EquityMatters! May/June 2022

Leadership

Meet Our New Equity Director

Meet our new Equity Initiatives Unit director, Dr. Anthony R. Alston. Dr. Alston joins MCPS with 26 years of experience as an educator and national facilitator and designer for the Leadership Academy.

Marya F. Hay, instructional specialist, EIU, interviewed Dr. Alston and he shares some personal experiences and what inspires his equity vision and work.

Leading With an Equity Lens

We know that planning, facilitating, teaching, and leading through the lenses of equity, inclusion, and antiracism are ongoing processes that involve self-reflection and education, developing and building trust, and then putting our knowledge and skills into daily practice. Below are three articles we hope will be of support in your leadership journey.

Behaving Like an Adaptive Leader

One principal in Maryland realized that her equity initiatives were unsuccessful. This article shows how she went from viewing equity as a technical issue to be fixed with homework help and remediation, to using an adaptive approach to make equity go beyond the physical.

The Resilient Educator

With educators facing new levels of stress and turmoil, this article details tips on how to build emotional resilience in staff members and how to cultivate an environment that encourages them to learn through professional development.

All You Need is Love

Leadership isn't all about dedication and power. It also takes a diligent commitment to be deliberate and intentional in your planning and interactions. Read this article to find out how to "lead with love" and make your workspace more equitable.

Dr. Joan's Gems

Each month, Equity Initiatives Instructional Specialist, Dr. Joan Mory, provides new, specific resources (articles, strategies, videos, techniques, activators, etc.) that can be used at meetings, in planning, and in the classroom, home, or community. They address different themes associated with teaching, learning and leading.

This month the focus is on leadership. Leadership at every level is about taking action to ensure that our students’ learning environments are representative and inclusive of all of our students.

Will Anything Be Done with the Antiracist System Audit?

After a year of collecting data, the Antiracist System Audit is on the way to having a final report done by August 19, 2022. But the question that most frequently comes up is, “Will anything be done with the audit results, or will it be put on the shelf?”

This is a valid question, and we have been working hard to put structures in place now to ensure that MCPS is ready to address the audit when the report comes out. But, we can use your help with the following:

1. Watch Dr. Monifa McKnight explain her vision for what it looks like to be antiracist in MCPS. This speech was given to all district administrators in April 2022
2. Give us feedback on our draft action plan. This plan is designed to address a list of barriers that staff, students, and families have said will get in the way of the audit leading to any meaningful change. The plan continues to be improved as we get input from stakeholders
3. Register to participate in a focus group
4. Click here to see the dates of the various focus groups available for staff
5. Read what we have done over the past year to gather data for the audit in the document below.

Counter Story

The Counter Story is a section that features the voices of MCPS students, families, and staff who are often marginalized in the media, curriculum, and our classrooms. Counter stories help us to interrupt our explicit and implicit biases and inspire us to action.

These videos provide opportunities to bring in voices that may not always be heard. They can be used as activators for staff or planning meetings or to use with students.

This month we highlight some of the great leaders working in MCPS to make us a more equitable school district.

Everett Davis

Everett Davis is the acting associate superintendent in the Office of Student and Family Support and Engagement. In this interview, he tells us about his leadership philosophy and the development of Be Well 365.

"I think it's most important that you have a vision and that the vision always connects to students." -- Everett Davis

Natasha Bolden

Natasha Bolden is an executive director in the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Schools. Here, Natasha speaks to her journey through the lens of equity and how she incorporates this into her leadership.

"I am going to make sure that everything that happens in this space is for the good of your baby, for the good of you..." -- Natasha Bolden

LGBTQIA+

This month, we wanted to highlight the importance of LGBTQIA+ representation and visibility among teachers and school leaders, especially leading into Pride Month in June 2022. You will hear from two MCPS employees who are members of the queer community and believe in the importance of understanding and visibility of queer staff members for the well-being of students.

Annelie Goins

Annelie Goins, copy editor, Office of Human Resources and Development, shares their story and experiences of growing up and entering adulthood while questioning their sexual and gender identity.

Elizabeth Fuhrman

Elizabeth B. Furhman, resource teacher, Richard Montgomery High School is an educator in MCPS who identifies as non-binary. They are an ESOL teacher and has taught the elective course on LGBTQ Studies. Watch their video to learn how Elizabeth's personal and professional experiences have shaped the way they support our LGBTQ + students, staff, and community.

Resources for LGBTQ+ in MCPS

Here's last year's edition filled with many resources and stories.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which celebrates the histories of Americans hailing from across the Asian continent and from the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

This year's theme, selected by the Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC), is Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration.

"When you have diversity at the leadership table, the magnitude of what you can accomplish is enormous," Fahmida Chhipa, FAPAC's vice president, told NPR. "You really expand yourself in the horizons to have something creative and innovative."

There are many ways you can learn more about and celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with your students. Here are seven ways to celebrate this month with you students and staff:

• Support Asian American and Pacific Islander students. You can support our MCPS Asian Pacific American Student Achievement Action Group (APASAAG).
• Explore AAPI History--PBS has a great documentary series about the history of identity, contributions, and challenges experienced by Asian Americans.
• Read books with AAPI connections! The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center has a great list of books to learn about the experiences of Asian Americans.
• Watch last year’s Academy Award-winning film, “Nomadland,” directed by Chloe Zhao, the first Asian woman to win the top directing prize. Or enjoy “Minari,” a sweeping story that follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American dream.
• Consider the diverse cultures of the AAPI community by looking at Asian art. Check out the Smithsonian’s Museum of Asian Art online.
• Learn more about how, in 1912, Japan gave several varieties of over 3,000 cherry trees to the U.S. as a symbol of friendship. These trees were planted in Washington, D.C., and produce the well-known cherry blossoms every year.
• Research different countries in the Asian Pacific region and learn about the region’s culinary culture. Many grocery stores in Montgomery County carry ingredients common to Asian cuisine.

Let us know how you commemorate these holidays and please send resources for holidays and celebrations that are missing from the Religious and Cultural Commemorations calendar.

Resources Just for You

Free Online Learning from the National Equity Project

The NEP has long been a great resource for the EIU to engage in deepening our work to support the district. They have several great webinars available for free.

Equity Initiatives Unit Professional Development Library

Borrow a book from the EIU Professional Development Collection. This is a lending library to support your equity journey. Just click on the link below, sign in with your MCPS login, click on collections, and then hit Equity Unit - Professional Development Collection.

Past Editions of EquityMatters!

Equity Impact Questions

We all need to develop the habits of asking critical questions about race and equity throughout all aspects of leadership, planning, and engagement. The Evidence of Equity Framework questions provide a systematic examination of how different racial and ethnic groups will likely be affected by a proposed action or decision. Use these questions as you are enacting new policies, initiatives, practices, and as part of the evaluation process to ensure equitable outcomes for all students, families, and staff. Deep equity work takes place when we are proactive in our approach.

Juneteenth Celebration

Juneteenth (aka: Freedom Day or Emancipation Day), is the name for a holiday celebrating June 19, 1865, the day when Union soldiers arrived in Texas and spread the word that President Lincoln had delivered his Emancipation Proclamation.

For MCPS staff, this day is an opportunity to step back, process and reflect on all that has been happening and how we can move forward to truly fulfill the mission of our school system.

Here's a local event in our community to learn more about Juneteenth and celebrate the freedom, culture, and achievements of African Americans.