Embedded Files
Objectives 1 & 2- Equity and Cultural Competency
Objectives 1 & 2- Equity and Cultural Competency
Over the course of the 18/19 academic year, an equity audit of our collection will be completed. Based on this audit, our collection management plan will be updated and modified as needed to increase representation in specific areas.
Over the course of the 18/19 academic year, an equity audit of our collection will be completed. Based on this audit, our collection management plan will be updated and modified as needed to increase representation in specific areas.
Evidence & Reflection
Evidence & Reflection
Several members of the MTAC have attended Excellence Through Equity PD sessions held in-house at HGMS. The PD is based on the book, Excellence Through Equity, by Alan M. Blankstein and Pedro Noguera .
In addition, the media coordinator also completed an online course through School Library Journal titled "Equity in Action". The course outcomes were to gain:
- The ability to audit current library collections and programs through a culturally competent lens
- The ability to assess the inclusiveness of current collection development and RA practices, acquisitions, marketing, plus assessing scheduling practices, branch hours, and staff hiring and retention
- The ability to recognize common problematic stereotypes, tropes, and microaggressions in media
- A refresher on key diversity and cultural literacy concepts such as white privilege, unconscious bias, cultural appropriation, and intersectionality
Using the knowledge gained from both courses, the media coordinator audited the fiction collection in our library to determine how the collection reflects the diversity of our student population. The results of all of this are tied to the approved budget for book purchases this year. (Results above)
The fiction collection at Holly Grove MS is in need of updating in order for it to stay current with the current demographics of the school. Further, the demographics of WCPSS change continuously, and HGMS must update to reflect the diversity of the system. This should be an MTAC priority over the coming years. A concentrated effort has been made to purchase and display books with characters of diverse backgrounds during the 2018-2019 school year.
In April, 2019, a student advisory team was created to assist with collection development. Their first two tasks are 1.) to become familiar with resources help identify books with diverse characters/storylines in order to recommend books for purchase and 2.) To recommend a diverse list of books that will be purchased for book clubs during the 2019-2020 school year.
Students using Ipads to scan QR codes on the "Walk a Mile in Their Shoes" display.
This display is modeled off of the premise of The Empathy Museum's Walk a Mile in Their Shoes project. Its purpose is to provide students with lists of books they might want to check out that tell the stories of people that live or look differently than themselves, grow up under different circumstances, or have different life experiences in order to build empathy and respect for diversity in our students.
Objective 3-Curriculum and Instruction
Objective 3-Curriculum and Instruction
Over the course of the 18/19 academic year, our media coordinator will integrate research skills and inquiry based lessons into student instruction in the area of Social Studies by attending district training on Inquiry based instruction, attending Social Studies PLTs, and collaborating with teachers.
Over the course of the 18/19 academic year, our media coordinator will integrate research skills and inquiry based lessons into student instruction in the area of Social Studies by attending district training on Inquiry based instruction, attending Social Studies PLTs, and collaborating with teachers.
Evidence & Reflection
Evidence & Reflection
Over the course of the year, the media coordinator attended Social Studies PLTs regularly in order to assist in the implementation of inquiry based teaching and learning. As a baseline for the SS teacher, the media coordinator outlined the research skills incorporated into the new EL curriculum for Language Arts. The purpose was to align expectations for student research skills and employ some of the same strategies and vocabulary used for research in both subject areas.
The hope is that sharing this information will limit teacher frustration because they will know which skills students have been taught and which they have not. It will also give students more practice with the specific skills that are learned in Language Arts.
When we all have a common understanding of the skills we are aiming for and the students receive direct instruction on those skills, we can move into deeper inquiry of content area.
The skill progression was shared with fellow media coordinators at a district conference in November, 2018.
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