Update: Diversity Efforts in Staunton City Schools STAUNTON CITY - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Update: Diversity Efforts in Staunton City Schools STAUNTON CITY SCHOOL BOARD MARCH 13, 2017

School Board Belief Statement: Diversity  We believe that diversity of racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds represents a strength of the community and the school division will be intentional and proactive to take advantage of this strength.  We believe that vigorous efforts are to be pursued that promotes a workforce within the school division that reflects the diversity of the student population.  We believe that the school division will be an active participant in community-wide efforts to promote diversity as an asset within the community.

WHY TEACHER DIVERSITY MATT TTERS  Positive exposure to individuals from a variety of races and ethnic groups can help to reduce stereotypes, attenuate unconscious implicit biases and help promote cross-cultural social bonding.  Minority teachers can be more motivated to work with disadvantaged minority students in high-poverty, racially and ethnically segregated schools, a factor which may help to reduce rates of teacher attrition in hard-to-staff schools.  Minority teachers tend to have higher academic expectation for minority students, which can result in increased academic and social growth among students. Albert Shanker Institute: Executive Summary; The State of Teacher Diversity in American Education , 2015

WHY TEACHER DIVERSITY MATT TTERS  Minority students profit from having among their teachers individuals from their own race and ethnic group who can serve as academically successful role models and who can have greater knowledge of their heritage culture.  All students benefit from being educated by teachers from a variety of different backgrounds, races and ethnic groups, as this experience better prepares them to succeed in an increasingly diverse society. Albert Shanker Institute: Executive Summary; The State of Teacher Diversity in American Education , 2015

TEACHER DIVERSITY: THE NATIONAL PICTURE  Over the 25-year period from 1987-2012, the minority share of the American teaching force has grown from 12% to 17%. At the same time, the growth rate of minority students has also increased.  As a consequence of the growing minority student population, minority teachers still remain significantly underrepresented relative to the students they serve.  The most significant impediment to increasing the diversity of the teacher workforce is not found in the recruitment and hiring of minority teachers. Nationally, minority teachers are being hired at a higher proportional rate than other teachers. Rather, the problem lies in attrition. Minority teachers are leaving the profession at a higher rate than other teachers. Albert Shanker Institute: Executive Summary; The State of Teacher Diversity in American Education , 2015

TEACHER DIVERSITY: THE NATIONAL PICTURE  Minority teachers are not evenly distributed across schools: they tend to be concentrated in urban schools serving high-poverty, minority communities.  Between 2009 and 2014, enrollment in teacher preparation programs declined nationally by 35%. Albert Shanker Institute: Executive Summary; The State of Teacher Diversity in American Education , 2015 Learning Policy Institute

TEACHER DIVERSITY: STATE & REGIONAL PICTURE  A new report cites that Virginia is short 4,262 teachers and data from DOE suggests next year the shortage will go up to 6,392  High poverty areas get hit worse from teacher shortage; Richmond had 56 openings, and Petersburg, where 1 out of 6 teachers is not licensed, has 28 openings  In Rockingham County, they have 21 teachers teaching without a license or teaching outside of endorsement area Dr. Suzan Guynn, School Board Presentation, Rockingham County Public Schools, February 2017 Teachers of Tomorrow: How to Battle the Teacher Shortage Crisis NBC 12 News: Richmond News Report: December 9, 2016

TEACHER DIVERSITY: STATE & REGIONAL PICTURE Shenandoah Valley Job Fair  *10 years ago, 500 candidates registered for the fair *This year, we had 192 registered, a decline of approximately 60% *SCS hired approximately 30% of our new teachers this year from the 2016 Shenandoah Valley Job Fair Dr. Suzan Guynn, School Board Presentation, Rockingham County Public Schools, February 2017

TEACHER DIVERSITY: STATE & REGIONAL PICTURE Number of minority candidates graduating from Mid-Valley Consortium colleges/universities 2013-14 2016-17 EMU 1 1 Bridgewater College 3 2 MBU 7 5 JMU 13 ?

Minority Data-Percent FY 14-FY17 Staunton City Schools 40 34 33.8 33.4 35 32.8 30 25 20 15 10 5.2 4.6 4.6 5 2.5 0 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Students Professional Staff

Strategies to Increase Diversity/Inclusivity of Staff 2013-Present Recruitment-HBCU Contacts  Participated in HBCU job fairs over the past three years  Notify Virginia HBCU’s of professional staff openings  Attended the HBCU Career Development Marketplace Job Fair for the past three years

Strategies to Increase Diversity/Inclusivity of Staff 2013-Present Recruitment-HBCU Contacts  Corresponded with Central State University (Ohio) about participating on Advisory Board  Market SCS in the HBCU Careers Magazine & post vacancies on HBCU.com website  High School students will visit VUU after mid-terms; VUU and VSU will come onsite 17-18

Strategies to Increase Diversity/Inclusivity of Staff 2013-Present  Dialogue with Mid-Valley Consortium contacts about strong minority student teacher placements  Market Staunton City Schools at local events  African American Heritage Festival  Staunton NAACP Annual Freedom Banquet (Souvenir Journal)  Booker T. Washington Alumni Committee

Strategies to Increase Diversity/Inclusivity of Staff 2013-Present  African American Teaching Fellows  Diversity/Inclusion Training for administrators (2015 & 2016)

Strategies to Increase Diversity/Inclusivity of Staff 2013-Present  Contracted with Academic Network  Post all jobs on School Spring (posts on a number of national job boards)

Strategies to Increase Diversity/Inclusivity of Staff 2013-Present Teacher of Color Summit in February 2017  3 day event sponsored by VDOE and the VEA * To commemorate the merger of the VEA and the African-American Virginia Teachers Association *To begin having critical conversations on the challenge of minority recruitment, support, advancement and retention.  Numerous speakers included : * Dr. Billy Cannaday, President of Va. BOE *Dr. Stephen Staples, Superintendent of Public Instruction *Ms. Johana Hayes, 2016 National Teacher of the Year

Strategies to Increase Diversity/Inclusivity of Staff 2013-Present Teacher of Color Summit in February 2017  Minority Educator Recruitment Fair * Students from Virginia HBCU Teacher Prep Programs participated  Breakout Sessions focusing on: * The importance of diversity in Virginia’s educator pipeline * Pathways to teacher license in Virginia *Supporting diversity in your school division, as well as *Resources and guidance for prospective educators.

Economically Disadvantaged Gender Special Education 14% 45% 48% 52% 55% 86% Disadvantaged Non-Disadvantaged Male Female SPED Non-SPED Individu Indi viduals als with Di with Diverse erse Needs Needs Other Home Languages 0.07% Race & Ethnicity 0.07% 0.04% 0.15% 6% 0.70% 0.30% 0.04% 0.04% 11% 0.04% 1.30% 16% 0.11% 66% 0.15% Spanish Arabic Chinese Ewe Otomian White Black 2 or more races Hispanic Asian Other Patois Portuguese Russian Thai Vietnamese

GUIDING QUESTION #3 GUIDING QUESTION #1 GUIDING QUESTION #2 GUIDING QUESTION #4 How will we RESPOND WHAT do we want our HOW do we know if our How will we ENRICH the when some of our students to learn? students have learned it? learning for students students do not learn? who are proficient? Guiding Questions of our Grade-Level Professional Learning Communities

Focus on Impact . . . HIGH-YIELD INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES  Teacher Estimates of Achievement (1.62)  Collective Teacher Efficacy (1.57)  Teacher-Student Relationships (0.72)  NOT labeling students (0.61)  Teacher Expectations (0.43)

Integration of “5 Cs”

An Integrated Approach to an Inclusive Culture  Character education embedded into K-5 curriculum & life-long themes a focus for 6-12 curriculum  Sensitivity and awareness of diversity in holiday celebrations, assemblies, etc. Life Lesson: It is important to be respectful of others, even if they do not look the same.  Offering a varied course selection (based We should feel good at what on student enrollment and staff we are good at, rather than availability) what we are not.

An Integrated Approach to an Inclusive Culture  Curricular resources – derived from Sample Grade-Level Historical People Focus: pre-screened state adoption lists OR selected based on criteria; All George Washington Carver committee approved (including parent Cesar Chavez representative) Christopher Columbus Ben Franklin Helen Keller Martin Luther King, Jr.  Diversity included within state Abraham Lincoln curriculum and integrated in SCS Thurgood Marshall Rosa Parks pacing throughout the school year Jackie Robinson