School Board Executive Summary

Transcription

1 SchoolBoardExecutiveSummary AReportonEquityandInclusion October14,2010 Background Thisworkshopwillfocusonthedistrictvalueofequityandinclusionand provideinformationonhowthisworkconnectstostudentachievement. Purpose Toupdatetheboardontheeffectivenessoftheworkofequityinthe district. Recommendation [TypeTextHere] Presenter(s)/Contact(s) Dr.StanleyH.Brown Overview WithinthenewStrategicPlanoftheHopkinsPublicSchools,equityislisted asoneofourcorevalues.thecorevaluesofanorganizationarethose valuesthatformthefoundationonwhichweperformourworkand conductourselves.thesecorevaluesguideusasweworktoachieveour mission,objectivesandstrategies. PrimaryIssuestoConsider Howdoweembedthisvalueofequityintoeveryfacetofthedistrictto ensurethatallstudentscanlearnregardlessofrace,cultureorsocioeconomicstatus? SupportingDocuments EquityFrameworkInitiative,HighlightedActivitiesofEquitySpecialists, WorkingWithandEmpoweringAfricanAmericanMaleStudentsinthe Excellence. Every School. Every Student. Every Day

2 2 SchoolBoardExecutiveSummary AReportonEquityandInclusion [Highlight(don tdelete)andtypedateofboardmeeting/workshophere] HopkinsSchoolDistrict,ImplicationsoftheVariedmeaningsof AllChildren CanSucceed,ClosingComment. Excellence. Every School. Every Student. Every Day

3 ReporttotheSchoolBoard TheEffectivenessofEquityInitiativesandHow TheyConnecttoAcademicAchievement. O c t o b e r 1 4, P r e p a r e d B y : D r. S t a n l e y H. B r o w n, C o o r d i n a t o r o f E q u i t y a n d I n c l u s i o n Introduction:Thepurposeofthisworkshopistohavethecourageous conversationofrace,cultureandthevalueofequityandhowthesevalues connecttostudent/academicachievement. WorkshopAgenda: Completionanddiscussiononthe RacialAutobiography Reviewthe EquityFrameworkInitiative Discussion:TheWorkoftheEquitySpecialistsandHowItPromotes StudentAchievement Discussion:HowtheEquityTeamsWorkonBehaveofStudentand AcademicSuccess AdditionalQuestionsandDiscussions Inthisworkshop,wewilldelveintothedistrictvalueofequityandinclusion andhowwestrivetoimplementstrategiesandproceduresthatassuresthe respectandinclusionofallstudentsandfamilies.inaddition,wewill discusshowweusespecificdistrictinitiativestoalwayslookthroughthe lensesofequityintheteachingandlearningthathappenseverydayinour schools.wetakegreatprideinengaginginracialandculturalcourageous conversationsinthisdistrictandwewilldothesameatthisboard workshop. Excellence. Every School. Every Student. Every Day

4 Equity Framework Initiative Hopkins Public Schools, Hopkins Minnesota Introduction Within the new Strategic Plan of the Hopkins Public Schools, equity is listed as one of our core values. The core values of an organization are those values we hold that form the foundation on which we perform our work and conduct ourselves. These core values guide us as we work to achieve our mission, objectives and strategies. Equity in the strategic Plan is defined as, Our commitment to raise the achievement of all learners, and eliminate the racial and socio-economic predictability and disproportionality of the highest and lowest achieving groups. This report will outline the Equity Framework, goal, shared leadership roles, and initiatives across our District intended to meet the goals set within our core value. Equity Framework Our Equity Framework is submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education every four years for approval. It is an important element related to our District allocation of integration funding. The Equity Framework is framed around five initiatives, around which Hopkins equity work is structured. These initiatives are: 1. Equity/Anti-Racism Leadership: We will consciously and deliberately act to eliminate the gap between our mission of high levels of achievement for all students, and the policies, practices, and structures in our school system that may perpetuate inequities based on race and class. 2. Cultural Proficiency: We will develop the individual and organizational knowledge, attitudes, skills and practices to create culturally responsive learning environments that expect and support high academic achievement for learners from all racial groups. 3. Student-Centered Learning and Teaching: We will identify, develop, and systematically apply instructional practices that make a significant difference in the education, especially children of color, as demonstrated by research and best practice. 4. Family and Community Engagement: We will engage families and communities as essential partners in supporting academic achievement for learners from all racial groups. 5. Community Collaboration and Integration: We will work collaboratively with partner organizations to promote and achieve racially integrated schools and communities where students and families from diverse racial and economic backgrounds feel welcomed, supported, and experience academic success.

5 Equity Leadership Shared leadership is crucial to the equity priorities within our District. The Board, Superintendent, Cabinet, principals, teachers, and other school staff all maintain important roles in building our capacity to welcome and engage students and families from all cultural and racial groups in academic achievement and school success. As we continue to develop, support, and expand strong equity leadership at school and district levels, the following individuals, groups, and programs are integral to these efforts. Coordinator of Equity and Inclusion responsible for facilitation, communication, alignment, and support of school and District equity initiatives. Building Equity Specialists responsible for assisting with family outreach, community connections, resources, and student support District Equity Leadership Team (DELT) school and District staff meeting monthly as an equity steering committee. The group is charged with sharing ideas and practices, examining implications of racism, analyzing policies and practices through the lens of race, and providing guidance and support on equity. School Equity Teams responsible for school-based equity initiatives and collaboration. School CARE Teams responsible for school-based action research on student support and instruction. School PASS Teams responsible for equity parent outreach, programming, and partnerships. Professional Development initiatives such as Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), National Urban Alliance (NUA), West Metro Education Partnership (WMEP), and in district NUA consultants Cultural Liaison requested presence and participation at special education IEP parent meetings and the like. Conclusion There is indeed an urgency surrounding this most important work in our district. We must all work together and in tandem to bring about a district where equity and inclusion is a hallmark of its very nature. As we continually strive to become a district where ALL means ALL, let us be mindful to dedicate ourselves to preparing our children to enter a global world where equity means respect and inclusion means ALL. It will take all of us, the combined efforts of school board, staff and community to bring about a proud and vital district of equity and inclusion. In our increasingly diverse world, creating schools for ALL children is the right thing to do but it is not easy. It means rethinking the content and process of curriculum and instruction. It means the integration of disciplines and focusing consciously and specifically on both equity and excellence in the same classrooms, in the same schools for ALL children. -John Morefield

6 ImplicationsoftheVariedMeaningsof AllChildrenCanSucceed Itishardtoimaginetheconsequencesofqualifying Allchildrencansucceed. Qualifierssetlimits.Theyspecifytheconditionsunderwhichaparticulargoalor activityislikelytosucceed. Allchildrencansucceed iftheymakeanefforttodo so. Allchildrencansucceed iftheirparentsplayanactiveroleintheir education. Allchildrencansucceed ifteacherssupplyalloftheencouragement andsupportnecessarytoensurethatsucceed. Eachofthesequalifierswasundoubtedly true fortheindividualwhoadvocated them.certainlytheywerebornofexperienceandthereforerepresentedaperson s bestassessmentofwhatwaspossibletoachieveineducatingpoorchildren. However,therewasacriticaldifferenceamongthequalifiers.Thefirsttworequired someoneelsetodosomethingbeforeeducatorscouldsucceedwiththeir responsibilities. Ifastudentdoesn twanttolearn,ican tmakehim(orher). If thoseparentsdon tcareabouteducation,theirkidswon teither. Studentsand parentshadtomakechangesfirst. Thelastqualifier,however,lookedinward toteachersandadministrators.those adheringtothisideaessentiallyarguedthattheycouldnotaltertheconditions outsideschoolthatimpingedonstudentperformance;theycouldonlyaffectthat whichwasundertheircontrol.thustheexternalconditionscouldnotserveasvalid reasonsforstudentfailure. Wedonotwanttoportrayonesetofbeliefsasvaluableandgoodandtheothertwo asworthlessandbad.indeed,theabovequotes,particularlyinthesectionon studentresponsibility,revealedadilemmathatwasclearlytroublingformany people.butwethinkthattheyhavedifferentimplicationsforclosingthegapin achievementbetweenlow performingandhigh performingstudents. Mattersofhomeversusschoolare,ofcourse,endemictodebatesabouttherootsof theproblemsineducatinglow incomestudents.forustosimplyassertthatthis debatecanbeputtorestbytellingeducatorsnottoworryaboutwhichtheycannot controlwoulddolittletoadvancethecauseofimprovingschoolsinpoor communities. Takenfrom:EffortandExcellenceinUrbanClassroom:ExpectingandGetting SuccesswithAllStudents.By:DickCorbett,BruceWilsonandBelindaWilliams (p.27).

7 WorkingWithandEmpoweringAfricanAmericanMale StudentsintheHopkinsSchoolDistrict Background: AllofthemostimportantqualityoflifeindicatorssuggestthatAfricanAmerican malesareindeeptrouble.theyleadthenationinhomicides,bothasvictimsand perpetrators(currie,1993),andinwhatobserversregardasanalarmingtrend,theynow havethefastinggrowingrateforsuicide(nationalresearchcouncil1989;poussaintand Alexander2000).Theincarceration,convictionandarrestrateshavebeenatthetopofthe chartsinmoststatesforsometime(roper1991).evenasbabies,blackmaleshavethe highestprobabilityofdyinginthefirstyearoflife.astheygrowolder,theyfacethe unfortunaterealityofbeingtheonlygroupintheuspopulationexperiencingadeclinein lifeexpectancy(spivak,et.al.1988).inthelabormarkettheyaretheleastlikelytobe hired,andinmanycities,themostlikelytobeunemployed(wilson1988;masseyand Denton1993;Hacker1992;FeaginandSikes1994). Besetwithsuchanominousarrayofsocialandeconomichardships,itishardly surprisingthattheexperienceofblackmalesineducationwithrespecttoattainmentand mostindicatorsofacademicperformancealsoshowsignsoftroubleanddistress.inmany schooldistrictsthroughouttheunitedstatesblackmalesaremorelikelythananyother grouptobesuspendedandexpelledfromschool(meier,stewart,england1989). Nationally,thenumberofAfricanAmericanmalesgraduatingfromAmericanhighschoolsis 42%. Takenfromthearticle:TheRoleandInfluenceofEnvironmentaland CulturalFactorsontheAcademicPerformanceofAfricanAmericanMales (2001)By:PedroNoguera GoalsforHopkinsSchoolDistrictAroundThisTopic: StaffDevelopmentsurroundingtheeducationandempowermentoftheAfrican Americanmalestudent. StudyingtheenvironmentalandculturalaspectsoftheAfricanAmerican community. Providinganeducationalenvironmentofhigh expectationsforstudentsand teachers. Developinglearningandteachingstrategiesthatpromotelong termachievement. Providingculturallyrelevantcurriculumandpedagogy. Studyingdatainordertodriveimprovementofteachingandlearning. Accomplishments: Encouragingtheconversationofcollegeattendanceattheearlystagesofschooling. MentorshipsofAfricanAmericanmalesstudentsatvariousbuildings. HeightenedawarenessofthedismalrealitiesofeducatingtheAfricanAmerican malestudent. Constantcomparisonofdatatolessenthe opportunity gap. Supportof TheChoiceIsYours program. Establishmentof ParentsofStudentsofColor dialogue/conversationgroupsat variousbuildings.

8 StaffDevelopmentdesignatedforteachinganddevelopinghighexpectationsforall students(particularlystudentsofcolor). Ongoingassessmentsofclassroominstruction. Buildingstrongparent teacherrelationships. TeachingtoLearnandLearningtoTeach.

9 HighlightedActivitiesofEquitySpecialists ChanteleBurgess GatewoodandEisenhower ParticipateinequitydiscussionsatstaffmeetingsandNUAtraining. Useaconflictresolutionprocessthatfostersopencommunicationand empowermentforstaff,studentsandparents. Developasystemoftrackingstudentabsencefrominstructionalclassroom time. Buildingpositiverelationshipswithstudentsandstaff. ExploreaSaturdayhomeworkclub. Workwithprincipalinbusdrivertraining(behaviormanagement,equity awareness,andpositivecommunication). Culturalliaisonforstudentsinspecialeducation. Studygroupsfortestprep. Organizingculturalparenteventsandactivities. AlJohnson EisenhowerandAliceSmith Created BreakfastClub (beginsatalicesmithinfebruary). StepDanceTeam. StartedStudentCouncilatbothschools. Assuringthatbothbuildingsareequitableplacesofteachingandlearning. Continuingtobuildasenseofcommunity,whichisanothertierof accountability.forthestudentsthatiworkwith. Lunch Bunch forgrades2,3,and4tobuildcommunity,self esteem,etc. Monthlyclassroommeetingstoteachequityandachievement. Summerchallengemathgroup. MariamKpaka NorthJuniorHigh Helpingstaffandstudentsunderstand RestorativeJustice. FacilitatestaffdevelopmentworkshopsonrestorativePracticesandConflict. Management. FacilitatingSisterhoodCircle. OrganizingBlackHistoryMonthcelebration. EquityTeamchair. AndriaDaniels Meadowbrook,TanglenandGlenLake StartedBoy sleadershipgroup(meadowbrook). ParentSupportGroup(forparentsofstudentsofcolor)Meadowbrook. BoysBreakfastClub(Tanglen). Buildingactionsplanswithteacherstoclosethe opportunitygap inreading andmath. Workingwith EBD studentstoempoweraccountabilityandresponsibility. Bookclubswithstudents. ParentListeningSessions(Tanglen). MulticulturalDinner(GlenLake).

10 MarquitaFox WestJuniorHigh Culturalrepresentativeinpre referralspecialeducationevaluation. CoordinateandimplementStudentSuccessProgram(8thgradecollege readinessgroup). CoordinateandimplementGetReadyProgram(7 th gradecollegereadiness group). Actasanadvocateforparents,studentsandstaff. Participateonequityteam. Provideopportunitiesforstafftohavecontinuouslearningregardingthe cultureinthebuilding. Counterracistcommentsandassiststudents,administration,staffand parenttocounterracistcomments,policies,andinstitutionalracismthat createbarriersforallstudentstosucceed. Assistinrecruitmentof9 th gradeavidprogram. Workdirectlywithstudentsinthe ChoiceisYours program. TerrallLewis HopkinsHighSchool Teachstudentsmeans/modeofself advocacy. Leadershipdevelopment. Peerconflictresolution. Providesafe,neutralspacefororganicthought. Homeworkguidance. Healthandwellnessawarenessforpeakacademicperformance. Intra/Interpersonalcommunicationskills. Created/Co facilitate HiddenTalentProgram. After schoolactivities;daretobereal,understandingracism,understanding systemstheory. Hip HopClub WorkingwithandsupportingtheAfricanAmericanmalestudent. CulturalAppreciationGroups;SomaliandLatinogirlsgroup(and performance). Helpingstudentstoconnecttoteachers,administration,academicassistance andthelike.

11 EquityGoals for AliceSmithElementarySchool HopkinsSchoolDistrict BeliefStatement: InourAliceSmithcommunitywebelieve: Relationshipswithparentsandstudentsandschoolarekeytolearning. ALLkidscanlearnandmakeprogress. Effectiveeducatorscanteachandadjustaccordingtostudentlearningneeds andstyles. Respectful,responsibleandreadytolearnarethethreeimportant componentstoachievement. Goals: 1.ALLstaffwillworktogethertohelpALLstudentsmakeacademicgains. WewilluseNUAstrategiessystemicallyinallcurricularareas. Wewillcontinuetoprovideandstrengthencollaborationtime,andPLC s twotimesamonthforeachgradelevelataminimum. WewillimplementCoreComponentsofRtI. 2.EliminatetheacademicpredictabilitysothatALLchildrenaresuccessfulby havinghighexpectations. Wewillcontinuetoprovidesupporttodifferentiateinstructionduringcore instructionaltimeinordertoensureacademicgrowthforallstudentsand accesstoenrichedliteracyexperiences. 3.IncreasingschoolreadinessforALLstudentsateverygradelevel. Wewillincorporateacultureforachievementandstandards. Wewillteachgoodtesttakingstrategies. Wewillusetechnologytoengagestudentsmoreeffectively. 4.ALLfamilieswillfeelconnectedtoAliceSmith. WewilleducatestudentsandparentsaboutMCAandMAPtestscores.We willusethiseducationasanopportunitytomotivatestudents tohighlevels ofperformanceandcelebrateachievementimprovement. Wewilldevelopaclearcommunicationplan.

12 Culture Definition: A culture is a way of life of a group of people,--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. Exercise: Select a cultural group on any dimension (height, weight, class, race/ethnicity, family of origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation) to which you belong and describe a practice, tradition or ritual that is performed by your group. Questions: Would anyone outside of your culture be familiar with this practice/tradition? How would you begin to explain this practice/ritual? Is this practice/tradition only observed in your culture? Explain?

13 Cultural Competence See the difference, Understand the difference That Difference Makes Cultural competence involves use of the essential elements as the standards for individual behavior and organizational practice. This includes acceptance and respect for difference; continuing self-assessment regarding culture; careful attention to the dynamics of difference; continuous expansion of cultural knowledge and resources; and a variety of adaptations to belief systems, policies, and practices. Other forms of cultural competence are: Performance standards for culturally appropriate behavior Modeling appropriate behaviors Risk taking, such as speaking against injustice, even when doing so may cause tension and conflict List 5 additional attributes that makes your school Culturally Competent

14 Cultural Proficiency See the Differences and Respond Positively and Affirmingly Cultural proficiency involves knowing how to learn and teach about different groups; having the capacity to teach and to learn about differences in ways that acknowledge and honor all the people and the groups they represent; holding culture in high esteem; and seeking to add to the knowledge base of culturally proficient practice by conducting research, developing new approaches based on culture, and increasing the knowledge of others about culture and the dynamics of difference. List 5 attributes that will help your school move from Culturally Competent to Culturally Proficient: