WLCSC's Diversity Initiative Specialist
Update:
The work of equity, inclusion, access, and social justice is small and steady. One cannot bulldoze their way through any place of work demanding that things change immediately. This work will and does take time. But I assure you, we are making progress and strengthening WLCSC for each child, for its staff, for its community.
The first item is that Mrs. Falk is in every building each week. She has an office at WLES, WLIS, and WLJSH and rotates on a consistent basis. Currently, she is working with students and teachers in all buildings. She goes into various classrooms and talks about implicit bias, microaggressions, valuing diversity, sense of identity, and stereotypes with children from K-12th grade. She consults with staff when they have questions to come up with strategies for lessons, to integrate richer titles into their curriculum, and to provide strategies to communicate with students to ensure they know they are valued, seen, and heard.
She works with WLCSC leaders on corporate wide priorities to ensure that the equity lens is always present and reflects with various administrators on various topics.
All equity teams - each team from the three buildings as well as our student equity team are working together to reflect, revise, and reimagine.
Together, we have seen a stronger bridge being built between students and staff as we all are engaged in learning about and from each other. Working on ways to create stronger community, and communicating with students to ensure they know they belong.
While we are not posting photos and snippets of information, please note that change is happening. This takes hard work, but when has our student body, or staff ever given up? While this change is intentional, it is also those subtle changes that we witness each day within the halls of all of our schools that indicates progress.
All our best,
The West Lafayette Community School Corporation
Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?
A more focused approach to this initiative at West Lafayette Community School Corporation will ensure that all students, their families, faculty, and staff will be able to be a part of this corporation without the fear of being othered, marginalized, or forgotten.
When we practice mindfulness and kindness, our practices will grow stronger. I challenge you to try this and see what comes through for you. This is one of the first steps one can take in this journey of intentional inclusion.
Had to share:
Please take a moment to watch the following video. It has such a powerful and needed lesson for all.
WLCSC Mission and Beliefs:
Our mission is to engage students in a world-class educational experience that prepares them to be well-rounded, ethical, innovative, creative, productive, and adaptive citizens who will shape our global society.
We Believe:
Our students are our foremost priority.
Highly effective faculty and staff are critical to our success.
Parenting and family support are fundamental to successful educational outcomes.
Public education is a shared resource and responsibility that defines and unites our community.
Student engagement in learning leads to higher achievement.
Academic excellence is the hallmark of our school corporation.
Public education’s primary purpose is to develop educated citizens.
Children deserve an equal opportunity to achieve their highest potential.
There is inherent worth and dignity in every person.
Students learn in different ways.
Accountability is critical to the success of our school corporation.
Involvement in extracurricular activities enhances the educational experience.
School safety is essential.
Public education contributes to the development of productive, ethical, adaptive, and healthy citizens.