Summer 2022

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Newsletter

LGTBQIA+ Pride

The summer season brought many important celebrations of diversity, including LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in June. Many of our schools celebrated in a variety of ways, including curricular focuses on prominent LGBTQ+ Americans in the elementary schools, the “Read with Pride” displays in school libraries, and the flying of the Pride flag at LHS. In support of our DEI Student Advisory Council’s work to promote inclusive books at the elementary level, including those featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes, SAC student leaders attended an LGBTQ Subcommittee meeting of the Student Health Advisory Council seeking out partnership with staff and community members on their endeavor. The result was a wonderful partnership with LexPride, who provided a generous grant to the students to purchase LGBTQ+ inclusive children’s books for elementary classroom libraries. On Sunday, June 12, 2022, LexPride held a celebration at The Depot, recognizing the ninth graders who created the inclusive children’s books for elementary classroom libraries. They also honored the work of two outstanding LPS educators, Jeremie Bateman and Rachel Jayson! Last but not least, Larry Freeman, School Committee member, was named LexPride’s LGBTQIA+ Person of the Year! It was a beautiful event on a picture-perfect day, made even more so by the sense of togetherness and belonging that makes Lexington such a special place.

DEI Curriculum

The DEI Community Input Team (CIT) has finalized its work with this report. The report provides the recommendations for “a comprehensive PK-12 DEI curriculum framework,” as articulated in the original charge for the group. As we prepare to act on these recommendations, we have recently completed an assessment of elementary curricular materials currently being used in the district, including Windows & Mirrors, Understanding our Differences, Dismantling Racism, and the updates to our inclusive Health curriculum. This summer, a generous grant from the Lexington Education Fund will provide opportunities for LPS educators to come together with a consultant to adopt, adapt, and create curriculum that helps realize the recommendations of the DEI CIT for the 2022-2023 school year, specifically creating lessons plans for all students that help meet the “identity” domain of the Social Justice Standards the DEI CIT has recommended for district-wide adoption. Thank you to the entire DEI Community Input Term for all their hard work and continued support!

In August, more than 60 LPS educators will come together to continue the work, in particular learning more about the Social Justice Standards, developing essential questions and the first round of lessons as we roll out the curriculum this year. Stay tuned for more news on this innovative approach to ensuring all students have foundational learning opportunities in DEI at all grade levels!

Elementary Affinity Groups

As reported previously, Harrington Elementary has spent a considerable amount of time researching and implementing student affinity groups. This effort aims to promote visibility to historically marginalized groups while increasing a sense of community amongst all students, all in age-appropriate ways informed by research and best practices. At the close of the 2022 school year, they held a very successful Indian Heritage Affinity Group where students celebrated their Indian heritage and shared that pride with their classmates! This was followed up with the first Asian Heritage and Muslim Heritage affinity groups. The events were very successful and the Harrington community is looking forward to the expansion of the program for students as they enter into next year.

Summer Reading Bingo

Members of our DEI Student Advisory Council have been working closely with staff at Bridge Elementary School to diversify the literature that students read. They produced this terrific video articulating why diverse children's books are so important, they joined Bridge Elementary students in June to do some read-alouds, and they created these wonderful summer reading Bingo cards! Check out more of their wok on this website!


Student Voices

In our continued partnership with the entirely student-run Lexington chapter of Diversify Our Narrative (DON), the Directors of Elementary and Secondary Education, Caitlin Ahern and Jennifer Gaudet, and Director of Equity and Student Supports Johnny Cole met with DON student leaders about ways in which we can incorporate student voice into the curriculum review process. We are currently working with the students to develop a menu of options from which curriculum leaders can select that provide them with valuable student input on how they are experiencing our various curricula. These options will include student surveys, exit tickets, bulletin board prompts, roundtable discussions, and student working groups; as departments experiment with different formats for engaging students, more ideas and options will be added to the menu. Going forward, the expectation will be that all curriculum reviews incorporate student engagement and feedback as part of their evaluative processes.

Community Partnerships

We are continuously impressed with the partnership with community groups to promote historically marginalized identities. Most recently, the Diamond Middle School 7th grade Team Tenacity Museum of the Korean Peninsula as part of their project-based learning work. The museum was a six week, student-directed project designed to answer the question: How is the culture of the Korean peninsula impacted by its history and environment? Teachers partnered with Kolex in planning this unit, and the organization provided our students with authentic artifacts from their own homes, as well as the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea. Additionally, Kolex members participated in interviews with students, and have organized a catering experience for all interested students. Students worked in three classes daily (English, Science and World Geography) to research Korean culture, religion, ecology, and climate, read literature by Korean and Korean-American authors, and study the engineering design process. During May and June, the students built more than 19 exhibits featuring handmade artifacts, displays, and museum-grade plaques, culminating in an opening night gala for special guests in June. The museum was open to LPS visitors through mid-June.

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Resources

The following are recent articles, editorials, videos, and educational news items to check out as we engage in the lifelong journey of bringing greater equity to our community!

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