EquityMatters!
"Wrapped in Belonging"
Last April, Dr. Monifa B. McKnight, superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) said, "we commissioned the antiracist audit because beneath every stone we turned over…on every indicator of student opportunity…we found undeniable racial disparities that have existed for decades….Disparities that carry with them the weight of short changed student potential and unrealized student dreams.
At the heart of WHY we launched the antiracist audit was a commitment to uncover how our school system’s policies, practices, and structures must CHANGE…how WE must change… so that ALL 162,601 of our students are wrapped in BELONGING from the very moment they walk through our schools’ doors."
The new school year brings with it new opportunities and possibilities. It gives every staff member a new reset to be part of the solution. No one person needs to be the expert on racism and antiracism, however, each of us must be part of the solution in changing the status quo. So, our challenge to each of us this new school year is this...what will you do to ensure that at least one thing is different for students and families of color on the first day of school?
The content of this newsletter is organized into five sections. Scroll through to see what is most useful for you.
Understand the Experiences of Students, Families, and Staff of Color
After two years and 130,000 participants in the Antiracist System Audit, no MCPS system leader, educator, or staff should say "I didn't know." We can only improve our work when we are aware of how our students, families, and colleagues experience our practices and policies.
Review the findings from the Antiracist System Audit. Every area of MCPS is Included.
Include your School-Specific Findings to make meaning of your data stories.
Use these selected quotes from the audit as activators during meetings.
The following video shorts were written and produced this summer by interns in the Minority Scholars Program. The interns represent high schools from across MCPS. You can see their whole presentation HERE. As you watch the videos, think about the following questions:
What do students say needs to be addressed?
Based on what you heard them say, how will you reflect on and shift your practice?
The Pencil
Made By: Martha Workeye, Amy Acosta & Grace Wolde
Student Voice on the System
Made By: Gaby Saravia, Naima Plakas, Elisha Mae Gabriel & Fatu Kamara
Learn What is Being Done & What Each of us can Do
The Antiracist System Action Plan was presented to the Board of Education on May 11, 2023. It is organized into three sections: System-level Actions, Domain-specific Actions, and School-level Actions. The plan includes action steps and timelines. It is designed to address the report's recommendation that the successful planning and implementation of a districtwide racial equity vision requires coherence, accountability, equity-centered capacity building, continuous data collection, and relational trust.
Below are just some of the actions that have been implemented to address the action plan.
Click on the pictures for more information.
Pathway to College, Career & Community
New Antiracist School Improvement Plan
New Module and Resources for Antiracist and Culturaly Responsive Family Enagement
Professional Learning for Central Office & School-Based Leaders
Know Our Students, Families, and Colleagues
Holidays & Celebrations
If we are going to wrap all our students in belonging, we need to know our students. One small way is to be aware of the different cultural and religious events that they celebrate.
For example, we have thousands of MCPS students who celebrate Diwali every November. Imagine how students and their families would feel if this important celebration was acknowledged and understood by staff.
Click on the Holidays and Commorations Button below to find dates and resources for holidays and celebrations throughout the school year. Use the calendar to think about when your students may be impacted, to help plan lessons, or to create connections with students, families, or colleagues.
Some holidays coming up this fall:
Ethiopian New Year (September)
Superhuman Day (September)
Jewish High Holy Days (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) (September)
LGBTQ History Month (October)
Indigenous People's Day (October)
Diwali (November)
Quotes from the MCPS Antiracist System Audit
Why is Hispanic Heritage Month Important? Ask any of our 55,551 Latino Students.
Develop antiracist & culturally responsive family engagement practices
An Interactive online module. Use it with your colleagues.
Use this planning tool whenever you are planning & evaluating family engagement.
Considerations for Writing to a Diverse Community
Use this resource to plan and evaluate any communication you are sending to families.
New Community Engagement Policy
The new policy was written, "to affirm the Board’s commitment to the development and promotion of inclusive, culturally responsive, and antiracist engagement guidelines, structures, and practices..."
Interrupt Hate Bias
"We’ve woken up to headlines about heartbreaking incidents in our schools and community," Dr. McKnight said in April 2023.
"...students SPEWING bigoted language degrading the color of their peers’ skin, ethnic heritage, gender identity or faith; DRAWING symbols of hate that leave their peers shocked, startled, and hurting. And POSTING profane, homophobic…and outright mean, disrespectful, and ignorant content on social media...This year alone…our schools are home to over one incident a day on average – a rate that triples what we have seen in past years."
All staff need to know the process for combatting hate bias In MCPS. Use the resources to the left and have conversations with your colleagues. Contact the Office of Student Welfare and Compliance and the Equity Initiatives Unit for support.
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