“It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not always understand unless we ask.”
-- Sonia Sotomayor
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Year Two: Our Collective Responsibility to Racial and Educational Equity |
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Dear Team DPS,
Welcome to Equity in Action! Now in its second year, this monthly update is designed to share all the great work happening across DPS, resources to get involved and celebrations to get behind -- as well as opportunities to fill the gaps we know exist -- to make DPS a true equity district.
Watch this video introduction in English or Spanish to hear more about why, for me, Equity is personal.
It’s up to all of us to provide the necessary resources and support to eliminate barriers to success and to foster a more equitable future for all our scholars. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
In collaboration,
Dr. Alex Marrero
Superintendent
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Our DPS Equity Statement
Racial and Educational Equity is our collective responsibility. We will achieve equity when we dismantle deeply rooted systems of oppression that have historically resulted in inequitable access and distribution of opportunities and resources for those who represent marginalized identities, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, language and ability. We will create conditions where we all belong, are included, have clear purpose (why) and have the autonomy to lead in our respective areas. By creating these conditions, we will eliminate the predictability of success or failure for our students and team members.
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Spotlight on: Dr. Franita Ware
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Each month, we will highlight an equity champion and their story of how they came to DPS, what resources they've used to succeed and how they're making a difference.
“We have a collective opportunity and responsibility to ensure that all students in DPS have the experience to grow, learn, develop and share their talents.”
Read more about Senior Manager of Equity Initiatives Dr. Franita Ware and her role as an expert on Culturally Responsive Education.
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Each month, we'll showcase celebrations big and small, and the work being done to create more equity for students and team members throughout DPS. Share what you and your team have been doing to make a change for a more equitable DPS here.
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Supporting Schools, Voice and Diversity Events and Documentaries |
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Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy Ribbon Cutting Ceremony |
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On Sept. 17, we celebrated the opening of the new Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting event. In addition to its academic focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM), this school is dedicated to ensuring that Black students thrive in the classroom and are equipped to compete within the global workforce. While there is more work to do to close disparities throughout the district, the Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy is an example of a school designed to support Black Excellence each day. |
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Arturo Garcia and Charrería Documentaries |
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Arturo Garcia Documentary
Artist Arturo Garcia reflects on his journey from to Chapala to Denver and share what inspired him to become an artist. Watch the documentary here. |
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Charrería Documentary
L ocal restaurant owner, Roberto Torres, shares his passion for competing in the art of charrería, a Mexican traditional equestrian sport. Watch the documentary here. |
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During Hispanic Heritage Month, both documentaries were added to a bank of video resources for our curricular teams. Teams can review the resources when creating supportive lesson plans/curricular resources -- especially those that connect to our Denver history. |
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Introducing the Black Family Advisory Council |
The mission of the Black Family Advisory Council (BFAC) -- DPS' districtwide committee -- is to collaboratively create a platform to empower families of Black DPS students to ensure informed decisions are being made that positively impact our students through advocacy, information, and active community engagement. BFAC includes Black students, their families, staff, and community members across the district.
We are hearing and seeing that COVID-19 only caused the equity gaps to widen, but the community is taking action to close these gaps.
On Sept. 14, the BFAC met with Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero during his Listening and Learning Tour in person at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College and via Zoom to discuss how DPS will address gaps. Attendees were able to ask Superintendent Marrero questions and express needs of the community so DPS can continue making positive changes for Black students and families. Watch the recording of the event here.
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DPS Ombuds Office Launching in October |
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The mission of the Ombuds Office is to ensure all members of Team DPS receive fair and equitable treatment in matters of concern or complaint. The Ombuds Office will serve as a no-barrier resource for seeking information and insight from a trusted navigator who is independent, impartial, confidential, and informal.
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Honoring Our Native and Indigenous Students and Community |
Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero had the opportunity to spend time with members of our Native and Indigenous community in September as a part of his Listening & Learning tour.
Brandon Smith from our Native American Culture and Education (NACE) team shared an example of incredible work to honor our Native and Indigenous students. Students in the class of 2021 Native HOPE Program at Abraham Lincoln High School helped curate an acknowledgement statement for this new school year and beyond. It's painted on the wall near the main stairway and hall at ALHS where everyone can see it. This is a great example of ways for schools to provide safe and sacred spaces for Indigenous and AI/AN communities to feel welcomed and recognized.
Pictured here: Photo of Dr. Marrero with Rose McGuire -- leader of the NACE team -- from their conversation with the Native and Indigenous community at the Denver Indian Center.
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College Ready On Track Network: Grading for Equity Cross-Team Learning |
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The College Ready On Track Network is an improvement community dedicated to developing, iterating, and spreading practices that advance career and college success for Black and Latinx DPS students.
Its vision is to enable educators, students, and communities to dismantle systems of oppression and prepare all Black and Latinx students to pursue any opportunity they wish through intentional design and networked improvement. One of the support changes is grounded in Grading for Equity. To learn more check out this video featuring members of the DMLK team sharing their experiences with implementing Grading for Equity in their school community. You can also take a look at the full September College Ready On Track Newsletter for additional information.
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Wraparound Supports at The Village at Contemporary Learning Academy Promote Long-Term Success |
The Village is a collaborative partnership between Contemporary Learning Academy and Family and Community Engagement. Services launched on Aug. 23. The vision for The Village is transcendent and transformational, and the multi-generational approach will assist entire families in meeting their needs by providing wraparound services to support them in obtaining critical skills to increase their self-sufficiency, achieving stability, and growing toward their life goals. We strongly believe it is important to continue supportive services to our students as they transition through the most difficult steps into adulthood.
The Village team will assist students, graduates and young adults in meeting critical needs such as housing, employment, access to college/trade school/employment certification programs, parenting support and ongoing case management to facilitate access to opportunities. The Village team will also facilitate access to critical services within “The Village,” including: gang outreach and intervention services, GED program, mental health and substance therapeutic services, LGBTQ+ support, mental health services, a food pantry and a clothing closet. For more information, call 720-619-0657.
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Coaching for Equitable Practice 2.0 Kick-Off |
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In September, we launched Coaching for Equitable Practice partnership, which is a set of monthly training sessions provided to leaders across the district that is supported by a cross-functional team of DPS employees who previously partnered with the Leadership Academy. The sessions include members of the DPS Academics, Schools, and Equity divisions, and occur throughout the school year to advance our collective capacity to coach, lead and take action for racial equity.
Our Coaching for Equitable Practice partnership supports leaders in:
- Reflecting on their behaviors, biases and their identities.
- Reflecting on the impact their identities, biases and behaviors have on their ability to coach for equity.
- Advance their ability to coach for racial equity.
Sessions include opportunities to:
- Identify patterns in student and school data and target opportunities to improve conditions of learning for our students of color.
- Focus on coaching for equitable practice in support of our Black Excellence Plans.
- Expand our capacity to lead for Equity throughout our district by giving our leaders the tools to model and coach for Equity Leadership.
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Call for Submissions: Native American Heritage Month
From Nov. 1-30, we will be honoring Native American Heritage Month. We want to feature how our students are learning about, connecting with, interpreting and honoring this cultural moment through their writing, artwork, music, photos and videos. We’ll share submissions on our website and social media channels at the end of the celebration. Submitted content may be screened for a focus on highlighting the moment and grounding in our vision of equity, inclusion and belonging for all students and community. Please email your submissions to DPSEquity@dpsk12.org by Nov. 19 for consideration.
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Resources to Support Educators of Color |
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Bookmark and Utilize the LGBTQ+ Toolkit
As we head into the new school year, we’d like to remind educators to please bookmark and review the DPS LGBTQ+ Toolkit. This toolkit is a living document that includes detailed information about DPS policies, board resolutions, state and federal orders, common vocabulary, and much more. We hope that you’ll find this resource useful in helping you best support our LGBTQ+ students, families and team members as they return to school.
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Alyssa Richason
STL and Activities Director,
George Washington High School
Equity
"Alyssa has been the lead of the equity work at GW for the past two years. She has put her heart and time in not only making sure that the staff learns relevant information, but that this information will impact the students. Alyssa leads a team of teachers, admin and staff to create the PD for the school. Through her charge, the staff has gone through conversations and work on power dynamics and how they can be seen in the classroom and school, bias and micro-aggressions, and many other topics that affect our staff and students.
But Alyssa doesn't just stop with the PD. She continues by supporting the staff and students through difficult events and is a role model in the work. When the school returned from the summer, Alyssa had the teachers submit videos of support and put them together to show the students that they were not alone. She has used media to help unite the students during this time and Alyssa continues to show that the students at GW are always first, by making sure that each student gets the experience they deserve from fun activities to classrooms that are welcoming, inclusive and equitable. Alyssa is an advocate, a role model and an educator. She is everything that we want in a leader and she not only demonstrates our Shared Core Value of Equity, but all of the DPS values everyday."
-- Michelle Rosen, George Washington High School
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Calendar of Upcoming Events |
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