Do we rebuild or build on? As we look to the start of the new school year – still in the midst of a pandemic – the questions schools are facing aren’t just about how schools will open, whether that be in-person, virtual, or hybrid, but also about the fundamentals of schools. Are they centering their work on equity and access? Are they looking at the most vulnerable populations and designing learning environments around their needs?
As we’ve seen, COVID-19 has shown the fault lines that have always been there. If we are to build a new home, we wouldn’t deliberately build on a fault line. We’d look to establish our foundation on new ground. DCSC members are doing that. We see that members are intentionally working on serving all of their students with plans for re-opening. They’ve seen the bias and inequities that are often an earmark in public school systems and are striving to build and sustain something different. Members are also surveying families and staff and incorporating their stakeholders’ input into their decisions.
As the DCSC team continues to connect with our members over the summer through annual member meetings, we’ll share what we’ve learned from you. In the meanwhile, we look to resources that reinforce the foundation of our members that seek to be just and equitable schools.
Read Our Suggested Guides for Re-opening:
Communities of Practice Blog Series
Get to know the leaders of each Community of Practice group! We’ll be showcasing a series of blog posts highlighting our facilitators’ perspectives on why they do the work, and what they’re looking forward to in their collaboration with members.
DCSC members can sign up for any of our Communities of Practice offerings by October 2nd!
Read more about how Kevin and Ron, both Principals from Edgility Consulting, will lead a Community of Practice on hiring education leaders of color throughout COVID-19 and beyond.
Cohort Two Capstone
UnifiED Fellows from Cohort Two presented their final Capstones last week. They did an incredible job and we are excited to welcome them into the coalition:
Genevieve Backer, Atlas Public Schools
Committee members: Christie Huck (host school site leader), Marcus Robinson, Brad Peterson
Alex Baron, Dream City School
Committee members: Hilary Darilek (host school site leader), Derrick Johnson, Eric Collazo
Phillip Hon, Unbound Stockton
Committee members: Sue Park (host school site leader), Nathania Cha, Tony Solina
Brandon Johnson, Social Justice School
Brandon is launching this year and was excused from the Capstone presentation.
2021 Annual Convening
COVID-19 Alert: DCSC is heavily monitoring development around the coronavirus (COVID-19) in order to prioritize the health and safety of our members and partners. In following recommendations and guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we will notify all attendees, presenters, and speakers of a virtual transition of our 2021 Annual Convening, if necessary, by late fall.
Check out DCSC online!
August 18 & 20: Harvard RIDES Intensive Clinic
(FREE opportunity — must apply by Aug 5th)
Gateway Public Schools (CA):
Middle School Math Teacher
Like and share: “Charlotte Lab School expands campus and its outreach“
Have something to share, like an upcoming event, conference, or project? Forward information to info@diversecharters.org and we’ll include it in our next month’s update!
What’s happening at DCSC
The 9th Annual Progressive Education Summit
Baltimore, MD
This event is hosted by DCSC Member, City Neighbors Charter School!
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Profiles of Leaders of Color
Kriste Dragon from Citizens of the World is featured in this report!
Like and share: “Charter Leaders of Color Matter”
Richard Lee from Academy of the City Charter School is featured!
Have something to share, like an upcoming event, conference, or project? Forward information to info@diversecharters.org and we’ll include it in our next month’s update!
