Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

"DEI is a Journey NOT a Destination"

Belong and Be Yourself

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is not a destination but a powerful, enlightening journey and learning process for all of us, where we will all need to be intentionally engaged to ensure that we have a strong competency to move forward. Our competency to move forward hinges on our individual, unique ability and willingness to express curiosity and model the courage to “lean in to the discomfort of excellence”. By being the best version of ourselves as colleagues, teachers, and leaders, and as DSST community members in our DEI work, we give permission to our students and community to be active participants in “transforming urban public education by eliminating educational inequity”.

Meet Your DEI Team

Aaron J. Griffen, Ph.D. (He, Him, His)

Chief Equity Officer

Aaron J. Griffen, Ph.D. is a P-12 Practitioner-Scholar with over 20+ years experience as a middle school English teacher and assistant principal in Houston, Texas and as a high school principal in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Throughout his career, he has worked exclusively and purposefully in Urban-defined schools and districts, serving a culturally, linguistically, economically, educationally, emotionally, socially, and diverse population of learners.

SY2024 Priority Ownership - Training and Development

Focus Areas: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Development, Policy, Strategy, and Planning across all schools, home office departments, and with all community stakeholders; Cultural Responsiveness and Relevance Strategy; Multicultural Curriculum and Practice; Intersectionality, Equity Audits and Pedagogy, Deficit and Resilience Ideologies, and Urban Policy and Analysis. Portfolio: Senior Leadership Team, Managing Directors, SLAMs, Finance, HC, College Success, Strategy, Board of Directors, and SLAM High Priority Schools.

Mercedes Blea-Davis (She, Her, Ella)

Senior Manager of

Diversity and Belonging

Being a part of the DSST DEI team is a role that is speaking to Mercedes' core. Her life experiences led her down the continued and ever changing path of DEI. From an early age, Mercedes had a keen eye for recognizing the main components of DEI without fully comprehending the full scope of what she was unpacking. As she grew, this work became her passion and a part of her daily life. With each new experience Mercedes intentionally sought out the groups where she could make a positive impact and be an advocate for marginalized groups.

SY2024 Priority Ownership - Student Culture

Focus Areas: Network Belonging Strategy; HO Diversity Recruitment; Community Engagement; STEM and Creative Core Support; Community Hiring Partnerships; Student Leadership and Advocacy; Affinity Groups; DEI Liaisons, Trans Youth Advocates, College Success, Community Engagement. Portfolio: Aurora Science and Tech HS/MS, Cole Campus, Elevate HS/MS, Green Valley Ranch HS/MS

Salvador Ramirez, M.A.

(He, Him, El)

Manager of

Equity and Inclusion

Salvador’s educational and professional career has been devoted to fighting for educational equity for students from marginalized communities within and outside of educational institutions. As a Latinx educator with anti-oppressive practices, Salvador is determined to help students with marginalized identities understand their power and skillset so they create transformation and change that will allow them to not only survive but thrive. To Salvador, DEI is the work necessary to ensure systems and people within those systems are creating transformational change that work towards equity, justice, and liberation.

SY2024 Priority Ownership - Instruction

Focus Areas: Equity and Inclusion Strategy; Instructional Leader Development; Humanities and Student Services; Data Strategy; Helix and Technology; DEI Liaisons, Trans Youth Advocates, Second Language Learning. Portfolio: Byers Campus, College View HS/MS, Conservatory Green HS/MS, Montview HS/MS

DEI Department Welcome and Overview

Purpose

The Purpose of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) department is to provide thought partnership, support and co-facilitation of resources and development in the DEI space across the DSST Network. Our overarching mission is to ensure that the DSST Network continues its five year trajectory to ensure that DEI aligns to our mission and core values and is core to our organization across departments, schools, and in decision making. We do this through school, community, home office, and individual engagement strategies and partnerships.

The State of DEI at DSST

The FYI on DEI

FYI on DEI: What you need to know about DEI work at DSSTBlog: Here are some of the things our DEI team focused on for the 2021-22 school year.

Colorado History of Education

Accessing the power of this moment means knowing the history that brought us here. Learn more about the laws and systems that the education system in Colorado are built upon.

Being aware of the history of power and oppression is fundamental for interrupting the predicable outcomes in education.

Find out more about the history of education in Colorado and DSST so you can create change in your context.

Click here to follow along on the timeline.

For a deeper look at the regional history of education in Colorado, we recommend the PBS Series, Standing In The Gap.

Click the link to find out more about your school's regional history.

Far Northeast : Green Valley Ranch, Noel, Aurora
Northwest: Cole, Conservatory Green, Montview
Southwest: Henry, College View, Byers

What is DEI in DSST?

What is DEI in DSST_ Recording Presentation.mp4

How does my role in education intersect with DSST’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?

What is DEI in DSST is a follow up and follow through of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) development sessions from previous summer development and onboarding. As a part of our growth as an organization in our DEI journey, schools teams, school leadership, and home office leadership requested that there be a session dedicated specifically to sharing our DEI journey in DSST Public Schools.

Participants Will Be Able To

View DSST’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion commitments and our connections to their individual understanding of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Realize DSST’s commitments to becoming an Anti-Racist Organization.
Acknowledge their unique and individual role in ensuring that every DSST student and staff member feels like they belong and are seen as a part of the DSST community.

DSST COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION OVERVIEW

Click Here: Where we have been...Where were are....Where we are going....

2023-2024 Goals

The work streams for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) department in 2023-2024 is intentionally linked to overall well-being of staff and students, the retention of staff of color and building a sense of belonging, values, and inclusivity among staff, students, and families. Therefore, our team overall goal is as follows:

Standard: 85% of school and HO personnel, students and families select 5 are above/ (3.8 out of 5) on DEI specific perception survey measures by end of 2025 with those who identify as African American/Black, Latino/a, or prefer not to answer scoring at or about the network average.

Target: SY2023: (65% - MET) SY2024, (75%), SY2025 (85%)

Through quality onboarding experience during New Staff Training (NSI), ongoing DEI Development strands at both the campuses and Home Office, we believe that our retention rate will improve along with our sense of belonging, values, and inclusivity among staff, students, and families (indicated on the End of the Year Climate Surveys). Here are additional goals aligned to report card metrics:

100% of DSST Schools have documented plans for families, students and staff to provide feedback to BER plans.
85% of Students, Staff and Families select 5 are above/ (3.8 out of 5) on having familiarity with their school's Black Excellence Resolution Plan.
75% of DSST schools will minimize Critical Incident Frequency, Duration and Impact (evident by an average score of 4/5 on the Critical Incident Survey)
50% of Black and Latino 12th grade students graduate with a STEM certificate.