April Blog Posts-Creating an Equitable Environment
What move will you make to create more Equity in your classroom? How will you measure the sustainability or progress of this move? In pondering this question, I was struck with the thought that I need to collect more information about what my students actually require to feel like they are learning in an environment that treats them with equity. What I can suppose, imagine, perceive, or attempt may be misguided and based on my own implicit biases, understandings, and what I think will address this…but I might be wrong and actually could do harm instead of repairing and restoring and building positive connections. So, I need guidance and information. I would like to have input from others who have done more work in this area, and I would begin with having reflective conversations with those are resources from both my district and the PINE Project. I also feel that collecting information through an equity and inclusion survey could offer some valuable insights and give a measuring tool for progress monitoring. I teach fourth grade, so students at this stage of development are able to independently and reflectively use surveys to share their experiences. I also feel that there would be enormous value in taking the time to have open and supportive dialogue about what students feel they need within our learning community in order to feel that we are treating everyone with equity and including them as the valued member they are. I also found a resource to include here as a starting point for thinking about a survey. It is geared more toward grade six and above, but it would give a beginning point for conversation about the process. This resource is from an educational PD organization, who are affiliated with the RIDES Project and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://go.panoramaed.com/equity-inclusion-survey-guide
ESSERF (CRRSA and Emergency) funds received from the US Department of Education (USDOE) support the implementation of this project. The project has an award totaling $119,041.16 of which 100% is federally funded and directly attributed to project implementation. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by the USDOE or the U.S. Government.
