Colonial's Focus on Equity
Since 2016, The Colonial School District (CSD) began taking a hard look at race and equity. Statistics show the experiences of black and brown students are not the same as white students and our team of administrators and teachers do not reflect our largely Black and Brown student population.
To provide the best outcomes for all students, CSD established the following groups to focus on equity:
Educators of Color (EOC-Est. 2016)
Who: Teachers, Administrators, Public Information Officer (PIO), Media Specialist
Primary Focus: recruiting and retention of Teachers of Color
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District Leadership Equity Focus (Est. Summer 2018)
Who: District, Division and School-based administrators
Primary Focus: Develop skills at facilitating conversations about race and equity
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District Leadership Council (Est. Summer 2019)
Who: Superintendent’s Council
Primary Focus: Deep dive into racial conversations, data discovery, book studies
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Nutrition Equity Team (Est. Fall 2019)
Who: Nutrition Workers and EOC members
Primary Focus: Support our diverse school population through menu choices and options
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Educators Practitioner Program (Est. Winter 2019)(EPP)
Who: Teachers
Primary Focus: Gives educators the skills and resources to engage others with equity work. A goal is to advance the equity work
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District Equity Team (Est. Winter 2020)
Who: Teachers, Administrators, PIO
Primary Focus: Develop a deep understanding of race and its relationship to equitable practices and outcomes for all learners, assess the needs of programs, departments, schools, and the organization as a whole as related to race and equity work, create a Colonial School District Equity Plan to guide our focus and work, support school leaders in leading equity work at the building level in the coming months and years, lead staff in organizing efforts to infuse institutional change within Colonial.
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Transportation Equity Team (Est. Winter 2020)
Who: Transportation Administrators and workers, along with EOC members
Primary Focus: Determine a role for transportation workers with our equity work (only had one meeting due to COVID-19)
All group participants agree there is no quick fix but believe the intentional focus on equity is a great first step for CSD. In addition to the focus groups, CSD also established a new position, Director of Talent Development, which will be headed by Jennifer Alexander, the former principal of Pleasantville Elementary School. Among other things, Alexander’s goal is to recruit the most qualified minority teachers she can find to educate Colonial students. “Colonial is a district that believes our students deserve role models who look like them. Our district is committed to proving the resources, support, and professional development to grow teachers so they can acquire the skills necessary to provide instruction to meet the needs of ALL students,” she says.
