Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

Good Afternoon-

I want to personally thank everyone who was able to make the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) meeting yesterday.  Between in-person and Zoom, we had thirty-one people in attendance!

To provide a recap, we used a community circle to get introduced to each other and then used the same circle to answer the question “Why are you here?”  We shared our reasons, and that helped us to know each other even more.  We then gathered and looked at the data from the Thought Exchange that committee members completed prior to our session.  The top three responses to the Thought Exchange question are attached, as is a “Word Cloud” that has the words used most frequently in the responses organized by size (the larger the word, the more the word was used in responses.) I will be printing color copies for all of you so you will have a graphic reminder of the work we are doing.

In terms of the survey responses, the working “group think” definition of diversity, equity, and inclusion is “to know, understand, and celebrate the differences in our community. To welcome people who are different than us and to welcome their perspectives. Our perspectives are limited to our one experience, so the experiences of others can help us learn new views that we have not experienced.”

We then reviewed the original diversity, equity, and inclusion presentation that was used over the summer.  When asked if there were any questions about the presentation, there were none, so we moved on to new work.

The new work involved reading pages 11-13 of the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework and thinking, as groups, about one thing that was agreed upon as a group, and one thing that the group was still struggling with.  The groups were given ten minutes to complete the task.  Group members recorded their thoughts on large chart paper and at the end of the ten minutes, each group spoke out about their group discussions.  Attached are pictures of their actual work for your review. Hard copies of the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework were handed out at the meeting (the electronic version is in your agenda from yesterday.) If you would like a hard copy, please let me know, and we will get one to you.

Once that was completed, we agreed on the next meeting date and time (November 18^th from 3:45PM-5PM on Zoom and in the high school library.)

Between now and then, the group was asked to read the piece of the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework that applied to their stakeholder group (beginning on page 17).  Board of Education member Phyllis Frantel received the most amount of homework, due to her multi-faceted role, so she will be reading the sections labeled District Leaders, Families and Community Members, and Education Department Policy Makers.

Between now and the November meeting, each stakeholder group will be given an assignment to complete based on their reading, and the first order of business, after introductions, at the November meeting, will be to group share the results of that work.

Also, and in the meantime, I will be sending artifacts and resources for you to consider reading or listening to related to the topic of DEI and our work.  These are not mandatory assignments, but rather a way to extend your learning if you choose to do so.

I will also follow up with an anonymous survey of how you thought the meeting went so we can make adjustments for the next meeting, if necessary.

Thanks, and have a wonderful weekend!

Chris/Dr. Brown

Link to Group Activity Pictures

Good Afternoon-

I hope this finds you well.  I wanted to make sure that you are as up to speed with what is happening in the District with regard to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Last week, our administrators, directors, and counselors participated in a learning opportunity presented by one of our school attorney’s titled “Supporting Transgender Students.” It is attached for your review.

The purpose of the training was to make sure that all of our point people are as up to speed as possible with vocabulary, definitions, and most current legal interpretations for transgender students and school records, right to privacy, and access to the language included in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA.)  This presentation will also go on our website where the rest of our work is contained…https://www.mwcsd.org/covid-19/diversity-equity-inclusion-dei.

Interestingly, my sister and her family found themselves in the middle of a diversity, equity, and inclusion issue in their school District in Lafayette, New York.  My siblings and I are all adopted and my brother and sister are Native American (I am not.)  In the Lafayette School District, over 50% of the students are native.  In a “shop” type class, a student cut my nephew’s hair.  This caused a huge uproar on the campus and the community with the Clan mothers and the reservation because hair and the length of it are a very important parts of Native American culture.

My sister had to get involved to prevent the issue and resulting protests from making national news. She understood that the student who cut her son’s hair knew nothing about the culture (he is not Native) but that the school needed to continue their diversity, equity, and inclusion work so that everyone had a deeper understanding.  She wanted to turn the situation into a learning experience instead of a punishing one.  She was successful in steering the issue in that direction, as long as the District follows through on their promises. An article about the issue can be found here…https://www.syracuse.com/news/2021/10/when-a-cny-kid-forcibly-cuts-a-native-american-students-hair-its-a-teaching-moment-for-a-school-district.html.

Lastly, if you are a fan of podcasts, and want to listen to how complicated diversity efforts can be in different communities, I would suggest listening to Southlake (https://www.nbcnews.com/southlake-podcast.) This pod is six episodes and covers the real life back and forth in a wealthy town in Texas, as they wrestle with implementing a diversity plan in their school District.

Thank you.  In your Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, please read the tab that most closely describes you (Student, Teacher, School Leader, District Leader, Family and Community Member, Higher Education Faculty and Administrator, and Education Department Policy Maker.) Next week, I will send out an assignment using these sections as we get ready for our next meeting on November 18^th at 3:45PM.

Thanks and have a great rest of the week!

Chris // Dr. Brown (for the students in this email)

Good Morning-

I hope everyone had a great week.  I promised some homework leading up to our next meeting on November 18^th, and here it is! Our mission statement is: “To know, understand, and celebrate the differences in our community. To welcome people who are different than us and to welcome their perspectives. Our perspectives are limited to our one experience, so the experiences of others can help us learn new views that we have not experienced.”

The Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework document we have been working with has tabs beginning on page 17 for each stakeholder group.  Using the mission statement above, I pulled bulleted statements that each stakeholder group should:

1. Restate. In other words, present the bulleted statements to the whole group.
2. As a stakeholder group, present your initial thoughts about each point and what your stakeholder group could do to address each bulleted item at Marcus Whitman.

The bulleted statements are below by stakeholder group, along with the members of your group.  If you are able or willing to meet outside of the meeting time, I am more than happy to connect you by email or a Zoom link; just let me know.

Your group will be given the first thirty minutes to bring your thoughts together on November 18^th, and we will use the remainder of the time to listen to group presentations.  Thank you, and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

I included all of your email addresses above in case you want to make contact with one another as you work through your group assignment.

Chris/Dr.Brown

Student Group: Ms. Taft and Mr. Gorton will help to facilitate

Taft, Jenn

Gorton, Mike

Williams, Cameron

Philips, Lorelei

Muffley, Edward

Gang, Hannah

Teeter, Arabell

Carroll, Lily

Students

• Choose kind words over put-down language. Strive to accept others rather than impose negative judgment, in order to create a safe and supportive learning environment that allows for other students to think critically, share honestly and take academic risks.
• Support classmates when in need and work to help mediate through discussion and restorative practices.
• Collaborate with teacher and trusted adults to repair harm when harm is caused.
• Make an effort to build strong relationships across groups, talking to and getting to know a variety of peers and their perspectives.
• Participate in the creation of, and review of, school codes of conduct. Be a collaborating member of these existing committees.
• Develop or sustain the mindset that having high expectations means caring about more than just a grade, but also personal growth and character development.

Teacher Group: Please Pick a Facilitator for Your Group

Clark, Jacob

McFadden, Tonya

Drake, Morgan

Ryan, Larkin

Blueye, Holly

McLellen-Tuck, De

Sohn, Chris

Deporter, Kerri

Twomey, Jennifer

Sullivan, Mike

Josyln, Emily

Ormsby, Courtney

Fischer, Erin

Vansickle. Lisa

Betrus, Sarah

Teachers

• Assess the physical environment of the classroom and school to determine whether a variety of diverse cultures, languages, orientations, and identities are reflected, represented and valued. Promote a variety of perspectives that represent the diversity of the state of New York beyond designated icons, historical figures, months, and holidays.
• Work toward creating an environment that establishes mutually agreed-upon norms and encourages students to act out of a sense of personal responsibility to follow those norms, not from a fear of punishment or desire for a reward.
• Use restorative justice circles and structures to welcome students back into learning when harm has occurred.
• Participate in the review of school and district policies (code of conduct, curriculum reviews, community engagement, etc.)
• Be responsive to students’ experiences by providing them with a space to process current events.
• Co-create explicit classroom expectations that meet the needs of all students.

School Leaders: (Ms. Taft Should Join Once She and Mr. Gorton Have Finished Helping the Students)

Robinson, Scott

Cole, Clayton

Cazer, Bonnie

Pasho, Eric

School Leaders

• Conduct periodic review of school policies (i.e. dress code, discipline code, conduct code), by collaborating with parents, teachers, community members and incorporating research ­based best practices such as restorative justice, positive behavior interventions and supports.
• Assess school climate using a variety of measures (i.e. surveys, interviews, focus groups, informal gatherings) to collect diverse stakeholder impressions and experiences, using questions that consider issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Develop multiple means of ongoing family engagement (i.e. apps and online systems of communication, parent leadership opportunities, parent family liaison positions, opportunities for families to serve as active co-creators of policies and programs, parent organizing bodies, and holding meetings at varied hours, possibly providing transportation and childcare, outreach at community meetings).
• Create a visibly multilingual and multicultural environment by posting signs, banners, and other materials throughout the school that acknowledge and celebrate the identities of students.
• Create "listening conferences" or "peacemaking circles" led by a trained facilitator through which all stakeholders can discuss cultural and social values and resolve conflict.

District Leaders: (Phyllis Has to Wear Many Hats, So We Will Try to Give Her a Break in this Group)

Smith, Andrea

Shipman, LeeAnn

Woolston, Carla

Hasselstrom, Erica

Brown, Chris

Lehman, Brenda

Lambert, Scott

Frantel,Phyllis

District Leaders

• Create a policy statement about your commitment to culturally responsive­sustaining education, and include staff (teachers, school safety officers, counselors, lunch and recess staff) in its creation, development, and ongoing training.
• Conduct periodic review of school policies (i.e. dress code, discipline code conduct code), by collaborating with parents, teachers, community members and incorporating research-based best practices such as restorative justice, positive behavior interventions and supports.
• Assess school climate using a variety of measures (i.e. surveys, interviews, focus groups, informal gatherings) to collect diverse stakeholder impressions and experiences, using questions that consider issues of diversity, equity, an inclusion.
• Develop multiple means of ongoing family engagement (i.e. apps and online systems of communication, holding meetings at varied hours, possibly providing transportation and childcare, outreach at community meetings or other places the community gathers.
• Work to improve the recruitment and retention of a diverse teacher workforce (i.e. teachers who identify as people of color, LGBTQIA+, differently-abled) by strengthening pipelines for􀀚 teacher education and cultivating relationships with local and national partners (i.e. historically Black college and universities, Hispanic association of colleges and universities, alliance organizations).
• Identify, cultivate, and support students who are interested in joining the district in the future as a classroom teacher or school professional (school counselor, occupational and speech pathologist, etc.) by partnering with higher education and other professional organizations that could provide scholarships, internships, externships, and mentorship opportunities, as a means to strengthen teacher education pipelines.

Families and Community Members: (Phyllis Frantel and Amy Carroll to Facilitate)

Bently, Nanci

Carroll, Amy

Spoor, Tina

Donovan, Amanda

Fladd, Gabrielle

Frantel,Phyllis

Wiggins, Sara

McDermott, Melissa

Families and Community Members

• Share traditions and cultural assets with teachers to support the integration of these values within curriculum.
• Generate idea about concepts that your children and their peers may like to learn about.
• Ask questions of your children about self, community, and society that many serve as opportunities to connect in-school learning with the world outside the classroom.
• Advocate to ensure that school culture and environment is safe and responsive to children’s needs.
• Partner with teachers and school leaders to inform them of, and assist with, school community needs.

 

• Opening Circle: How has your work on the DEI committee (or in general) shifted your thinking over the last few months?
  • Key Takeaways:
    • This work is important and we need to move the discussion back into the buildings for students and staff.
    • Staff need professional development on all parts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • This work impacts all of us on a professional and personal level.  The room is the voice of this work and needs to keep conversations going outside of the committee.
    • How do we make it so every single person feels welcome from the moment they step foot in our District?
    • How do we give our students diverse experiences?
• Review: Slides presentation (Final slide - Short term vs On-Going)
  • The welcoming statements should be looked at through the PBIS lens and matrix for how we share out with students.
  • Two-way communication with families…..how do we help parents understand that they can reach out to us.
• Welcoming and affirming statements/Commitment Statement - not enough time
  • CRS-F page 12
  • Review Examples
  • Craft a District-Wide statement (Translating the Mission into 1 sentence)
    • Homework:  Individually take the DEI mission and turn it into one sentence for our next meeting.
• Professional Learning Agenda for March 18, 2021
  • Reflections from the committee:  They wish we could require everyone to attend the conferences day. Erica explained the logistics of that.
  • Create a decompression space for the Valley and Gorham staff
  • Is there a way to record sessions? (Erica)
  • Is there a way to provide building-wide debrief (Faculty meetings)?
• Tech Plan Update
  • Should Digital Media be added to Digital Tools?
  • Should we reflect that there is a benefit for some students to attend classes digitally?

• Moment of silence for recent events
• One bad, one good
• Review draft of MWCSD DEI Plan
  • By section add comments and recommendations
• Celebrate what we have done
• Plan for Student meeting
  • 10th period on *** for anyone 6 - 12
• Action plan for subgroups - what groups, when to meet, set times
  • Need to take advantage of the fall for students.  Plan to have Dr. Covington.
  • What do we need to see and how do we want it to happen?
    • Erica will doodle

 

• Committee Plan - Complete action items and review for discussion
  • How does our Mission align with each of the categories in the Policy document? What does it look like, sound like, and feel like at Marcus Whitman?
    • Governance
    • Teaching and Learning
    • Family and Community Engagement
    • Workforce Diversity
    • Diverse Schools and Learning Opportunities
    • Student Support, Discipline, and Wellness
• Next Steps - What action items do we need to work through before the end of the school year? What subgroups will we need to form?

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your thoughtful work last night.  For those of you who were unable to attend, the notes from the meeting are in the agenda below.  We did separate out into three groups last night.  The first group will be working on curating resources for classroom teachers.  The other two groups are subgroups for MS/HS and Valley/Gorham on how to continue to support student learning on DEI and Cultural Responsiveness.  I will be sending emails out separately to each of those groups to get their next meeting on the books.  If you were not able to attend yesterday and want to be on one of those groups, please email me. 

DEI Agenda – December 5 3:45 – 4:45 HS Library

Erica