Assessement of Burlington School District's Diversity Recruitment Efforts is Made Public

Stacey Miller and Dennis DePaul of the Consortium for Inclusion and Equity (CIE) were engaged by the District to assess and advise on teacher recruitments to help the District make progress in implementing its diversity policy. Click here to see the full report.

CIE presented their report at a recent Policy and Advocacy Committee meeting.

The report identifies the District's Equity Council as a useful tool to promote diversity hiring. The authors recommend that the Equity Council take over screening candidates from the Human Resources office. The report also underscores the need for all participants in the process to have cultural competency in order to be able to guide this process.

The role of the consulting firm Tri-Focal was discussed at the meeting, and community members noted that the District must integrate diversity goals into ALL of its decisions and hiring. This implies that any consultants hired by the District (as well as all other hires) be both culturally competent and committed to the District’s diversity goals.

Deep concerns were raised in the report and by community members about the lack of diversity knowledge and skills of Tri-Focal , which had been been engaged by the superintendent to guide principal searches at CP Smith, Hunt, and the Integrated Arts Academy.

Book drive for Parent-Teacher Conversations on Race at Burlington's Magnet Schools

Two of Burlington’s elementary schools – the Integrated Arts Academy (IAA) and the Sustainability Academy (SA) – are working to move forward with open dialogues on race.

These schools began on October 19 with a parent-teacher-administrator dialogue, facilitated by Daniel Baron. This is a parent-driven initiative whose goal is to bring the community closer together, and to create the dialogue in our schools that is needed to ensure inclusive education. The discussion was centered on the book, Courageous Conversations on Race, by Glenn Singleton and Curtis Linton.

This important book provides the tools for schools and parents to engage in open dialogue and move to practical actions that can make excellence and equity in schools a reality. The book challenges educators and parents to talk in honest and open ways about race, making clear that to have inclusive equitable schools requires us to learn to engage in this conversation in ways that build bridges of understanding and lead to effective action.



We, Diversity Now, are asking you to help open the doors to putting the book, Courageous Conversations about Race, in the hands of teachers and parents. Ongoing discussions will be based on this book.

You can help by going to the Amazon.com link below to the “wish list” created for this purpose, and purchase a copy of this book. The book(s) you donate will automatically be mailed to IAA. Alternatively, you may purchase and mail or drop off books directly to the IAA at the following address:

IAA-SA Courageous Conversations
c/o Principal Brian Williams
Integrated Arts Academy
3 Archibald St.
Burlington, VT 05401

There is a need for about 25 copies of the book to support this initiative. We hope you can support this important grass-roots effort in the city’s most diverse schools.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&type=wishlistid=1XSE27DHM80TE

An Evening Discussion on Courageous Conversations About Race

There will be an evening discussion for magnet school parents and other interested members of the school district about inclusive parent engagement with Sustainability Academy and Integrated Arts Academy families.


What: Facilitated discussion based on the book Courageous Conversations Around Race with Daniel Baron

When: October 19, 2010, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Where: IAA Cafeteria, 6 Archibald St. (IAA at H.O. Wheeler)


Daniel Baron will be facilitating a conversation with families using the book Courageous Conversations Around Race. This conversation will be the first in a series of conversations to occur over the next year and a half.


This is a parent-initiated event. Daniel is a founding member of the National School Reform Faculty. He is a leader in the development and training of Critical Friends Groups as well as the founder of two progressive elementary schools in Bloomington, Indiana. Through a grant provided by the Bay and Paul Foundation, Daniel Baron has been working with both schools to develop and carry out their transformations into fully realized magnet schools. Periodically, he comes to Burlington for three day visits where he works with staff, students, and parents from the magnets and the district office. He is coming October 18, 19 and 20 and will be back for several more visits both this school year and next.

Burlington School District to Hold Town Hall Meeting on Diversity and Inclusion

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - 4:30 pm
Contois Auditorium in Burlington City Hall

Community members, district staff, students invited.

The Burlington School District Diversity & Equity Office and Equity Council will be hosting a town hall-style gathering on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 4:30 pm at Contois Auditorium in Burlington City Hall on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The event will be an opportunity for the Burlington community to join with BSD teachers, staff, and administrators to prioritize the future actions needed to advance our District to help ALL of our students succeed.

Current diversity initiatives and plans to date will also be shared. The Superintendent, District administrators, and School Board Commissioners will be present to join participants in an open, action-focused dialogue. Questions may be directed to the Diversity & Equity Office at 802-864-8494 or diversity@bsdvt.org.

The dangers of a single story

In this short video, Chimamanda Adichie talks of "The dangers of a single story".



http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/spa/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html


Moise St. Louis, St. Michael's Director of Multicultural Affairs and Assistant Dean of Students, noted, in sharing this video, that "the experience by all of our children in our school system of whom and what they and don’t see, what they read and don’t read, and the information shared and not shared with them should steel our spines to work harder on their behalf. Vermont’s future and the future of our society will be as good as the exposure and education our kids get."

School Board Passes Diversity Task Force Motion 10-3

The Burlington School Board voted tonight to establish a Diversity Task Force to help the Board develop a strategic plan on achieving diversity. The motion passed 10-3. Commissioner Brennan requested a roll call vote; Commissioners Baker, Bedrosian, and Conger voted against the motion. The two student representatives on the Board voted in favor of the motion as did Commissioners Brennan, Chasan, Evans, Lane, O'Rourke, Matson, Pillsbury, King, Werbel, and Moreau. Below is the text of the motion that passed.

Motion to Authorize a Task Force on Diversity & Equity

"The Commissioners of the Burlington School Board hereby authorize the Chair to create a Task Force on Diversity & Equity, for the purpose of promoting student achievement in the Burlington School District through greater cultural competence and understanding of diversity, and to select and appoint members to serve on said task force.

The charge of this Task Force shall be to review, research, and further the Burlington School District's efforts to achieve the outcomes articulated in its Commitment to Diversity policy, which states in relevant part:

"The Burlington School District recognizes and values the diversity of our students, staff and community. The District is committed to a culture of diversity that reflects the voices, perspectives, and differences arising from our diverse community and world. We believe that it is important for students to understand and appreciate human diversity, develop a capacity for cultural competence, and commit to encouraging inclusion in their future lives."

"The District will adopt procedures and implement staff training intended to achieve a diverse and culturally competent school community, inclusive of diverse races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religious and spiritual beliefs, ages, and physical and learning abilities. The administration shall report to the Board annually on its progress, barriers, and outcomes."

The Task Force will review the District's efforts in these areas: socioeconomic integration, curriculum and instruction; the Hallmarks of Excellence initiative; affirmative recruitment, hiring, and retention; the Equity Council; staff cultural competency, including professional development opportunities and evaluation procedures; school climate; and family and community engagement. The Task Force will also identify areas of need and research strategies for improvement.

The Task Force will include members from the school board, administration, parents, public, and members of the Equity Council.

The Task Force shall report on its finding and recommendations for a multi-year strategic plan to further Diversity & Equity in the Burlington School District at the regular meeting of the Board in February, 2011."