Embedded Files
Masterman has always been in need of change when it comes to equity, diversity, and inclusion within our school. After the events of this summer and subsequent pressure from students and alumni forced a reckoning with Masterman’s reputation and underlying inequities, school leadership decided to seek out an equity coordinator. We met with Marissa Robinson, the new hire for this position, to learn more about her background, her plans, and her goals. Through hard work and student outreach, Robinson hopes and plans to create lasting change at Masterman.
Marissa Robinson is no stranger to the field of education. Her first job out of college was teaching, at a charter elementary school in southern Louisiana, where she taught kindergarten. “As a teacher in Louisiana, equity was extremely important,” she noted. Her experience as an educator prompted her interest in the field of equity, as she observed firsthand how inequalities affect students in the classroom and beyond.
“I noticed that there were a lot of inequities existing in that school space and in that community as well, which I feel impacted the students' ability to academically perform, to be able to feel socially and mentally safe, and for their parents to trust the work that we were doing as educators and overall as a school,” she explained.
As an equity-minded teacher, Robinson worked to adapt to the differences in her students and their situations. She valued individuality, and tailored her teaching to fit their learning styles. “My students couldn't sit all day,” she said, laughing, “I didn't expect them to do that. So we danced and we sang.” She learned to assess the unique and individual situations of her students, in order to better reach them as a teacher. In these kindergarten classrooms, Robinson first acquired the skills that she has utilized ever since— how to assess and meet the needs of different individuals.
Photo courtesy of Marissa Robinson
“I was able to differentiate that instruction on a more personal level, and so for me, just being able to meet my students where they are, or my clients where they are, has always been very important,” she explained. Now, she has her sights set on doing the same for Masterman.
Robinson’s interest in the field extends beyond her experience as a teacher. As a BIPOC student, Robinson spent much of her academic life in predominantly white institutions, including her high school and her alma mater, the University of Virginia. “I noticed the challenges that students who look like me, students who came from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds experienced,” she explained. This unique perspective is part of what set Robinson on the path towards education equity, and she has carried her experiences with her in every job she has taken or project she has worked on.
After her time as a schoolteacher, Robinson worked for the School District of Philadelphia itself. There, she and her colleagues specialized in identifying, assessing, and placing teachers within the 200-plus school system. “With that work, we were focusing on ensuring that we were meeting the needs of some of our most underserved schools— so in those schools where we found that there were teacher vacancies, ensuring that there was a highly qualified individual in each classroom at every point throughout the school year.”
The work was specifically geared towards improving equity for students of color and economically disadvantaged students in our city. In her role at SDP, Robinson built relationships with universities in the area to seek out teaching talent that would suit the needs of the Philadelphia school district and its students. She also did work around building partnerships with organizations that service Black and brown students. “We reached out to teachers who have experience in servicing BIPOC students, which was really great, so that we could ensure that we were kind of hitting all of those needs that students had and attracting professionals that would best serve the needs.” The work meant partnering with HBCUs like Morehouse and Lincoln University, as well as professional equity organizations geared towards Black and brown students, and organizing multicultural events with teachers and organizers. “That work was great, because I learned a lot about the District,” she said, then added with a grin, “Like there's a lot of schools in Philadelphia, who knew? 225-plus schools!”
Now, Robinson’s focus is on Masterman. Robinson already had experience in Philadelphia schools, and when she came across the open position on a website, she was interested immediately. In the steps that to her securing the job, she spoke with many of the authority figures at Masterman, including Principal Jessica Brown, Assistant Principal Broussard, and Assistant Principal Harrison. After a series of interviews, it became apparent to school leadership that Robinson was the right pick for the job. “It was about a three stage process, application, interview, there was an essay component and then another interview,” she said, “and I think that the mixture of those conversations and the mixture of some of those written assignments really helped me to see that I could could see myself serving in this role and working with this community for a long time.”
Ms. Robinson has already spent time planning what she will do with her new position. She aims to start out by collecting information from students and experiencing Masterman firsthand, so she can get an idea of what needs to be done and how she can make it happen. “As an equity coordinator, my main goal is to serve as an advocate for the students and support your teachers and school leadership, and create conditions for you all to be academically successful, socially successful, and to build trust between each other,” she emphasized, “And so, my plan right now is to just assess what those needs are, in order to build relationships with as many people as I can.” Robinson is looking forward to meeting with different Masterman groups in order to gather more information about the biggest inequities and areas for improvement at the school. She explained that she will be working with the United Minority Council, talking with students from Student Government, meeting with multiple ethnicity groups and other organizations, and working with the alumni group. The goal, she explained, is “to better understand what they would like to see changed and how I can best add value to the work that they started, or contribute ideas so that we can start something completely fresh.”
But her student outreach will not stop there. Robinson will be holding office hours for any student who wants to meet with her and talk to her about any ideas, experiences, or suggestions they’d like to share. Her office hours will begin at 2:30 pm, every day after school.
Along with student outreach and advocacy, Robinson’s other main goal is to work on diversifying the school population. We live in a large, richly diverse, multicultural city, and Masterman’s population has often not fully reflected that. “We definitely want to support families who are interested, families who have difficulties with navigating the application process and ultimately having their child enrolled in the school,” she said. As equity coordinator, Robinson intends to support outreach and assistance, so that the school population will better support and reflect the cultural diversity of Philadelphia.
“So, right now I'm looking at equity from a lens of supporting BIPOC students,” Robinson specified, “But ultimately, I would love to think about how we can support all learners who have different parts of their identity not being serviced or met in the school culture, and are not seeing those parts of their identity being affirmed. So when we're thinking about LGBTQ+ students, when we're thinking about students who come from under-resourced backgrounds, all of that work. I want to be able to support and uplift [that].”
Above all else, Robinson wants students to know that she is here for them— as a listener, advocate, and aid. Her position involves work with teachers and school leadership, but her primary goal is to connect with and speak out for the students of Masterman. “I want to be— I guess this is corny,” she said, laughing, “I want to be their biggest cheerleader. So every student is here for a reason, and they proved that they got here, that they're here because they are qualified and because they are excellent.” Her aim is to be there for students, and aid them in working towards a more equal Masterman. She is more than happy to support student demands, critiques, and suggestions, telling us, “I'm here to throw my weight behind whatever [students] want to see change.”
She intends to bring her expertise and experience to Masterman to tackle challenges of equity, diversity, and inclusion that have plagued the school for too long. Ms. Robinson has high hopes for working with and connecting with students, and she has high hopes for change in our school.
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