2020 - A Year Like No Other

Volume 5 | December 2020

THE ALLIANCE NEWSLETTER

2020 has been a year like no other...

From the desk of Sebastian Witherspoon

I wish you all well!

As we come to the end of an extraordinary school year, one that has tested our very limits, it’s important to reflect on what this year has taught us.

For me, this year has shown me that when people are compelled by either love, hate, or fear, there is often nothing one can do to deter them from that emotion and their beliefs that fuel said emotion. In a year that we’ve seen hate and fear of “other” grow at an exponential rate, we’ve also witnessed a movement sparked by empathy and love! We’ve witnessed a movement that shouted from the rooftops, in America all lives matter but the ones we are currently focused on are the Black lives that have been taken treacherously. We’ve seen families and communities struggle to maintain the basic necessities and try to force a smile while doing so. We’ve asked families to become the primary educators of their children and asked schools to create delivery systems that were only imagined when forced with that very challenge. Our struggles have been great, but our resolve has been greater.

Ultimately, what this year has taught me is that we all are fighting a battle in one way or another; but what binds us at the core is our instinctual desire to be in relationship with one another. Our race, culture, nationality, or ethnicity may differ but our sameness in our humanity is what will always bind us. We are all interwoven into the very fabric of each and every one of our communities and that should be enough to want to see us all succeed.

Please find time to unplug, enjoy your time off, and most importantly, be good to yourself!

I am reminded of an old African proverb- Ubuntu: I am because we are!

Take good care and I wish you all well!

Shakopee Public Schools Partnerships

Equity Alliance MN is honored to be working with the Shakopee School District in a number of ways over the past few years. Last year, Equity Alliance MN was invited to provide the district with an extensive equity audit that included walkthroughs, surveys, interviews and many other data inputs. Base on the findings of the audit, the district is now taking additional action in furthering their commitment for educational equity for all students.

Currently, their School Board and Administrative Team are taking part in our Listen2Lead Professional Development Series that provides time and space for learning and develops a better understanding of racial inequities and how to identify and combat them in their learning spaces.

In addition to that, the Learning, Teaching & Equity Department team is also engaging in professional development using Zaretta Hammond's book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, as a guide. Together, we have spent time engaged in dialogue about how culturally responsive thinking routines and talk structures can help students drive their own learning and make their thinking visible. The team also began a conversation about how to support teachers who feel discomfort when addressing issues of race and equity.

Shakopee Public Schools has also launched a District Equity Leadership Team (DELT) that was created in early December. The Team is made up of staff, parents, community members board members and local representatives. DELT will now work to examine district policies and practices and make recommendations to support educational equity for all students.

"It seems nearly all organizations working in education or with educators has some sort of tag line. Equity Alliance MN uses, “Through collaborative learning and advocacy, be the leading force for systemic educational equity and integration.” Unlike a number of organizations where the tag lines are simply nice sounding words, the one being used by Equity Alliance MN captures the heart and soul of the work they are doing with school districts like mine, Shakopee Public Schools. In our work with the team from Equity Alliance MN, they have shown tremendous insight in how to create deep, impactful learning. They spend time getting to know the learners, both students and adults, and the context in which learning takes place every day. In other words, they build an incredibly solid foundation for a team to learn, grow, and change practices in a manner that will provide lasting benefits in the form of systemic change."

~Dr. Mike Redmond, Superintendent of Shakopee

Staff Spotlight - Chris Devine

Chris Devine joined the Equity Alliance MN team in 2019 and continues to be a key player on our team as the Director of Organizational Innovation. From behind the scenes operations to co-presenting professional development sessions, Chris continues to be a true asset to our team. He is our go to person for just about anything technology-related and helped us pivot from in-person delivery to providing virtual sessions using Zoom and getting our curriculum on to our online Learning Management System, Canvas, Learn more about Chris here .

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