Rising rates of poverty in our community, an increasingly diverse student body, and the current divisive political climate in our nation have created greater urgency for equity work at Randolph Union High School, necessitating an intentional, organized, and structural examination of our policies, programs, and curricula. While efforts to address inequity currently take a variety of forms at our school, limits of time and capacity have restricted these efforts to piecemeal work. Although the positive effects of our advisory program, professional development pursuits, and team-based curriculum efforts are beginning to ripple outwards, we need to examine the larger structural inequities that exist in the school in order to make bold, tangible progress in the area of social equity. The time and resources made available through a Rowland Fellowship will enable our school to conduct this study of inequity in an intentional manner and through a structural lens in order to make meaningful change for our school community.
As a Rowland Fellow, I will tackle the work of examining inequities in order to develop policies, programs, and curricula that together can work to empower students and teachers. The project proposal is framed around three essential questions: 1) How do our school policies, programs, and curricula impact the most underserved students in our communities, and how can these structures be reshaped through an equity lens? 2) What professional development and other resources do faculty need in order to commit to teaching through an equity lens? 3) How can we build on the student-centered structures we already have in place in order to integrate equity practices throughout the school? I plan to work with students and colleagues to visit schools already immersed in this work, in addition to working with organizations like the Equity Literacy Institute, Seed the Way, and Safe Art, among others, to conduct needs assessments of our school policies, programs, and curricula, and design revision and implementation plans for changes in these areas.
Developing more equitable school would ultimately create a safer space our students, providing them with the resources they need in order to make educated, compassionate decisions about their world. This work would ensure that instead of feeling isolated, teachers and students feel supported and well-equipped to have challenging but vital conversations about the issues in our communities. Students would feel represented in our curriculum and culture, and would develop an understanding of the societal structures that perpetuate inequality, taking this knowledge and power with them when they graduate. Given the current troubling state of our nation, in which racist, sexist, and homophobic rhetoric are being increasingly normalized, efforts to educate and create equitable learning environments are of the utmost importance. Ultimately, I envision this work dismantling the divisive and negative dialogues seeping into our school, creating a space where students and teachers feel empowered to challenge the most toxic narratives of our society.
