues who can provide valuable information for this project. I am well represented amongst my colleagues and I set on various communities to help build the moral of Sherman parents and students. Researching my school and community will provide insights on how teachers can create a more inclusive learning environment with the support of administrators and parents at the organization. I will use the findings of my research to become a better educator at my school and to positively influence how my colleagues implement effective practices at the organization. Regarding the Community The community culture in my school’s neighborhood has been shaped by historical inequalities that have created patterns of exclusion at my school. Back of the Yards is a minority community with 61.79% of the population being Hispanic, 23.61% Black non-Hispanic, 11.65% White, and 2.03% Asian (The University of Chicago, 2025). It is a low-income community with a median income of $35,179 which is lower than the city, state, and national median incomes. A demographic profile of the neighborhood by The University of Chicago (2025) shows that inequality is a major factor defining the culture of the community and has a significant impact on exclusion in schools in the neighborhood. Poverty is a major challenge affecting how schools meet the needs of the students in their community. Back of the Yards is a low-income neighborhood where individuals and families are exposed to financial challenges, poor healthcare, and nutrition outcomes. Inequality and poverty have significantly defined the school culture and the challenges teachers face meeting the needs of their students. The culture of the Back of the Yards community emphasizes on survival and meeti