Equity as a Mindset

1. What are the needs of your community and how are you meeting them?

Our campus is comprised of 99% economically disadvantaged students that have a history of academic struggles. With the Verizon Innovative Learning program, we are able to give all students the opportunity to engage in learning through the use of technology. There is a high number of Hispanic students with parents with limited English-speaking ability where technology can play a major role in students accessing up to date learning applications that can also be used to support language acquisition. Learning new technology now will support them in high school, college and career prospects.

2. Are the systems and processes accessible for multilingual families and students?

We always take into account diversity of our families and communicate all callouts and information in English and Spanish.

3. How do you offer choice and voice to your families?

We invite all parents to Coffee with the Principal each month to discuss matters that involve technology and school improvement concerns. Through academic nights, parents are able to see how technology is used in the classrooms through examples demonstrated by students.

4. How are you promoting diversity and inclusion when selecting members of your student tech team?

When choosing students to participate in our tech team, we ensure to choose students from different subpopulations such as special education, female students and a diversity of grade levels.

Action Steps:

1. Facilitate lab field trips & presentations to build interest in the elective class & technology curriculum

2. Provide experiences that would not have been possible without lab technology to support equity

3. Support students and teachers to make a core-content connection to the lab technology or curriculum

Evidence of Success for Step 2:

• 6th grade students took a field trip to the Immersive Media Lab during social studies classes

• Students virtually traveled to Europe, providing a unique opportunity to explore far away cities

• Students learned about lab elective curriculum, including VR, AR, digital media and 3D printing

Evidence of Success for Step 3:

• Supported teachers during lesson planning and implementation to ensure lab experience supported core-content lesson

• Students created travel books using Book Creator to share research on Europe & one spotlight country

• After VR experience, students were excited about their projects and had more ideas about what to include in their books

Ms. Jones & Ms. Dillard shared in PLC about their Immersive Media Lab visit and how they incorporated it into a TEKS-aligned activity with Book Creator.

Action Step 1:

1. Continue collaborating with teachers to increase lessons at adaptation level and beyond and increase BAN from 0.23 (Spring 2021) to 0.25 (Spring 2022)

Action Steps:

1. Create Henry's first Parent Teacher Association to support a stronger collaboration between school and families where families can really be involved in decision making including phone use, master schedule, handbook, dress code, VILS expectations.

2. Students engage in social emotional learning lessons each week with teachers and are supported by teacher leader Ms. Escot.

3. Utilize Tech Team students to support family engagement.

4. Utilize wraparound specialist to provide additional resources and support for students.

• Created a dress code room to provide clothes to students

• Connected with Mayor's office to tutor kids and support with gang/drug related issues

• Organized Backpack Buddies

• Weekly attendance meetings and consistent home visits

Evidence of Action Step 3:

• Tech Team students support families to access HISD Connect so they can keep track of student attendance, grades, and increase communication with the school and district

Evidence for Action Step 4:

• Created a dress code room to provide clothes to students in need.

• Collaborated with the Mayor's office to get additional support with tutoring and gang/drug related issues.

• Participate in Backpack Buddies program.

• Hold attendance meetings each week and conduct consistent home visits.

Action Step:

• Recruit Henry students to show off their talents at the ribbon cutting celebration for 3 district Verizon Innovative Learning Labs.

Evidence:

• Students showed off CoSpaces VR worlds, nature apps created for Merge Cubes, interactive family histories using ThingLink and ClassVR and 3D printed objects designed to solve community problems.

• Henry students shared their expertise with students and VILS Coaches from Holland & Edison so that all students left the event with their own AR & VR projects to share.