Staff Training

Kirkwood's new strategic plan calls for all staff members to participate in equity and bias training, ideally facilitated by external consultants. We are committed to training at least 175 teachers during 2017-2018.

All Kirkwood administrators engaged in two days of equity and bias training in December 2016 and January 2017. Training was facilitated by consultants with NCCJ-StL, with primary funding through an ITEF Innovation in Education grant. Work was based loosely on NCCJ workshops on Interrupting Racism (description below), with programming tailored to meet our specific needs in Kirkwood. Training included experiential activities, a focus on microaggressions, work on common language and understandings, and time for action planning.

Photo Credit: Avery Rhoades

NCCJ Interrupting Racism - Through short presentations, experiential activities, reflection and dialogue, participants cultivate a stronger awareness of the racial socialization, how it plays out in the interactions, and ways they can interrupt racism wherever it arises. Participants

  • Explore the external manifestations and internalized results of oppression
  • End with steps for being an ally around the identity of race
  • Explore the dynamics of advantage and inequity around race
  • Gain personal introspection, share others' perspectives, and learn tools for allyship
  • Develop a personal plan of action

Kirkwood's administrative team also participated in a year-long book study around Despite the Best Intentions: How Inequality Thrives in Good Schools, by John Diamond and Amanda Lewis. The book dives into issues related to race, opportunities, and achievement at Riverview High School, an otherwise exemplary school in a high-achieving district like Kirkwood. Work around this book will continue into the 2017-18 school year, both with administrators and teachers.

We are also working with the Princeton Choose Classroom Index, a fantastic racial literacy textbook and toolkit ideated by students, created with educators, and funded by Princeton University.

Three schools sent teams to the Education Plus Restorative Practices Academy in 2016-2017, with additional teams scheduled to attend this year. We were also pleased to offer initial summer training around restorative practices and trauma-informed care, both identified as needs during the Task Force planning process.

Teachers and administrators have been engaged in equity training for several years, both at the building and district level. We have been pleased to host several guests to speak with all staff, including Avis Glaze, Amy Hunter, Terry Jones, and Fecilia Pulliam. Multiple book studies have been facilitated around the district, with all schools involved in varying degree of site-based learning around race, privilege, and bias. Specific conversations around equity have been added to new teacher orientation and training in the last two years.