Belonging While Brown

1. Belonging While Brown Tiffany Blassingame Ashley Scott Midtown International School

2. Research Research shows that Black and Latino students are far less likely than their White and Asian peers to be assigned to gifted programs. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the likelihood of getting assigned to such programs is 66% lower for Black students and 47% lower for Latino students (NCES, 2012). Source: National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Digest of Education Statistics.

3. Some Characteristics of the Black, gifted learner • Often have emotional intensities • Do not always excel in school • Can have learning or attention difficulties • May struggle socially • Values a collectivist culture*

4. #bebrave “There are many persons ready to do what is right because in their hearts they know it is right. But they hesitate, waiting for the other [one] to make the first move - and [the other], in turn, waits for you. The minute a person whose word means a great deal dares to take the openhearted and courageous way, many others follow.” Marian Anderson, 1956

5. Our Objective To examine the levels of support to develop students to be able to live in a multicultural, multiracial, multilingual world • School Structure • Classroom Structure • Social-Emotional Structure

6. School Demographics

7. Gifted Identification Process Diverse Staff Brave Conversations School Structure

8. School Structure Gifted Identification Process Utilize multiple criteria to assess student abilities • Cognitive Test • Work Samples • Teacher Recommendations • Interview/Observation

9. School Structure Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Gifted Certified Staff • Teacher of color job fair • Various social media groups • Staff identity Workspace groups • Workforce Diversity Reflection (annually)

10. Student Demographics

11. Brave Conversations Racialize our conversations Set conversation norms Book talks Identity Workspace Leaders Regular and thoughtful professional development

12. Academic Mindset Kid Watching Culturally Responsive Teaching Classroom Structure

13. Classroom Structure Academic Mindset • I belong to this academic community. • I can succeed at this. • My ability and competence grow with my effort. • This work has value for me.

14. Classroom Structure Kid Watching • What do I see? • What do I hear as part of the environment? • What conversations are happening?

15. Classroom Structure Culturally Responsive Teaching • Celebrating diversity • Building resilience and academic mindset by pushing back on dominant narratives about PoC • Windows, Mirrors, Sliding Doors: • Exposing majority students to diverse literature, multiple perspectives, and inclusion • Helping SoC see themselves reflected • Raising students’ consciousness about inequity within the everyday social, environmental, economic, or political aspects of life Source: Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain

16. Social-Emotional Structure • Identity Workspaces • Culturally Responsive Counseling • Responsive Discipline • Restorative Justice

17. How Does it Work? • Voluntary • Scheduled once/twice a month • Meet at separate times • Attend the group that you identify with Identity Workspaces African-American Asian Multiracial Latino/a White Girls White Boys International Jewish LGBTQ Alliance Children of Same-Sex Parents

18. Social-Emotional Structure Culturally Responsive Counseling • Culture dictates what makes us feel socially and emotionally ready for learning. • It is the lever for getting into the right social-emotional frame of mind (“Relaxed Alertness”) • Personal identity analysis is a precursor to effective counseling • Adolescents begin to ask and answer the question: Who am I?

19. Social-Emotional Structure Responsive Discipline Practices Shifts for rerouting school-to-prison pipeline: • Adopt a social emotional lens. • Know your students and develop cultural competency. • Plan and deliver (or support) effective student-centered instruction. • Move the paradigm from punishment to development. • Resist the criminalization of school behavior. Source: Teaching Tolerance, Code of Conduct: A Guide to Responsive Discipline, 2015

20. Social-Emotional Structure Restorative Justice Restorative justice goals include: • discussing needs of school community; • building healthy relationships between educators and students; r • esolve conflict while holding people accountable; • reduce, prevent, and improve harmful behavior; • repair harm and restore relationships. Source: The Schott Foundation, http://schottfoundation.org/sites/default/files/restorative-practices-guide.pdf

21. Diversity Proclamation It is our moral imperative as human beings on this earth to be brave and true in celebrating the beauty and dignity in each life. We acknowledge and actively work to remedy historical injustices that have systematically marginalized communities around the world. We promote understanding through courageous conversations; We address and fight bias within ourselves and anywhere we find it; We are unafraid to champion equity in our pursuit of justice; We respect individual experiences and practice unconditional positive regard; We foster an ethic of global citizenship that recognizes the inherent interconnectedness of the people and nations of the world; We embrace the responsibility of empowering generations of thinkers to recognize their intellectual and moral blindspots, thoughtfully challenge the status quo, critically think through potential local and global solutions, and positively contribute to the betterment of the world around them.

22. Diversity Proclamation MIS stewards these principles by providing safe spaces conducive to growth through conscientious practices that include: • Facilitating identity workspaces • Designing culturally responsive classrooms and instruction • Implementing inclusive recruiting and hiring practices • Delivering intentional counseling lessons • Fostering growth mindsets • Minimizing bias in gifted identification • Building authentic relationships with students and families • Eliminating barriers to equity and access through scholarships • Creating a community of curious co-learners between teachers and students As part of our commitment to see learning as a limitless journey, MIS views this proclamation as an ever-evolving framework, subject to constant re-evaluation and expansion according to new insights gained from our work as members of the global community.