Got Justice? Creating and Sustaining Equitable School Culture
Why this topic? Why now? We’re living through a turbulent period of [...]
Communities of Practice (CoP)
Connect as leaders. Grow expertise.
Bring justice to education.
Participant Ariana Melton from City Language Immersion Charter engages with her group during the in-person CoP session on anti-racist curriculum (Jan 2020)
How members describe Communities of Practice:
Video by KimberLee Webber | TalkOakland.org
We know that DCSC members are developing the tools, best practices, and habits to truly bring equity and inclusion to diverse student populations. We believe that a peer-to-peer learning model like Communities of Practice (CoP) is exactly what a coalition like ours needs to leverage the skills and expertise within for the benefit of all.
The CoP has definitely been a rewarding, thought provoking and enlightening experience for me. I am still benefiting from the knowledge and relationships built and looking forward to the next CoP.”
Danielle Dufauchard
Principal at Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans
Meet this year’s facilitators
Get to know the leaders of each Community of Practice group! We’re showcasing a series of blog posts highlighting their perspectives on why they do the work, and what they’re looking forward to in their collaboration with members. Check back for posts from more facilitators throughout the summer and fall!
Resource Highlight
Each group of education practitioners collaboratively develops a tool for the field of diverse-by-design education.
We’ve highlighted one toolkit from a 2019-2020 group focused on a sense of belonging.
The purpose is for participants to:
- Connect as leaders across DCSC’s intentionally integrated member schools, so that practitioners can share experiences and build relationships.
- Grow expertise in how they iterate upon best practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion to support all students.
- Bring justice to education through developing tools for the field that disrupt the persisting status quo of racial and social inequality in schools.
Paid facilitation opportunity
We’re accepting proposals to lead a Community of Practice in the 2021-2022 school year. Deadline for proposals is April 30.
CoP Groups for 2020-2021
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Got Justice? Creating and Sustaining Equitable School Culture
Dwight Thomas (Prospect Schools)
Overly punitive discipline leads to harsher punishments for students of color and puts them in closer proximity to the school-to-prison pipeline. Disrupt this traditional pipeline with evidence-based practices, such as collaborative problem-solving and restorative justice in order to sustain equitable systems.
Get more details -
Trauma-Informed Practices to Support ALL Students
Aqua Stovall and A’Seret Dokubo (Special Education Leader Fellowship)
Stress and anxiety will continue ravaging a generation of students surviving COVID-19, so how do we name this in Tier 1? Review behavior systems, adopt practices, and strategically strengthen how adults interact with kids in school.
Get more details
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Disrupt Bias in Educator Talent Decisions
Kevin Bryant and Ron Rapatalo (Edgility Consulting)
We often hear, “our school struggles with finding talented POC, and when we do, they don’t stay.” COVID-19’s disruptions have compounded these challenges, but our kids are counting on us to get it right. Join us in revamping your talent development practices to be more fair and inclusive.
Get more details -
Roots ConnectED Anti-Bias and Social Justice Institute Follow-up Coaching
Sahba Rohani (Roots ConnectED)
We’re continuing the momentum of last year’s member participants by launching a second year for the group to more deeply engage with their equity initiatives in the context of our post-COVID “new normal.” Currently closed for new participant sign-ups
Key Points of CoP Timeline
Pick a date to learn more
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April Virtual Group Session
April 16th, 2021
Timing varies depending on CoP group.
Facilitator guides participants in discussing on-site experiences and sharing resources related to the CoP’s content area.
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Deadline to submit a proposal for 2021-2022
April 30th, 2021
Last day to submit a proposal to facilitate one of our 2021-2022 Communities of Practice
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May Virtual Group Session
May 17th, 2021
Timing varies depending on CoP group.
Facilitator guides participants in discussing on-site experiences and sharing resources related to the CoP’s content area.
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Deliverable Presentation (1 of 2)
June 1st, 2021
We’ll hear from two of our CoP groups, Got Justice? Creating and Sustaining Equitable School Culture and Trauma-informed Practices to Support ALL Students, on their deliverables. Members will unveil their resource with a broader audience of practitioners, detailing their experiential takeaways and best practices.
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Deliverable Presentation (2 of 2)
June 8th, 2021
We’ll hear from two of our CoP groups, Disrupt Bias in Educator Talent Decisions and Roots ConnectED Anti-Bias Social Justice Institute Follow-up Coaching, on their deliverables. Members will unveil their resource with a broader audience of practitioners, detailing their experiential takeaways and best practices.
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Facilitator Virtual Orientation for 2021-2022
July 8th, 2021
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Participant Sign-up Deadline
October 1st, 2021
Last chance for staff from any DCSC member school to sign up for one of our Communities of Practice!
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CoP Year 3 Kickoff
October 13th, 2021
Virtual kick-off among all CoP groups
3:00 – 4:30 p.m., EST
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November Virtual Group Session
November 10th, 2021
Timing varies depending on CoP group.
Facilitator guides participants in discussing on-site experiences and sharing resources related to the CoP’s content area.
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December Virtual Group Session
December 8th, 2021
Timing varies depending on CoP group.
Facilitator guides participants in discussing on-site experiences and sharing resources related to the CoP’s content area.
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January In-Person Sessions
January 27th, 2022
Intensive deep-dive sessions in Kansas City, MO.
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February Virtual Group Session
February 16th, 2022
Timing varies depending on CoP group.
Facilitator guides participants in discussing on-site experiences and sharing resources related to the CoP’s content area.
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March Virtual Group Session
March 16th, 2022
Timing varies depending on CoP group.
Facilitator guides participants in discussing on-site experiences and sharing resources related to the CoP’s content area.
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April Virtual Group Session
April 13th, 2022
Timing varies depending on CoP group.
Facilitator guides participants in discussing on-site experiences and sharing resources related to the CoP’s content area.
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June Deliverable Presentation + Close-out
June 15th, 2022
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May Virtual Group Session
May 18th, 2022
Timing varies depending on CoP group.
Facilitator guides participants in discussing on-site experiences and sharing resources related to the CoP’s content area.
Program Overview
| Sign ups open to members from June – Sept 2021. We encourage members to join with a group of colleagues to maximize impact at the school site. |
| Free for DCSC members, with additional 20% refund on Annual Convening registration |
Commit to joining all meetings of the CoP:
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| Contribute to a resource for the field that disrupts the persisting status quo of racial and social inequality in schools. This final product may take the form of a webinar, blog, toolkit, podcast, or other modality. |
Left: Facilitator Kelly Wickham Hurst of Crossroads leads her group of participants in discussing anti-racist education (Jan 2020)