Anti-bias and Anti-racism in HUSD is not just a professional development training, it is an approach to education in general

AB/AR in Action in HUSD

IDENTITY

Andrea Gil is a daughter of immigrants from Mexico. Her dad immigrated when he was 19 and her mom at age two. Both parents had varied experiences as immigrants to northern California and as Andrea says “had to conform much more than I ever have.” Their experiences and love helped shape Andrea’s identity, which was also influenced by her school experiences. In part, she became an educator to positively impact students and reverse some of the harm that continues to get perpetrated on students and that she herself once experienced. She points specifically to how creativity and joy get stifled at times in traditional classrooms that do not center on the students we serve.

Andrea gets refueled at times by connecting herself to programs and supports for students in HUSD that affirm identity. These have included both the Beautiful Brown Gurlz (BBG) group that uplifts all girls of color and the SLAM AB/AR program for students grades 6-12. She commented, “I am so inspired that a Latina and Black woman came together to start up a program like the BBG as a tool for racial unity. It's just beautiful that these things are happening now. When I am with these groups, I get healed, inspired, and get more courage to continue.”

SKILLS

Previously, Andrea has worked with her site Instructional Leadership Team (ILT), which “was such a great space for me to work with colleagues to think through how we can intentionally support students.” She has also taught Math 7 and 8, Leadership, Bilingual Math, and High School Summer Algebra, and was a member of the site's School-Based Decision Making team. Andrea focused on being Culturally Responsive because “by the time we got many of our middle school students, they had already had many negative school experiences. This caused many to shut down and just tune us out, and rightfully so.” Ms. Gil aimed to ensure that Math doesn’t operate as a gate-keeper and barrier for students on their pathway through HUSD and into the lives they envision for themselves.

Ms. Gil has also thought about ways we can rethink assessment. For example, she advocates for ideas in the Grading for Equity text that some have conducted a book study around in HUSD. She also believes that students would be well-served by not focusing so heavily on standardized tests or their perceived deficits, but to include direct observations on what students can really do, especially when they engage in performance around authentic assessments or those directly related to the subject’s field in the real world. She says “Teachers are the experts when it comes to our students. We should place more value on providing professional development on how to best assess and use that information to guide our teacher moves.”

INTELLECT

Andrea commented about the complexities of our commitment to racial equity work in HUSD. She noted, “I know how important it is for example, to have spaces that speak specifically to the black experience and for those to be protected. Even when I’ve been invited to take part, I first make certain that my presence doesn't trample on those spaces because sometimes there is just too little room for black voices to exist in true safety. Especially when our black students and families have expressed feeling underheard because they do not form a larger percentage of our population. However, there are spaces that our affinity groups should share, so that we support each other's work and progress. I feel hopeful when I see so many of our HUSD female leaders with ‘Dr.’ in front of their names reaching out to build bridges across color lines. I appreciate all the work that is being done to unify our community, especially for those leading the AB/AR work here. They are doing so well.”

CRITICALITY

Ms. Gil innovated a support for students during Distance Learning that supported student leadership, interpersonal skills, and had a positive academic impact on member math performance. She started a Zoom lunch party in which elementary, middle, and high school students could join to listen to music, play games, and help each other with homework. She noticed that “some students who might otherwise be less engaged during the regular day were much more engaged during the lunch option as they were organized around supporting each other as peer leaders. For instance, older students ran breakout rooms for younger students and all were experiencing success in these structures. I was most excited that math and general academics improved by the end of the year especially since we surfaced the issue of math as gatekeeper.”

JOY

Andrea is a member of the district Equity Oversight Committee and she joined because “of the title alone, which speaks to so much progress in this district that not only do we commit to equity, but we really stay close to it and make sure to check in on how it’s going. I love that we will set aside time specifically to evaluate what we are doing with an equity lens. We don’t want to just give lip service to our commitment. It shouldn’t be about just checking boxes. I am just so happy this is really happening.”