Professional Development and Experiences

Lenape High School ADL Peer Leaders led their first staff training of the school year on the topic of social justice. The students shared their own personal experiences and feelings regarding social justice, especially in relation to what is currently going on in our society today, and engaged the staff to share their own stories as well. The students led our staff to determine what issues related to bias or injustice were important to them and to complete an activity which allowed them to identify ways in which they could engage in social justice activism, both in the school and community, and to challenge these issues and promote justice and equity at both Lenape High School and in their community.

For the 2020-2021 school year, No Place For Hate has begun holding Student-Staff Forums to offer an opportunity for students and staff members to have open conversations regarding the major topics affecting our local community and society as a whole. For these forums, our students have taken turns researching topics important to them and then presenting their findings during the forums. After the presentations, the students and staff engage in meaningful conversation and ask questions and share their own stories related to the topics. So far, topics have covered things such as Mental Health, Ways to De-Stress Over Break, Communication During Covid, and POC Mental Health. It has been a wonderful opportunity for students and staff to come together to learn and share their own journeys.

Staff are invited to participate in equity-based discussions at a monthly virtual meeting.  Resources are shared throughout the month on a Google Classroom and staff and student presenters share informative equity perspectives with participants.  In addition to having open discussions about equity, the group also reviews current practices to ensure that an inclusive environment is being provided to the school community.

Leadership for Reimagining Schools of Excellence and Equity Workshop Series - “Belonging and Dignity: The Hidden Keys to Equity Implementation in Our Schools”

Selected staff members attended this two-day workshop series.  Participants learned to use the "Dignity Framework for Educational Equity" as a solution to the common challenges that districts face when attempting to implement equity initiatives.  Through critical reflection and dialogue, participants discovered how their own lived experiences intersect with the broader patterns of societal inequity and inclusion.  Through this discovery, participants can recognize the concepts of belonging and dignity as the keys they need to unlock success with equity implementation.  The Framework will help participants make these concepts operational. 

Day one focuses on awareness, helping participants clearly articulate what educational equity is really all about. Day two focuses on action, guiding participants in applying the framework to change behaviors, practices and policies. 

The Road Back Through an Equity Lens

Presenter: George Guy

Selected participants reviewed the three areas of “The Road Back” Conditions for Learning, Leadership and Planning and Continuity of Learning. Examples included using our equity lens to review implementation of social emotional learning, applications of multi-tiered systems of support, an analysis of the efficacy of our wraparound services for students and their families, scheduling for hybrid or remote instruction with historically underserved demographics, more equitable deployment as it relates to staff, equity reviews of current grading and attendance policies, equity and the digital divide, targeted professional learning and supports for students with individual education plans.