Dear educational colleagues,
In recent months, I have shared with you about our intentional listening campaign with students. When we listen closely to our students’ voices and what they have to say about their ethnic, racial (and other social) identities, they frequently comment how their stories and experiences are often missing from the traditional curriculum. One student shared, “I want to see my culture and history represented in the curriculum because it’s important not only for me to learn about my own history, but others as well.”
We are now one step closer to collectively responding to our students’ repeated requests to amplify our curriculum, develop a more intersectional understanding of the human experience, and intentionally include the experiences and perspectives of people of color. Last month, California became the first state to require all students to complete a semester-long course in ethnic studies. With the signing of Assembly Bill 101, schools are now responsible for offering an ethnic studies course in the 2025-26 school year. Ethnic studies will become a graduation requirement in the 2029-30 school year. This new legislation focuses on the recently adopted (March 2021) California Department of Education Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, which includes guidelines and resources to engage students in an interdisciplinary course that documents the experiences and perspectives of four communities: African American, Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander.
As you begin or continue to build dynamic ethnic studies programs rooted in civic engagement, service learning, and community collaboration, we look forward to continuing our efforts to build solidarity across differences and support educators to create more inclusive, culturally and linguistically responsive learning spaces. We hope you join us for our monthly Ethnic Studies Collaborative, where we share resources and dialogue on local and regional ethnic studies initiatives, as well as TK-12 social justice curriculum and instruction initiatives. We are featuring the California Indian Education for All effort at our next meeting on Nov. 4. We invite you to explore the group's community-created, culturally respectful Teaching Thanksgiving Toolkit and share it with your colleagues this month.
As we celebrate Native American Heritage Month this month, we’ll also launch a new collaborative project: Native Ways of Knowing micro-courses. Developed in collaboration between the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and the California Indian Education for All, these micro-courses provide an opportunity for educators to learn from Native American educational, cultural, and tribal experts. To dig deeper, join us at our 2022 Equity Conference in January, where we will highlight an exciting new Native Ways of Knowing strand.
And, a few related reminders: We look forward to continuing to hone our community-responsive skills as we continue our professional learning series designed to help educators leverage the Equity Blueprint for Action document as an impactful equity tool across classrooms, sites, and districts. Please check our equity department website for soon-to-be-launched Ask Me Anything sessions, where we invite you to join us to ask all the questions that keep you from moving forward in your equity work.
We are still seeking to connect with youth scholars who would like to create, record, and share their spoken word and other poetry at the conference. Student voice is central to our equity learning.
In service of our students,
Fabiola Bagula, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Equity
San Diego County Office of Education
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Registration Now Open for Equity Conference 2022
The pandemic didn't cause equity issues, but it did exacerbate them. It's also thrown a spotlight on the lack of access to basic needs for our students and the opportunity schools and districts have to better support all students. The Equity Conference 2022: Equity Is Love in Action brings together educators, parents, students, and community members to grow our work to ensure every student has the supports they need to thrive.
The conference will be in person Jan. 20 and 21 at the San Diego Convention Center. Early registration is $350 per person, $325 per person if you register as part of a group, $150 for students, and no cost for parents who are part of a school site team that registers under the group rate.
Educators across our region and state have taken steps to learn how to become allies in their schools to help make their community safer and more inclusive. We can’t wait to see you and continue to learn how to engage in effective, systemic change and better respond to the linguistic, cultural, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students. Join us, and come away with renewed purpose and practices you can implement the next day!
Lighthouse Awards
SDCOE is celebrating San Diego County equity champions in the community and the classroom with the annual Lighthouse Awards given to honorees at the Equity Conference 2022. Nominees should actively promote the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion by positively enhancing or contributing to the overall environment and achievement of students. Nominate someone by Dec. 7 for the Turnaround School Site Leader, Turnaround Teacher, Turnaround Support Staff, Equity Champion, No Place for Hate Leader, and Student Equity Leadership Award.
Call for Youth Poetry Movement
Please encourage your students to share their talent in writing and performance art by submitting an audio or video recording of their original poem or spoken word. The recording may be played during the Equity Conference: Equity is Love in Action on Jan. 20 and 21 at the San Diego Convention Center. Submissions should be connected to at least one of the conference learning themes:
- Student voice and agency
- Culture and language diversity
- Family and community engagement
- Mental health and wellness
- Equity, diversity, and inclusion
Equity Is Love in Action Podcast
Check out the Equity team’s podcast.
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Equity Blueprint for Action Virtual Community Meeting Dec. 1
Parents, community members, K-12 educators, and others interested in educational equity are welcome to an informational meeting Dec. 1 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. about SDCOE's Equity Blueprint for Action. The document focuses on improving educational outcomes for all students with community- and research-informed practices specific to three student groups: African American, American Indian, and Latinx. The actions and recommendations in the Equity Blueprint for Action aligns equity work to the California Local Control Funding Formula priorities and California School Dashboard.
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Equity Blueprint Professional Learning Series
Family and Community Voice Structures
Family and community engagement specialists will share strategies for engaging the larger school community in consistent and ongoing structures of feedback, voice, and choice. Learn ways of embedding and leveraging the unique and deep contributions of parents and families.
Being in Wise Relationships with Students
Learning best practices for administrators and educators who are looking to better incorporate consistent and meaningful student voice and agency, build holistic relationships with students, and become more responsive to the academic, social, and emotional needs of young scholars.
Nothing About Us Without Us
This session will feature a group of students from across San Diego County as they share their input and feedback on how to best engage students and amplify the voices of youth scholars.
Integrated Literacy
Interpreting the demands of literacy and language standards to better understand how cultural and social influences play a factor in the efforts to create equity and access to curriculum and instruction.
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Ask Me Anything
The Ask Me Anything series affords equity practitioners an opportunity to anonymously ask questions around specific topics and attend a short, 15-minute answer session where we will respond to submitted questions and share resources. The following sessions will be held 3:30-3:45 pm. Registration Link
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Nov 30: Pronouns and Deadnames
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Dec 7: Gender Support
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Dec 14: LGBTQIA+ Laws
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Jan 4: Race and Racism
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Jan 11: Bias and Microaggression
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Jan 25: Unpacking Privilege
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Feb 1: Affinity Groups
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Feb 8: Stereotype Threat
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March 1: Equity Blueprint
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March 8: Equity Practitioner Profile
Equity One-Year District and Site Support
The SDCOE Equity team has designed a one-year model of partnership and support for equity teams from school sites and districts to learn, explore, and lead through issues of equity. We believe that leadership comes from the inside out, and we explore our own personal development and understanding, and simultaneously, build our skill sets for practical application.
LGBTQIA+ Professional Learning
- LGBTQIA+ 101
- LGBTQIA+ 102
- LGBTQIA Law and Policy
- LGBTQIA+ Coaching
Native Ways of Knowing Micro-Courses
Join us to learn from Native American educational, cultural, and tribal experts and deepen our understanding about the diverse histories, cultures, and contributions of California American Indians in short, online Native Ways of Knowing micro-courses. Developed in collaboration with California Indian Education for All, these micro-courses provide community-created resources on important instructional topics including understanding land acknowledgements, foundational understanding of teaching and learning about Native Americans, and tribal language preservation and revitalization. The courses also feature teaching toolkits on Thanksgiving, indigenous voices of California missions, and American Indian removal. These 90-minute micro-courses allow for asynchronous professional learning and are designed to facilitate collaboration among the participants.
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Equity Networks
Allyship to Accomplice
Join educators from across the county who meet monthly to engage in deep dialogue and learning about the equity issues in their contexts. We meet as a yearlong cohort to create a safe space for sharing. Use this form to add your name to the next cohort.
Ethnic Studies Collaborative: Social Justice K-12 Curriculum
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ADL Education
Asian American Education Project Partnership
The Asian American Education Project provides K-12 curriculum and professional learning at no cost. Each session covers one of seven topics: stand against hatred, citizenship, civil rights, identity, immigration, racism, and elementary education.
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COVID-19 Equity Resources
At the bottom of the SDCOE resources for distance learning under "Resources: Equity for Distance Learning" are equity-focused materials on instructional continuity, xenophobia, and meeting students' basic needs.
New Matching Fund Program for Teachers to Support Anti-Racism Education
To support educators’ ongoing efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their classrooms and at their schools, San Diego Gas & Electric has established a new grant program with $250,000 in shareholder funding. Teachers who request anti-racism learning materials through the nonprofit crowdfunding platform DonorsChoose will have donations to their projects matched with $2 for every $1 that they raise.
Equity Resources for Current Events
SDCOE has created and curated resources that may be helpful in facilitating conversations with students and families around recent racially charged incidents and protests around the country and in our community. Resources are categorized by audience with links for parents, students, administrators, and educators.
School Leaders Guide to Create Healing Dialogue
After the past two years, it’s important to address the historical and collective trauma everyone has experienced due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and the events that spurred the current civil rights movement. The School Leaders Guide to Create Healing Dialogue Space two-sided resource from SDCOE's Equity and Student Support Services teams has ways to create space and hold authentic, healing dialogue for those in your school community.
Past Webinars Available Online
Did you miss our last webinar? Find equity learning on demand, including our Student Panel Series on the SDCOE Equity website.
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If you have any questions or comments about Educational Equity, please contact Dr. Fabiola Bagula.
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Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at SDCOE and in our districts across the county. |
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