Equitable Practices

It's hard to imagine, but a full year has flown by since the School District of Springfield Township's Board of School Directors first approved the Equity Policy and Equity Action Plan. Over the past year, we have accomplished so much, but we still have miles to go!

On January 17, 2023, the Equitable Practices committee, comprised of administrators, teachers, and staff members from across the district presented a comprehensive look at the Year 1 Equity Action Plan goals and how the Equity Policy has impacted the district over the past year.

If you were not able to attend the Board presentation, you can view the video here or check out the slideshow here.

As a district, we are proud of where we have come and where we are going. We hope you will continue to join us on this journey!

• Springfield Equity Statement
• Year 1 Equity Action Plan Goals
• Year 2 Equity Action Plan Goals
• Educational Equity Policy
• District Equity Initiative
• DVCEE District Membership
• Culture and Identity Educational Materials
• Anti-Semitism and ADL Information
• LGBTQ+ Inclusionary Resources
• Multilingual Learner Information
• Anti-Muslim Discrimination Educational Materials
• Diverse Reading Options for Students

Recognizing the diversity of our community, The School District of Springfield Township is committed to and accountable for advancing equity and excellence for all of our students. We, in the School District of Springfield Township, endeavor to provide equitable opportunities for high level, meaningful, and engaging learning experiences for each and every student, regardless of racial/ethnic background, economic condition or other dimension of identity or difference.

We recognize that in order to achieve Educational Equity we must apply principles of fairness and justice in the allocation of resources and work toward the elimination of institutional barriers to access and opportunity. We aim to ensure that funding, policies, practices, and initiatives will enable every student to receive what they need to maximize their success. In order to foster growth toward equity, we must engage in continuous reflection and ongoing measurement of our efforts.

Year 1

• Adopt and enforce an Educational Equity Policy (Complete)
• Identify administrator responsible for conducting review and analysis of data and leadership of EAP (Complete)
• Communicate the purpose and goals of the EAP broadly and consistently (Complete)
• Support conversations in the classroom that help students to be prepared for difficult topics and conversations around equity (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Improve safety for marginalized students, including students of color and LGBTQ+ students (Area for continued growth)
• Utilize analytics to assess the impact our communication has on students and families (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Create feedback/communication system for parent teacher conferences (On-going and embedded in practices)
• Provide training for ALL district staff on equitable practices that are able to be implemented in the classroom and across district offices (On-going and embedded in practices)

• Create a system for the collection, review and dissemination of relevant data (On-Going)
• Elicit feedback from students, staff, and families (On-Going)
• Create a K-12 course overview with language accessibility (Complete)
• Simplify and focus our communication to families (On-Going)
• Improve our website's accessibility and ease of use/clarity (Complete)
• Train our MTSS teams to utilize the MTSS process to improve our systems of identification/readiness (On-Going)
• Utilize an online platform for feedback from students and families (On-Going)
• Continue to communicate and implement recommended strategies for recruitment and retention of a diverse, representative workforce across the district (On-Going)

This past year, our faculty and staff have engaged in many professional development sessions centered around equity and belonging. All staff members have had the chance to hear about the Equity Action Plan and how they can incorporate best practices into their day---from bus drivers to cafeteria workers, secretaries and teachers- our goal was to make sure that everyone heard our message and had resources at their fingertips.

Our teaching staff received their first training session in "Difficult Conversations." Based on survey data collected during the equity audit, our staff wanted to learn about best practices for having difficult conversations in their classroom with students. A professional development was provided at the building level to support teachers in their efforts. Focused on setting up the classroom environment for respect of all students and ideas, we shared the do's and don'ts of facilitating a difficult conversation. Most importantly, we told our staff that our administrative team would support them when conversations came up in the classroom and we provided guides and resources for supporting student conversations around a variety of topics.

Recognizing that teachers need to be trauma-informed in order to create equitable environments, our district worked with Dr. Jenna Rufo to provide trauma-informed training for all of our building staff. These sessions focused on creating supportive classroom environments that focus on student needs and recognizing trauma-induced reactions. Staff were able to think through scenarios and ask questions about best practices in trauma-informed practices.

In addition to our professional development sessions, the district has created a curated resource bank of materials on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. To help all of our staff keep an eye on equity and belonging, we have a Google Classroom filled with resources, including information about a wide variety of holidays, gender inclusive practices, and links to articles, videos, and resources.

MPA Black History Month Read Aloud

Wednesday, February 8th

6:00pm

Erdenheim Library

MPA Movie Night

Wednesday, February 15th

7:00pm

Free Library of Springfield Township

MPA History Bee

Tuesday, February 28th

6:00pm

Middle School Audion

Check back frequently for updates!

Enfield: On February 24th, the High School Voices of Excellence (VOE) Club will provide a Black History Month assembly for all students in grades K-2.

Erdenheim: On February 27th, the High School Voices of Excellence (VOE) Club will provide a Black History Month assembly for all students in grades 3-5.

Middle School: Check out the STMS Library's Black History Book Browse

Building Displays- Black History and Black Excellence and 7th Grade ELA

8th Grade trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture

7th Grade ELA Display

Spartan Spotlight 8th Grade Video Projects

Soul Food Lunch scheduled for February 9th

High School: Voices of Excellence Black History Month Brunch- February 4th 12pm to 2pm

Library Book Displays and "Who Am I" trivia game

Spanish classes will explore Afro-Latino short stories and completing research projects

Visual Arts classes will be showcasing black artists

• On December 5 and 6, 2022, a team of Springfield Township staff members from across the district attended the Q10 conference on Educational Equity. Quantum 10: Equity in Education is an organization that promotes a fusion of 10 different theories, frameworks, and practices to focus on enhancing educational equity.
• On December 6, 2022, administrators presented on Belonging at Springfield Township at a session at the Q10 conference. Check out their presentation!
• As part of the Board presentation on the Equity Action Plan, a Report Card was released to share updates on the Equity Plan goals.
• On January 17, 2023 the Equitable Practices committee presented to the Board of School Directors on the 1st Year of the Equity Action Plan. View the recording here and check out the presentation here.

Our district is a proud member of the DVCEE, Delaware Valley Consortium for Excellence and Equity, an organization sponsored by the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Springfield Township is proud to continue our membership and work collaboratively with the 37 other districts in the Greater Philadelphia region to enhance equitable educational practices for all students.

For more information on DVCEE, please visit their website.

The following information is shared with families to help strengthen equity conversations in the home. Please note that these resources are not shared in the schools. However, we encourage families to use these resources to engage your children in conversations around equity in the home.

It’s important that everyone have a basic understanding of two core concepts related to privilege and identity. This will allow everyone to start the conversations on the same page and ensure that the participants have a foundation upon which to build future knowledge.

The first core concept is culture, which is:

• The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.
• A set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterizes a group of individuals or an institution or organization.

The second core concept is identity, which is:

• Distinguishing characteristics.
• The condition of being the same with something described or asserted.

Everyone has many identities. Age, gender, religious or spiritual affiliation, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status are all identities. Some identities are things people can see easily (like race or assumed gender), while other identities are internalized and are not always easy to see (like a disability, socioeconomic status or education level). There are two types of identities that need to be defined in order to spark a discussion on social justice. The first type deals with identities that are part of a majority status — or “agent” — while the second includes identities that are part of the minority status — or “target.”

Source: USC School of Social Work

The ADL is a leading anti-hate organization founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry. The mission of the ADL is to protect the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment for all.

One of the ADL's largest initiatives is No Place for Hate, an community initiative that enables organizations to challenge antisemitism, racism, and bigotry through the creation of inclusive environments. No Place for Hate looks to reduce bias and bullying and increase diversity and respect. Springfield Township High School is a proud designee of the No Place for Hate initiative.

In addition, the ADL offers a wide variety of educational resources including tips and strategies for family conversations, a children's literature collection, an education blog, and professional learning programs.

The School District of Springfield Township partners with the ADL to provide professional development resources to staff members, offer restorative workshops to students following disciplinary incidents, and to ensure best practices around district policies and procedures related to specific incidents.

55% of all religious bias crimes are targeted at Jews, despite that fact that Jews are only 2% of the US population. In fact, 1 in 4 American Jews experienced hatred last year because of their religion.

Shine a Light seeks to dispel the darkness and shine a light on antisemitism (the hatred of Jews). A national initiative, Shine a Light seeks to spotlight modern antisemitism by drawing from the inspiration of Hanukah, the Festival of Lights. One small light can dispel darkness and hatred.

The Shine a Light Resource Page offers articles, lesson plans, videos, reports, online resources, webinars, podcasts, and pamphlets to educate people on antisemitism. Other resources include an antisemitism FAQ, a workplace guide, and a list of events.

Research suggests that youth who identify as LGBTQ+ often experience significant mental health stressors. 42% of people who are LGBTQ+ report that they live in an unwelcome environment. 80% of gay and lesbian youth report severe isolation and are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers.

It is crucial for our schools to create open and affirming spaces for students who identify as LGBTQ+. For more information on how to create positive classroom environments that support all students, please visit the CDC webpage devoted to LGBTQ+ resources or check out the resources below.

Multilingual Learners (ML), formerly known as ELL or EL, are students who are developing proficiency in multiple languages, including those students who are learning English as an additional language in school. According to an EdWeek article published in 2022, educated guesses indicate that the overall ML population may grow by 15% in the next 10 years. As a result, our classrooms will become more diverse and rich learning environments where students will have access to a global perspective on education!

Recently, the School District of Springfield Township partnered with Dr. Sophia Rodriquez, to design and execute a belonging survey for our students in grades 3 through 12. Dr. Rodriguez's interdisciplinary scholarship, drawing on tools from education, anthropology, and sociology, asks questions about the social and cultural contexts of education policy and practice. Her integrated research agenda addresses issues related to racial equity, urban education and policy, and centralizes minoritized youth voices. We are pleased to work with Dr. Rodriquez to ensure that all students feel welcome and a sense of belonging here in Springfield Township!

Recent politics and rhetoric have seen in increase in discrimination against Muslims. Furthermore, fear is being used to justify discriminatory acts and language. In many cases, surveillance, profiling, and exclusionary immigration policies are being used to target people based on their faith, nationality, or national orgin.

The ACLU works to fight anti-Muslim discrimination through the protection of religious freedom, one of America's most fundamental liberties. For more information on the ACLU's work on safeguarding the First Amendment, please visit their webpage.