Week+7+Equity+and+Fairness

=Equity and Fairness =

Work with your team to develop a statement of diversity and inclusion that respects, responds to, and thrives on the diversity in your school and community. Develop a plan for fostering a culture of inclusion. By midnight Monday, your team should come to consensus on a statement of diversity and inclusion, as well as a plan with action steps for fostering an inclusive community that welcomes every member. //Note, if a diversity statement already exists for your school, your statement may be a revision to the current statement.//

**//__ Diversity Statement __//** The multiplicity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives within our community reflect the larger world. As an inclusive school, Achievement Preparatory School's mission is to prepare our students to be tolerant citizens in school and beyond by building partnerships with our community to deepen our knowledge and appreciation of diversity. We strive to help our students understand the historical and current implications of diversity, power and privilege by having a committed and thoughtful approach to addressing diversity throughout our curriculum and our school. Fostering a culture of inclusion __//** APS is a very diverse school in regards to cultural backgrounds, socio-economic status, and academic ability. Therefore we are conscious of, and understand the importance of, the need to foster a school culture of inclusion where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and appreciated. The student population of APS is currently comprised African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, Asians, American Indians, English Language Learners, students receiving free or reduced meals, families of low, middle, and high class socio-economic statuses, students coming from traditional and non-traditional famliy units, and families with a wide range of religious beliefs. Because the student population is also representative of the community at large, we feel it is important to include a wide variety of stakeholders on a diversity committee which will be committed to fostering a culture of inclusion. This committee will include members of the Leadership Team, teacher representatives, parent representatives, and community members. It’s important for the members to have a commitment to diversity and therefore members should not be appointed, and instead should be invited, ensuring that all members who accept have a personal stake in the committee and the responsibilities of it. APS currently has partnerships with various local businesses and organizations. Invitations should be sent out to those organizations, as well as a handful of others in the local community which represent our diverse population, explaining the premise of, and responsibilities of, the diversity committee, and inviting them to be a part of it. Community members who show interest but cannot commit to serving on the committee will be asked to be guest speakers at various times during the year in classes and at PTSA meetings to address different cultural/diversity/community related subjects in order to bring more awareness and open the lines of communication. APS’s mission, vision, and diversity statement should be made clear to all members of the diversity committee at the start and should drive all decisions made by the committee. Members of the Administrative Leadership Team and School Improvement Team who also serve on the Diversity Committee can ensure the school’s vision is at the forefront of discussions. || || In addition to these various celebrations that promote pride and awareness, we also want to engage in daily practices that embrace diversity, tolerate differences, promote similarities, and adapt to meet the intellectual, emotional, and physical needs of all of our learners. APS will implement a character education program that will instill the above values into students on a daily basis. The values will be incorporated into daily lessons and the overall climate of the school. The PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support) Program will be consistently implemented, helping to change and manage overall behavior in the school. The discipline policy will be clear, consistent, fair, equitable, and followed regularly and outlined in the student and parent handbooks. Students will be empowered to use the skills and strategies they are learning by participating in a peer mediation program to help students resolve problems with little adult intervention. Designated staff will facilitate peer mediations and to communicate with parents. The current Code of Conduct (RAMS are Respectful, Able, Motivated, and Safe) will be displayed around the school and referenced daily on announcements. Expectations for behavior, diversity and tolerance will be poster throughout the school, including the hallways, dining hall, and classrooms. Being safe, respectful, tolerant, fair, and accepting are all values that we hope will be instilled in our students through these practices. In order to create a culture where all students and staff are respected, staff will be encouraged to get to know all students by name. When passing in the hallways, staff and students will be encouraged to acknowledge one another in order to build trust and respect. The principal, and other members of the Administrative Leadership Team should be present in the hallways and in classrooms throughout the day, interacting with staff and students. || || || || In regards to technology, APS will train teachers in and implement Universal Design for Learning to ensure equal access. As needed, technology and assistive technology can be purchased, utilizing the services of our Assistive Technology Coordinator if needed. To help families that cannot procure technology for home use, the TechnoRAMS-- our school based tech team-- could be asked to investigate partnerships and grants that will provide technology to children. Our school computer labs will be kept open after school hours for students to use to complete work and we will ensure that parents are aware of this as well as the resource of the computers at the public library for both student and family usage. ||
 * //__
 * **// Communicating the diversity statement //** || The diversity statement will be prominently posted on the school’s website, along with the school’s mission and vision. It will be printed in student and parent handbooks and included in school newsletters. To bring attention to the diversity within our own community, APS will hold a kick off Diversity Day which will include activities and events that take place during the school day as well as in the evening in order to accommodate and encourage families and community members to attend. Activities could include a poetry slam, guest speakers, families who contribute food, dances, and music that represent their culture. Throughout the school year our we will use materials from Southern Poverity Law Center/Teaching Tolerance and GLSEN .We will encourage students to participate in nationwide art and literature contests focused around diversity and display their work around the school.
 * //** Fostering a positive school culture that celebrates diversity and managing the school culture through discipline policies, behavior interventions, interactions with students, communicating with staff, students, and families **//
 * **// Family and Community Involvement //** || To ensure family and community involvement, we will create a community service/service learning program for staff and students that partners with community. We will continue and foster any current partnerships we have with local organizations and encourage new partnerships. Members of the community will be invited to part of our Diversity Committee and to participate in school wide events as well as to be guest speakers in classes and at parent meetings.
 * **// Professional Development //** || APS will train teachers in a schoolwide discipline program for consistency along with sensitivity training seminars and workshops on how to incorporate diversity into the classroom and make lessons more multicultural and sensitive to various differences. The school Improvement Team and PBIS team will oraganize and implement the professional development needed, including learning about best practices, and visiting other schools to get ideas. Part of APS’s professional development will include working with staff to develop a common language when working with students and parents around the issue of diversity and tolerance.
 * **// Accessing technology and promoting digital equality //**

Administrative Team Meeting Minutes: Attendees:

 * Stacy Bryan, Principal
 * Jennifer Barton, Special Education Coordinator
 * Stacey Pearl, Parent Representative

__Task One__:
Step One: Review the diversity statements on ELC. Step Two: Contribute at least one additional diversity statement. > Jennifer~ I think I accidentally deleted part of this statement! I just realized it! I'm sorry, Jennifer! BUT-- I //really//, really like the second sentence in this statment; it aligns with our vision . I put the deleted sentence back :-) - and I agree -the 2nd sentence is quite pawerful and does mesh with our vision quite well. >  > > Diversity encompasses differences in the human family, including: cultural heritages, family structures, genders, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, and socio-economic backgrounds. > > **We commit ourselves to:**     > **Engaging** in this complex work with careful thought and an enduring commitment. > I like the statements in this chart. They don't exactly speak to the element of special educaiton, but we could tweak that. Perhaps combining Jennier's second sentence with these bullets, and then looking at the Special Education Link for our system will help us synthesize the information. ~Stacy B. > > >
 * 1) We don't have anything titled "Diversity Statement" that I can find, but I did find these two items. HCPS Special Education Main Page and [|Instruction Support Programs Main Page] both provide information related to equity and diversity. The first focuses mainly on special education, and the second considers cultural, socio-economic, and religious, in addition to instructional diversity. ~Stacy B.
 * 2) I found this statement by doing a google search - I thought it was very straight forward: The Spence School strives to be a diverse community that articulates, affirms and values people's differences. The multiplicity of backgrounds and perspectives within our community must reflect that of a larger world, to prepare our students for life and leadership in school and beyond and further the ideals expressed in our motto. Diversity fosters our strength as a school and our growth as an institution. A school whose members have different backgrounds and points of view fuels inquiry and exploration and ensures that collectively we learn more and arrive at a a greater understanding than would otherwise be possible. SPence acknowledges the challenges inherent in being part of a diverse world and the deliberate effort required to sustain cohesion and trust. We have the obligation to create a community in which each individual is a respected member. We embrace our responsibility to be a school that values difference.
 * 1) I would like to have a shorter and more concise diversity statement if possible. (Stacey) Here is an example of one I found as well that feels... clear and a bit more managable: **Diversity is an element of an excellent education and a central tenet of our Mission Statement:** //"At Charles River School, we…respect ourselves and others, and prepare children to be active participants in our diverse world."//
 * **Providing** an environment and an education that prepares children to become successful, contributing members of a global society; ||
 * **Deepening** our knowledge and appreciation of diversity; ||
 * **Understanding** both historical and current implications of diversity, power, and privilege; ||
 * **Cultivating** diversity throughout our curriculum, our student body, and our faculty and staff; ||
 * //How is diversity defined? What represents a diverse population? -// (From the Spence School statement): "multiplicity of backgrounds and perspectives", "different backgrounds and points of view", "learn more and arrive at a greater understanding", "each individual is a respected member" (Jennifer) "Encompasses all differences in the human family" (including those with disabilities!). (Stacey) As I've read through the statements, it seems that most schools see diversity as primarily related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, and even race, but there is less of a direct statement related to disabilities. Moreover, there is little reference to learning styles and multiple intellegencies. Yet, in the classroom, talk about differentiation focuses almost exclusively on these things. When we say "all", we mean "all", and yet we find ourselves having to define that for a society that still thinks "all" means "everyone except ." (Stacy B.)
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">//As you review examples of diversity statements, what are the elements that are consistently represented? To what extent do you think these statements are effective? Why or why not?// <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Appreciating and integrating diversity into the curriculum prepares students for life. (Stacey), <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">diversity encompasses the different family backgrounds of the students and embraces them (Jennifer), moving beyond appreciating, understanding, and inviting into empowering and engaging (Stacy B.)

__Task Two:__
Use the prompts below to guide the next portion of your team discussion in response to the team challenge:
 * //What diversity exists in your school community?// || The following data will help us to identify the types of diversity that exist in our school and community:

About our school: About our community (comprised of zipcodes 21040 and 21009): ~Stacy B. || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">How would you invite members outside of the school to participate? // || //<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Create invitations inviting students, parents, community members and staff who represent diverse backgrounds. (Stacey). <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">Hold a diversity or cultural event that coincides with a meeting and encourages community members to participate and contribute their thoughts on what diversity encompasses and how the school should embrace it. (Jennifer) // I'd like to see us move beyond celebrations and invitations, perhaps considering actual recruitment and empowerment of members of our diverse community. It's important to be compassionate and tolerant of each other, but even more important to validate and engage the community in moving toward our vision and goal. (Stacy B.) <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"> Good point - how do we get diverse community members to participate in meetings, decision making etc. || As leaders, we need to openly model this for all stakeholders. Just as we want teachers to come back to the objective during formative and on-going assessment throughout a lesson, we need to revisit the vision, goals, and benchmarks in very transparent ways. (Stacy B.) || I agree! Ditto! And-- live it! ~Stacy B. || <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">Hold periodic assemblies focused around lessons dealing with tolerance and acceptance. Celebrate National No Name Calling Week each year and incorporate lessons from the nonamecallingweek.org website. Encourage students to participate in Nationwide art and literature contests focused around diveristy and display their work around the school.(Jenn) I think that overt celebrations are good in that they promote pride. Yet, I find that it is possible to have these types of events, and still not move below the surface. To establish and foster a positive school culture, we have to move beyond periodic and very public celebrations, and toward daily practice that embraces diversity, tolerates differences, promotes similarities, and bends and flexes to meet the intellectual, emotional, and physical needs of all of our learners. That means providing meals to our learners who need food because they live in poverty, not just holding a cultural event. So, with all due respect-- let's have the celebrations, but let's look at the population with whom we work: students who live in generational poverty, students who are homeless and living in hotels and cars, students who live in million dollar homes recently built, military families, Spanish speaking families... the list goes on and on. Managing school culture means teaching values and ethics, and helping children to develop strong character. To ensure that the culture and climate is positive, and that the energy and momentum gained from celebrations of culture and celebrations of learning is sustainable, I suggest we consider character education initiatives. I also suggest we consider a program already in place (PBIS), and the role it plays. Our current mascot is a ram, and our Code of Conduct is RAMS are Respectful, Able, Motivated, and Safe. When we look at that, we need ask ourselves, what does it mean to be respectful and safe in relation to equity and diversity. (Stacy B.) ||
 * 41.6% of our students recieve free or reduced meals
 * 1.3% of our students are English Language Learners, with Spanish being the most prevalent primary language
 * 13% of our students have educational disabilities
 * 45% of our students are African American
 * 47.2% of our students are Caucasion
 * 5% of our students are Hispanic
 * 2.1% are Asian
 * .7% American Indian
 * The median home value in the 21040 area is appoximately $223,000; in the 21009 it is $323,000.
 * About 11% of the community falls below the poverty level in the 21040 area (and 5% of them fall below 50% of the poverty level; 2% fall below the poverty level in the 21009 area (and .6% fall below 50% of the poverty level).
 * The average income for the community is approximately $60,538 in the 21040 zipcode, and $81,400 in the 21009 area.
 * Approximately 42% of the famlies in the community rent homes.
 * Approximately 78% of the community is Cuacasion.
 * 4.3% of the community in 21040 are foreign born; 60% are naturalized citizens. In 21040, 4.2% are foreign born, and nearly 70% are naturalized citizens.
 * //<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
 * //How will your team ensure that the decisions of this committee are consistent with the school’s vision?// || <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">Members of the School Improvement Team as well as the Leadership Team must be present at the meeting and bring the vision to the forefront as a reminder. (jennifer)
 * //How will you communicate your diversity statement to stakeholders?// || <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Post it on Website, in student-parent handbook, and include on school newsletters
 * //What steps would you take to establish and foster a positive school culture that celebrates diversity? How would you manage the school culture?// || <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Have a kick off Diversity Day with assembly, poetry slam and evening program, <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">and invite families to contribute information, dances, music, food, etc that represent their culture and differences within theiir family.. Use materials from Southern Poverity Law Center/Teaching Tolerance. Hang posters around the school and have Mix it up lunches (once per quarter). Have all students and staff sign a Diversity Tolerance Compact and hang it at the front of school. Have a zero tolerance for bullying. Consider having a school diversity theme each month that matches the national calendar, such as Black History Month. (Stacey)

__Task Three:__
With your team, make a plan for what you will do regularly to foster a culture of inclusion, and identify specific action items that would occur in the natural cycle of a school calendar. (Avoid celebrations.) Think about the following, and add anything else that comes to mind as you think about fostering a culture of inclusion: > > > ALT considers a 3 year plan for training staff and purchasing resources to implement Universal Design for Learning. (Stacey)
 * Discipline Policies || * <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">Have a clear discipline policy, outlined in the student and parent handbooks, that is consistent, fair, equitable, and followed regularly. Help students and parents understand that the policy will be upheld in all situations and that all students are expected to follow the rules/policies. (Jenn)
 * Ensure that discipline policies are fully aligned with an in compliance with IDEA requirements, with particular attention to providing FAPE to children with disabilities when it is necessary to suspend them from school. (Stacy B.) ||
 * Behavior Interventions || * <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">Implement a peer mediation program to help students resolve problems with little adult intervention. Have designated staff to facilitate peer mediations and to take over if things are not resolved or get out of hand. Have clear policies on how situations will be handled and how and when parents will be involved. (Jenn)
 * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Create a student led Honor Court where students hold each other accountable. (Stacey)
 * Identify specific interventions as part of our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports ([|PBIS]) initiative. ||
 * Interacting with Students || * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Create a school culture where ALL staff hold students accountable in all parts of the school day including in the hallways and dining hall. (Stacey)
 * All staff will be encouraged to get to know students by name, not only the students in their classes, but those that they frequently see in the halls around their classes. When staff confronts students, the interaction will always begin with an introduction, where the two communicants exchange names and titles; for a student, that would a name be his/her team and the teacher to whom he/she is responsible that period, and for staff, that would be a name and the adult's role in the building. (Stacy B.)
 * In the morning, the principal will greet students when they arrive. Throughout the day, the entire administrative team will dedicate time to being present in the hallway. (Stacy B.)
 * Expectations || * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Post expectations (for diversity and tolerance) all over the school (hallways, dining hall, locker rooms, etc). Include addressing diversity in the classroom in the teacher evaluation process. (Stacey)-- I like this idea and think it can be tied into the PBIS expectations posted. For example, on a post that talks about what "Safe" looks like and sounds like, but also what it does NOT look like and sound like, we might have something like this in the cafeteria. (Stacy B.)
 * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">discuss expectations at beginning of the year meetings/assemblies with students when going over the student handbook to ensure all students receive the infromation and understand expectations. (Jenn)
 * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">discuss expectations at beginning of the year meetings/assemblies with students when going over the student handbook to ensure all students receive the infromation and understand expectations. (Jenn)
 * Partnering w/ Families and Community || * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Create a community service/service learning program for staff and students that partners with community. (Stacey)-- I like this idea, too. We have to do service learning projects already as part of Maryland graduation requirements, so I suspect that we could tie this in, allowing teachers and teams to work smarter (rather than harder), and also sending the message that we aren't doing something, we are being something. (Stacy B.)
 * Partnering w/ Families and Community || * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Create a community service/service learning program for staff and students that partners with community. (Stacey)-- I like this idea, too. We have to do service learning projects already as part of Maryland graduation requirements, so I suspect that we could tie this in, allowing teachers and teams to work smarter (rather than harder), and also sending the message that we aren't doing something, we are being something. (Stacy B.)
 * The partnership we currently have with Northrop Grumman, an engineering firm, promotes diversity in it's outreach programs. In order to ensure that students see a wide range of people in the role of engineer, they send volunteers to the school to participate in our programs-- men and women, young and old, from all ethnic backgrounds-- even some with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities-- some to our school and engage children in hands-on activiites. We'll contiue this partnership! (Stacy B.)
 * The strategies we included on our Partnership page speak nicely to equity and diversity; we kept that in mind as we completed that task! (Stacy B.)
 * We could provide incentives to teams/teachers who create and sustain partnerships that benefit the school and align with our mission, vision, and goals in the SIT. (Stacy B.) ||
 * Professional Development || * Train teachers in a schoolwide discipline program for consistency along with sensitivity training seminars and workshops on how to incorporate diversity into the classroom and make lessons more multicultural and sensitive to various differences. (Jenn) - I like the idea of schoolwide discipline policies and practices. We've waxed and waned in this area over the years, and although PBIS has helped a great deal with the culture shift, we're back to teams functioning as individual entities-- with teachers and administrators inconsistently implementing the agreed upon practices. I think part of this PD has to fall on the SIT and PBIS team, who need to examine the practices and policies, gather input from teachers, parents, and students, and then revise and publish what we will do NOW-- not what we used to do, and aren't sure if we still do or not. :o) That having been said, PD for the SIT and PBIS team will need to include learning about best practices, and may include visiting other schools to get ideas. Once the school leaders (think teachers not administration) have a handle on best-practices, it will become easier to identify or create programs that work. (Stacy B.)
 * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Work with staff to develop a common language when working with students and parents around the issue of diversity and tolerance. (Stacey) ||
 * Communicating with Staff || * As Stacey mentioned, having a common language is essential. (Stacy B.)
 * Additionally, it will be important to model embedding fair and equitable practices in our daily tasks by asking questions to check ourselves. For instance, when we plan a poetry slam-- which we do every year-- we can ask these questions: Who is likely to attend this event? What reasons might students/famlies have for NOT attending? What might we do to help overcome the barriers? (e.g. transportation, child care, etc.) By asking the questions consistently, it is likely that teachers will start to think of those questions as they engage in planning. (Stacy B.) ||
 * Accessing Technology/ Promoting Digital Equality || * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">ALT and media specialist review digital resources to ensure they reflect students of all backgrounds. (What is ALT? Stacy B.)
 * To ensure that all students have access to technology during the day, teachers will be asked to identify students who may have difficulty accessing technology. As needed, technology and assistive technology can be purchased, utilizing the services of our Assistive Technology Coordinator if needed. (Stacy B.)
 * To help families that cannot procure technology for home use, the TechnoRAMS-- our school based tech team-- could be asked to investigate partnerships and grants that will provide technology to children. (Stacy B.)
 * After school, we will keep the computer labs open. Students wishing to use the labs can sign up in advance, and take the activity bus home at the end of the day. There would be a limited number of spots on the bus, so it would be first come, first serve-- but if students begin staying, we can examine the posibility of getting additional buses. (Stacy B.)
 * The public library has computers for the public to use. We can promote this on our website and in our bulletins to ensure that parents are aware of this resource. (Stacy B.) ||

//How do these steps/activities connect to or support your school goal?//

__Task Four__:
Complete the challenge.