BSD Office of Equity and Inclusion
News and Updates September 9th, 2022
Resources for the new school year from the Office of Equity and Inclusion
Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! We are excited to continue our efforts to support all Beaverton staff. Collectively, we are working to ensure learning spaces that cultivate a sense of community and belonging for students, families and staff.
As we start a new school year, we want to reflect on some of the collaborative work that we’ve done in past years, and to revisit some of the powerful resources that were created:
BSD Equity Lens Questions: Continue to use the equity lens questions to inform and guide large-scale decisions. Use them to reflect on and consider the decisions that you make on a daily basis in your service of students, families, and staff. Use the Equity Lens Analysis Tool within your team, building, and/or department to constantly reflect on and assess your efforts toward equity and inclusion.
BSD Antiracist Vision Statement In October 2021, the Beaverton School Board of Directors issued this powerful statement affirming and ensuring that “Every student and employee has the right to learn and work in a safe and inclusive school environment that honors their race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability and national origin.” Use this statement to inform, guide and support your work serving students, families, and staff.
Culturally Relevant Education: Use the Key Tenets, Theory of Action and 10 Practices to inform your work as you serve students, families, and staff. The 10 research-based practices can be used to inform and structure your individual and collective work, and the 5 Dimensions can be used to inform and support your professional goals.
Inclusive School Scan: This tool, developed in 2017, is being used by members of the 15 cohorts of the BSD Equity Leadership Teams and can be a helpful way to identify areas of strength and opportunity in our efforts to ensure inclusive learning spaces.
Standards-Based Learning System: Learn and/or reflect on the ways a standards-based learning system (SBLS) is both rooted in efforts to eliminate gaps in opportunity and advancement and in equitable achievement outcomes for students. Use the Nine Components of SBLS to guide and support your work with students, including instruction and assessment practices.
Guiding Principles in Culturally Relevant Teaching in Professional Development: The Office of Equity and Inclusion is excited to continue our partnership with TOSAs in the Teaching and Learning, Student Services, Special Education, Multilingual, Human Resources, and Information Technology departments to ensure that the five principles provide a foundation to all professional learning and collaboration in which we engage. In your team, department, and/or school professional learning, use the principles to ensure a culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining foundation to your collaboration and growth.
Thank you to the many voices, experiences, and perspectives that helped to create the above resources! We look forward to continued collaboration and partnership across the district to continue to create accessible spaces where all students, families, and staff can feel belonging.
Let’s Be…Equity Spotlight: Invitation to BE the Spotlight!
Last year one of our favorite pieces of each newsletter was the opportunity to shine a light on and celebrate students, families, and/or staff members who were exemplifying aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please be encouraged to look through the archive of OEI Newsletters to look at past spotlights, and let us know if you know of someone or something that we can elevate and celebrate in the newsletter!
Resources to share:
We love to use this newsletter as a way to share some of the many resources that we track and that are shared with us. Use the following resources to inform your work as we enter into the new school year, and please be encouraged to share with us any resources you find valuable.
In their most recent publication of The Moment, “Supporting Immigrant Students as the New Year Begins”, Learning for Justice (formerly known as Teaching Tolerance) reminds us of the importance of trending to specific rights, experiences and needs of students who have recently experienced immigration.
The folks at the Santa Clara County Office of Education offer a reminder of the importance, value and capital of student names with their “My Name, My Identity” website.
- In addition to accurate celebration of student names, the Equity Literacy Institute’s “Beyond Celebrating Diversity: 20 Things I Will Do To Be An Equitable Educator” provides 19 more actions we can engage in to create safe places of belonging for all students.
BSD Affinity Groups
Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 - October 15
“Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation” is the theme for this year’s observation and celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988. (from The National Archives).
The Library of Congress offers information including resources and events to use and engage with throughout the month, and the folks at Good Good Good offer information and ideas for how you can observe and engage with the month. If you’re interested in a more local opportunity, look into the offerings for this year’s El Grito offerings, including a free celebration on September 14th and 15th at the MODA Center.
If you work with students, consider using some of the many resources available in Newsela to work with students and their families around learning and engagement with the month.
Revised Policy IGACA: Recognition and Accommodation of Religious and Cultural Beliefs, Customs, and Observances
OEI Feedback
Dr. Tatiana Cevallos
Beaverton School District
Pat McCreery
Beaverton School District