Greetings from the EPS Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Thank you for taking the time to read our October 2024 newsletter. This month we want to highlight the activities of your school DEIB teams, the EPS DEIB Advisory Board and instructional resources to help you celebrate Native American Heritage Month with your students in November 2024. It has been such a pleasure to see all of the creative and inclusive ways you have fostered our students' sense of belonging in your classrooms and schools by celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Thank you!
If you would like the DEIB office to highlight a school or event in a future newsletter that centers our students sense of belonging, please email privottvictoria@gmail.com. You can visit our WEBSITE to remain up to date on our EPS DEIB priorities/activities. To provide the office with questions/ suggestions, please HERE.
DEIB Team Environmental Walkthroughs
Purpose: Utilizing the indicators pictured here, the DEIB Teams will scaffold EPS teachers and school leaders to excellence in providing a sense of belong for each and every student, with particular focus on students who have been historically marginalized or underserved by our education systems, including but not limited to those who identify as Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and Multiracial students, students with disabilities, multilingual learners, LGBTQIA+ students, students experiencing homelessness and/or financial insecurity, and students who are undocumented (DESE Standards of Effective Teaching Practice, June 2024).
Action Steps: Collect data through environmental walkthroughs that will allow us to demonstrate progress in providing equitable and inclusive schools and classrooms. Environmental walkthroughs will be conducted by the DEIB Teams in October, November and December in all classrooms in every school. Data will be published in this newsletter once all walkthroughs are complete.
Source:
DESE Standard of Effective Administrative Leadership
DESE Teacher Standard II.A.3. Inclusive Instruction: Accommodates and supports individual differences in all students' learning needs, abilities, interests, and levels of readiness, including those of students with disabilities (in accordance with relevant IEPs or 504 plans), English learners and former English learners, academically advanced students, and students who have been historically marginalized, by:
Using appropriate inclusive practices, such as tiered supports, educational and assistive technologies, scaffolded instruction, and leveraging of students' native language and linguistic resources, to make grade-level content accessible and affirming for all students
Providing students with multiple ways to learn content and demonstrate understanding, as appropriate.
Why is this important? Posted student work, anchor charts and student-centered assignments are an effective way to incorporate student voice, create a sense of belonging and build relationships with your students; it reflects what students are learning, allows for academic recall, and allows students to see themselves in their classroom. All Grade Levels Examples
See below for resources you can use without purchasing new items. Allow students to work on projects as a “do now” or to maintain engagement if they finish work early so you do not have to plan for additional instructional time to implement these activities.
Please email privottvictoria@gmail.com if have any questions.
Education World Teaching Resources
Local Massachusetts Native American Heritage Resources, K-6
This website includes several quick and project ideas for students during Native American History Month. Once again, these projects are not required but could be used as a PBL assignment for students who finish early or as a "bell ringer" in the morning or afternoon. These activities are specific to Indigenous People of the Northeast region of North American- including current day Massachusetts.
