Developing Cultures of Belonging in Intentionally Diverse Schools
In today’s world—where division, isolation, and polarization are increasingly shaping our communities—the need for belonging in schools has never been more urgent. In diverse school environments, belonging is not a given—it must be purposefully cultivated. Building belonging involves creating classrooms where children are honored and seen for who they are by intentional planning, action and reflection around 4 core elements of culture building with an anti-bias lens.
AI for Equity and Innovation
Customized to align with your schools’ commitments to equity, inclusion, and innovation, this Community of Practice series takes DCSC members deep into the foundations, potential, and limitations of generative AI. Through a peer-driven learning model, participants will explore human-centered design and ethical frameworks to build, test, and deploy practical AI tools that solve real challenges in intentionally diverse school communities.
Leading from Within—Exploring the Self Domain of the Compass Leadership Framework
Effective leadership begins within. The Self Domain of our Compass Leadership Framework invites leaders to engage deeply with their inner world—uncovering, examining, and expanding the beliefs, stories, and habits that shape how they lead. This Community of Practice (CoP) is designed to create a reflective space where leaders can build greater self-awareness and alignment, and develop the internal capacities that support transformational leadership in complex and human centered environments.
Centering Student Voice: Co-Designing Whole Child Formative Assessment Tools Alongside Black and Latin Learners
Assessment for Good will develop asset-based formative assessment tools to eradicate the persistent gap in opportunity experienced by Black and Latinx learners, aged 8-13, in classrooms across the US.
Through achieving transformational improvements in how we understand and support wellbeing, AFG seeks to reduce negative and segregated learning experiences, improve educator decision-making, and improve learner outcomes across academic, emotional, and social domains.
Developing Cultures of Belonging in Intentionally Diverse Classrooms
One of the most fundamental aspects of having an intentionally diverse school is to create classrooms where children are honored and seen for who they are. This doesn’t happen by accident but instead by intentional planning, action and reflection around 4 core elements of culture building with an anti-bias lens. In this CoP, participants will:
gain a shared understanding and deepened mindset around developing cultures of belonging for students;
dive deep into 4 elements of culture building: norm setting, community building approaches, identity work, and inclusion through examples, reflection, questions, and shared experiences, and;
put aspects of culture into practice and record findings, barriers, and capture best practices.
Our time together will conclude with a toolkit of best practices highlighting the 4 elements of culture building and artifacts that show those elements in practice. Additionally, there will be space for ongoing personal reflection and assessment and identification of response to barriers.
Level Up Your Facilitation Practice: Facilitating for Equity
In this Facilitating for Equity community of practice, you will develop 5 competencies that distill the essence of our best facilitation practices: 1) Developing a Critical Consciousness, 2) Engaging in Collaborative Co-Conspiratorship, 3) Cultivating Brave Learning Spaces, 4) Practicing Equitable Communication and 5) Embodying Compassionate Accountability
Promote the Promise: Becoming Advocacy-Ready
In the next 18 months, are you looking to activate your school’s community to secure support or influence? Join your fellow schools and national leaders as you access tools, training, and community that will strengthen your advocacy efforts. Together we will set you on a path to be action-ready and an active advocate for your school, students, and community.
Join this CoP if your school is
-preparing for renewal or other authorizer activities or
-engaging with public institutions or leaders or
-part of a larger coalition pursuing DCSC policy issues like open enrollment, weighted lotteries, and school-based transportation funding.
This CoP will prepare you and support you in developing a power orientation for your community, identifying an important opportunity for advocacy, clarifying your outcomes and targets, and building and beginning to implement an advocacy action campaign. It’s time you and your community leverage your assets to influence public institutions and their decisions and resources.
Demanding equity and integration: Museum School of Avondale Estate
Well all, we’ve looked up, and another school year is behind us, how time flies! We are pleased to have seen many of our New York City school leaders at UnifiED Excellent School Visits May, our COP Wrap Parties, and Explorer Application of Learning Presentations. Finally, thanks to those who have shared your insights […]
Beyond the Basics: Transforming Literacy Instruction
Beyond the Basics: Transforming Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners and Students of Color is a groundbreaking professional development series designed to empower educators to create more inclusive and equitable learning environments for diverse student populations. By exploring strategies and best practices tailored for English Language Learners and students of color, this series aims to drive transformative change in literacy instruction in Title 1 schools.
Level Up Your Facilitation Practice: Facilitating for Equity
In this Facilitating for Equity community of practice, you will develop 5 competencies that distill the essence of our best facilitation practices: 1) Developing a Critical Consciousness, 2) Engaging in Collaborative Co-Conspiratorship, 3) Cultivating Brave Learning Spaces, 4) Practicing Equitable Communication and 5) Embodying Compassionate Accountability
