October 30, 2023
6 p.m. – Senior High School Library
Agenda
- Update on curriculum work
- Grading for Equity
- Portrait of a Graduate
- Update on Student Group
- Elevating Student Voice
- DEI Matters professional development opportunity
- Review of the EEC Action Map
- Establish next meeting date and time
Minutes
Update on Curriculum Work – Dr. Meredith Madden – Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education (CRSE) Update: The English Language Arts and Social Studies departments engaged in a CRSE professional development workshop to gain foundational CRSE awareness. Each department will engage in a CRSE curriculum and instruction study this spring 2024.
Grading for Equity – Sandy Halpin – A group from New Hartford attended a conference over the summer (August 7-8) in Ithaca. This conference is part of the Council of School Superintendents Commission on Diversity and Inclusion and is titled: Diversity Symposium of Thought Leaders. There were three keynote presenters: Dr. Monique Couvson, Ed.D.; Joe Feldman, and Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz. In addition to the keynotes, there were 6 breakout sessions: How to Motivate the Unmotivated Teen Post-Covid; Incorporating Student Voice in Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity work; Equitable Grading: What’s Love Got to Do with It; Equity, Inclusion, and & Anti-Racism for White People in Schools; Roc2Change – Student Led Summits on Race; Leading Summer Learning: Institute for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Portrait of a Graduate – Joshua Gifford – A team of approximately 35-40 stakeholders are currently working on the development of a Portrait of a Graduate (Learner) for New Hartford students. When we discuss belonging, inclusion and making connections with all of our students, the “Portrait of a Graduate” conversations overlap with the work of our EEC. To date, there have been two meetings to collaborate/develop/design what the portrait should look like. During these discussions, stakeholders have communicated about specific skills and competencies that our students need to thrive in learning, work and life. Some examples include: Adaptability, Confidence, Communication, Critical Thinking, Problem Solver, Responsibility, Empathy, Self-Starter, Creativity and Flexibility.
As part of this work, the District will strive to expand opportunities for students to be exposed to a variety of careers, both in and out of the classroom.
There are two more meetings November 13th and December 14th regarding the development of New Hartford’s “Portrait of a Graduate.”
Student Group (Elevating a Student Voice) – Joshua Gifford – Mr. Romanow, the Dean of Students at the Senior High School, is currently working with 11 students, who have been attending meetings at Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES. During these sessions, which are focused on elevating students’ voices, students participate in group discussions regarding a variety of topics.
Moving forward, we look forward to having discussions with these students regarding various EEC related topics, as well as other activities and initiatives taking place in the District.
DEI Matters: Professional Development Opportunities – Dr. Meredith Madden –
Professional Development for Teachers/Staff: DEI Matters foundational learning is being offered voluntarily to any interested faculty/staff member at NH. To date 70 NH educators are enrolled. This was launched in September and participants have the academic year to complete it.
Professional Development for EEC community members: In June of 2023, professional learning on foundational DEI topics was offered to EEC members across two sessions. Attendees were a combination of community members and administration.
Review of the EEC Action Map – Dr. Meredith Madden – Dr. Madden provided an update on the EEC Action Map (Please see the attachment regarding initiatives that are “In-Process” and activities that have been completed)
November 27, 2023
6 p.m. – Senior High School Library
Agenda
- Introductions
- Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education (CRSE) update
- Social Studies
- Portrait of a Graduate update
- November 13th meeting
- Next meeting: December 14th
- November 9th meeting with Dr. Diane Wynne (Executive Director, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, New York State Education Department)
- Elevating Student Voice
- EEC Action Map
- Establish Next Meeting Date/Time
Minutes
Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education (CRSE) Update – Dr. Meredith Madden – The Social Studies Department engaged in a CRSE professional development workshop to gain foundational CRSE awareness, Social Studies will engage in a CRSE curriculum and instruction study this spring 2024.
Portrait of a Graduate – Joshua Gifford – A general overview of the Portrait of a Graduate work was provided, as discussed during the October 30th EEC Meeting; Shared an update of what took place at the November 13th portrait design team meeting including: 1)Discussion of competencies that potentially could be used on the final product and 2) Discussion/Observation of some visual design options that will be considered during the creation of the final product; The final meeting for the portrait design team is on December 14th at 6:00, and the conversation will be centered around having our Portrait of a Graduate come to life.
Dr. Wynne’s Visit – Dr. Meredith Madden – Following a visit to Dr. Madden’s CRSE Course at Utica University, Dr. Diane Wynne, Executive Director of the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NYSED, visited with Dr. Tangorra, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Gifford, Ms. Halpin and Ms. Alt to learn more about the CRSE curriculum efforts in NHCSD.
Elevating Student Voice – Matt Romanow and Student Representatives – Mr. Romanow, along with eleven New Hartford High School students, began participating in regular discussions at Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES centered around “Improving Schools Through Empowering Student Voices.” Throughout the school year, these students will have the opportunity to collaborate with each other, as well as students from other school districts. Three of these students attended the EEC meeting, and shared some information about “Improving Schools Through Empowering Student Voices”. Students have been and will be participating in the following: discussion of issues/topics related to creating and sustaining inclusive schools; how to facilitate and lead conversations when discussing critical issues; Micro-aggressions, and what their impact is. In addition, the students also expressed an interest in carrying out some activities with our Elementary School students.
EEC Action Map – Dr. Madden and Joshua Gifford – Updates to the EEC Action Map were discussed. Please reference the Action Map document.
Additional Discussion Items – Discussion about CRSE/curriculum work in other subject areas/grade levels; Conversation about future interactions with alumni of color; Create an opportunity/space for alumni to share their experiences; Further conversation about the need for a student climate survey; Discussion on how to get more student participation at the meetings, or at the very least, gather information from the students to share at the meetings.
January 8, 2024
6 p.m. – The Spartan Café
Agenda
- Introductions
- Portrait of a Graduate
- Review of Competencies
- Discuss/Share article from Education Week (December 11, 2023)-More States Are Creating a ‘Portrait of a Graduate.’ Here’s Why
- Next Steps
- Elevating Student Voice
- December planning meeting
- December Meeting with students involved with ESV
- Next Steps
- Communication
- EEC information on the website
- EEC Action Map
- Breakout Session
- Establish Next Meeting Date/Time
Minutes
Portrait of a Graduate – J. Gifford – The portrait design team met again on December 14th. During this session, a visual of New Hartford’s portrait was shared with the team, which included the six competencies/definitions. The six competencies include: Adaptability, Communication, Integrity, Empathy, Critical Thinking, and Global Citizenship.
An article from the December 11, 2023 issue of Education Week was shared with the group. The article which was titled, More States Are Creating a Portrait of a Graduate. Here’s Why, discussed the importance of attributes/competencies students should have before they graduate, in preparation for life after high school (college, careers, and civic engagement). The article also acknowledged that in order to be effective, we need to embed the portrait into our daily work/activities, and that it needs to be more than just a poster on the wall.
The portrait will be shared/discussed at an upcoming Board of Education meeting.
Elevating Student Voices – J. Gifford, M. Madden, M. Romanow, C. Alt – On December 4th, a planning meeting was held with M. Romanow, M. Madden, and J. Gifford to discuss the charge of the Elevating Student Voices group, the work that’s being done at OHM BOCES, as well as future initiatives. On December 14th, M. Madden and J. Gifford met with M. Romanow and the students involved with Elevating Student Voices. This lunch session included introductions, the facilitation of a mission/vision, and the development of goals statements by the students. The next meeting with the students will be held during the week of February 5th.
Communications – J. Gifford – As the District’s website is being updated, J. Gifford will work with the communications staff to also update the content with regards to EEC. Looking ahead, we would also like to look at our buildings’ newsletter communications to highlight a variety of EEC related items including: important dates, holidays, cultures, resources/informational text, etc.
EEC Action Map/Breakout Session – All Meeting Attendees – Attendees were divided into two groups. While considering items on the action map, attendees were asked to discuss other potential inequities based on recent personal experiences, conversations, and/or observations. After the discussions in the two smaller groups, participants were asked to share some of their conversations with the entire group. Discussion items included: 1) Being mindful of the resources/activities we’re using especially around the holidays; Some resources/activities may not be suitable for all students. 2) Field trip opportunities in our schools; have more conversation to ensure more equity across each of the schools 3) Ensure equity regarding student discipline and the application of the code of conduct 4) Consideration for an English as a New Language (ENL) program in each of our three elementary schools, rather than just Myles Elementary 5) Using the morning/afternoon announcements in our buildings as an opportunity to highlight/celebrate EEC related topics, holidays, cultures, etc. 6) Continuously monitoring all of our Senior High students, and their respective graduation pathways, to ensure they remain on the best path to graduation/academic success 7) Paying closer attention to student conversations in more unstructured areas (hallways, locker rooms, etc.), while acknowledging/addressing the inappropriate language and dialogue 8) In response to continued discussions at EEC and the District’s strategic plan, there needs to be a climate survey (something other than Thought Exchange) to determine we are as a District, and what areas need more focus/attention 9) the need for a parent survey was expressed, and the importance of getting more parents to participate in the survey 10) Continue to review the items on the action map, and remain focused on ways to move this work forward.
Additional Discussion Items – J. Gifford, A. Hyde – There will be professional development regarding micro-aggressions and implicit bias. This professional development will be provided to the principals initially, and to the teachers/staff at a later date.
March 18, 2024
6 p.m. – Senior High School Library
Agenda
- Introductions
- Professional Learning
- DEI MATTERS
- Microaggressions/Bias training
- CRSE work
- Portrait of a Graduate
- February 27th Board Meeting
- Next steps
- Elevating Students’ Voices
- February meeting-Worked with students on brainstorming session ideas.
- Next scheduled mtgs.
- March 27th
- April 5th
- Climate Survey
- EEC Action Map
- Establish Next Meeting Date/Time
Minutes
Professional Learning – Dr. Meredith Madden – Dr. Madden spoke about her continued professional development in the District. Topics include: DEI Matters, Microaggressions/Bias training, and CRSE work. Approximately 80 employees are participating in DEI Matters. Microaggressions/Bias Training has begun with school administration.
Portrait of a Graduate – Joshua Gifford – At the February 27th Board of Education Meeting, a presentation was provided regarding the “Portrait of a Spartan.” Leading up to this presentation, New Hartford Central School District hosted four working sessions which included various stakeholders throughout the District (students, parents, teachers, administrators, Board of Education members, and community members). During these sessions, which were facilitated by an outside expert, stakeholders worked on developing 6 core competencies for our District, along with the definitions for each. These competencies will become focal points as we continue to work with our students from kindergarten to 12th grade. Stakeholders also took part in the design of a visual representation of New Hartford’s portrait. This design was based on features from other models that were shared with the group. As the District moves forward with this work, continued conversations will be held at the District and building-level to determine what the next steps will be as we roll-out the Portrait of a Spartan. Things to consider: How will this look in our District? How will this look in our buildings? How will this look in our classrooms?
Elevating Students’ Voices – Joshua Gifford and Dr. Meredith Madden – Work with the “Elevating Students’ Voices” group has continued. During the February meeting, the students worked with Dr. Madden and Mr. Gifford to brainstorm ideas for an activity/project they can potentially do before the end of the school year. The students seemed very eager and interested to work with the students in our elementary schools, with a potential focus on respect and empathy. Two future meeting dates have been established with Mr. Romanow and the students. Those dates are March 27th and April 5th. During these sessions, we’ll continue this great work, and strive to have this group of students work with some of our younger students before the end of the school year.
Climate Survey – Joshua Gifford – It was shared that the District is moving forward with the Climate Survey. This is something that has been discussed at previous meetings, and is part of the District’s strategic plan. During our next meeting, which will be held on April 16th, participants will review/discuss survey items that will be considered for New Hartford’s Climate Survey. Once a survey has been established for the students, EEC participants also showed interest in pursuing feedback via a climate survey for parents/community.
EEC Action Map – Dr. Meredith Madden – Dr. Madden shared updates that have been made to the EEC Action Map. A copy was provided to those in attendance.
April 16, 2024
Agenda
6 p.m. – Spartan Café
- Introductions
- Brief Update on Elevating Students’ Voices
- Climate Survey
- Distribute Climate Survey from the U.S. Dept. of Education
- Small group discussions
- Opportunity to share feedback
- Establish Next Meeting Date/Time
Minutes
Coming soon.