Environmental Charter Schools
Minutes
Equity and Diversity Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday March 21, 2018 at 4:30 PM
Location
3600 W. Imperial Hwy. Inglewood, CA 90303
ECMS-I Members:
Equity & Diversity Taskforce Charter
The Equity & Diversity Taskforce promotes and supports ECS’s work to develop a school culture that fosters equity, inclusion and an appreciation of the diversity within our community.
Recent events in our nation have drawn attention to structures and processes that have historically disadvantaged people of color and persist today. We acknowledge that ECS, as an educational institution, is situated within a historical context and is not immune to the biases and structural inequities that have disenfranchised the communities we serve. As a public education leader in Los Angeles, we have a powerful responsibility to respond proactively and to embrace opportunities to change the structures and processes within our institution that undermine our efforts to educate and empower ECS students.
We need to critically examine our practices with an eye to continual growth, modeling the lifelong learning and critical thinking that will empower our students to be quality stewards of their communities and our world.
History of this Work
The Taskforce will build upon the work already begun at our three campuses, including Arlene Ford’s Great Minds Inquiry at ECHS in 2011-2014, the ongoing efforts of the ECHS Equity & Pedagogy Coalition and collaborative work of ECMS with Tyrone Howard in 2015-16.
Call to Action
The Equity & Diversity Taskforce will examine data on topics such as student achievement, school discipline, school climate and enrollment trends/retention; address the roots of bias; share insights and suggest possible resources or actions to ECS leadership. The Taskforce membership will include parent, student, teacher, staff, administration and Board representation. Community members may also serve on the Taskforce.
THE ORDER OF BUSINESS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the order of consideration of matters on this agenda may be changed without prior notice.
PUBLIC SPEAKERS AT STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Notice is hereby given that consistent with the requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act, special presentations not mentioned in the agenda may be made at this meeting. However, any such presentation will be for information only. The public should be aware that the Committee is unable by law to deliberate or take action on items raised during the Presentations from the Floor section.
Environmental Charter Schools recognizes that it benefits greatly from public input and perspective. Individuals are invited to address the Committee on any topic or subject matter that falls within the Committee's purview. Speakers may sign up in person immediately prior to the beginning of the Committee meeting by speaking with the Committee Chair.
Should a member of the public wish to speak on matters not listed on the agenda, they may speak during the Presentations from the Floor section of the agenda. Speakers will be given a maximum of three (3) minutes each to address the Committee (non-English speakers utilizing translators will be given a maximum of six (6) minutes each). Please note that the Committee allows a maximum of 10 minutes to each subject as determined by the Committee Chair.
Should a member of the public wish to speak on matters listed on the agenda, they may speak during the Presentations from the Floor section of the agenda. Speakers will be given a maximum of five (5) minutes each to address the Committee (non-English speakers utilizing translators will be given a maximum of ten (10) minutes each).
The public should be aware that the Committee is unable by law to deliberate or take action on items raised during the Presentations from the Floor section.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION WILL BE PROVIDED FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY
Pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any individual with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in this meeting of the Governing Board may request assistance by contacting ECS at (310) 214-3408, option 5.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information concerning this agenda or for materials relating to this meeting, please contact ECS at (310) 214-3408, option 5.
- Tashanda Giles Jones
- Danny Cristales
- Samson Pham
- KC Villoria
- Sara Diaz
- Farnaz Golshani-Flechner
- Danielle Kelsick
- Alison Diaz
- Kami Cotler
Equity & Diversity Taskforce Charter
The Equity & Diversity Taskforce promotes and supports ECS’s work to develop a school culture that fosters equity, inclusion and an appreciation of the diversity within our community.
Recent events in our nation have drawn attention to structures and processes that have historically disadvantaged people of color and persist today. We acknowledge that ECS, as an educational institution, is situated within a historical context and is not immune to the biases and structural inequities that have disenfranchised the communities we serve. As a public education leader in Los Angeles, we have a powerful responsibility to respond proactively and to embrace opportunities to change the structures and processes within our institution that undermine our efforts to educate and empower ECS students.
We need to critically examine our practices with an eye to continual growth, modeling the lifelong learning and critical thinking that will empower our students to be quality stewards of their communities and our world.
History of this Work
The Taskforce will build upon the work already begun at our three campuses, including Arlene Ford’s Great Minds Inquiry at ECHS in 2011-2014, the ongoing efforts of the ECHS Equity & Pedagogy Coalition and collaborative work of ECMS with Tyrone Howard in 2015-16.
Call to Action
The Equity & Diversity Taskforce will examine data on topics such as student achievement, school discipline, school climate and enrollment trends/retention; address the roots of bias; share insights and suggest possible resources or actions to ECS leadership. The Taskforce membership will include parent, student, teacher, staff, administration and Board representation. Community members may also serve on the Taskforce.
THE ORDER OF BUSINESS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the order of consideration of matters on this agenda may be changed without prior notice.
PUBLIC SPEAKERS AT STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Notice is hereby given that consistent with the requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act, special presentations not mentioned in the agenda may be made at this meeting. However, any such presentation will be for information only. The public should be aware that the Committee is unable by law to deliberate or take action on items raised during the Presentations from the Floor section.
Environmental Charter Schools recognizes that it benefits greatly from public input and perspective. Individuals are invited to address the Committee on any topic or subject matter that falls within the Committee's purview. Speakers may sign up in person immediately prior to the beginning of the Committee meeting by speaking with the Committee Chair.
Should a member of the public wish to speak on matters not listed on the agenda, they may speak during the Presentations from the Floor section of the agenda. Speakers will be given a maximum of three (3) minutes each to address the Committee (non-English speakers utilizing translators will be given a maximum of six (6) minutes each). Please note that the Committee allows a maximum of 10 minutes to each subject as determined by the Committee Chair.
Should a member of the public wish to speak on matters listed on the agenda, they may speak during the Presentations from the Floor section of the agenda. Speakers will be given a maximum of five (5) minutes each to address the Committee (non-English speakers utilizing translators will be given a maximum of ten (10) minutes each).
The public should be aware that the Committee is unable by law to deliberate or take action on items raised during the Presentations from the Floor section.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION WILL BE PROVIDED FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY
Pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any individual with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in this meeting of the Governing Board may request assistance by contacting ECS at (310) 214-3408, option 5.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information concerning this agenda or for materials relating to this meeting, please contact ECS at (310) 214-3408, option 5.
Committee Members Present
Alison Diaz, Danielle Kelsick, Danny Cristales, Sara Diaz, Tashanda Giles Jones
Committee Members Absent
Farnaz Golshani-Flechner, KC Fabiero, Kami Cotler, Samson Pham
Guests Present
Babette Dickerson, Geneva Matthews, Jenina Ramirez, Jeremiah David, Julie Vo (remote), Justin Thongsavanh (remote), Michelle Torres, Paola Reyes, Robert Maxwell, Talia Dotson, Tasneem Muhammad
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
Danielle Kelsick called a meeting of the Equity and Diversity Committee of Environmental Charter Schools to order on Wednesday Mar 21, 2018 at 4:47 PM.
II. Approval of Agenda and Previous Meeting Minutes
A.
Motion to Approve the Agenda
Alison Diaz made a motion to approve the agenda.
Danielle Kelsick seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Alison Diaz |
Aye
|
| Tashanda Giles Jones |
Aye
|
| Danielle Kelsick |
Aye
|
| Samson Pham |
Absent
|
| Farnaz Golshani-Flechner |
Absent
|
| KC Fabiero |
Absent
|
| Kami Cotler |
Absent
|
| Sara Diaz |
Aye
|
| Danny Cristales |
Aye
|
B.
Approve Previous Meeting Minutes
There were no minutes to approve.
III. Discussion Items / Updates
A.
Opener
Danielle Kelsick led attendees through an overview of the agenda and presented the objectives of the meeting. These included reporting and learning about site-based equity diversity projects and discussing research, trends and resources to support ECS’ collective equity initiative.
B.
ECMS-G Update
The ECMS-G Taskforce began their project with a Black parent meeting to find out why Black students are withdrawing from this site. Through this meeting, the Taskforce learned that the main reason is a lack of a sense of belonging. Their focus shifted to providing faculty and staff with the cultural competency to cultivate a sense of belonging by celebrating Black culture. The Taskforce responded with a Spirit Week during Black History Month and plans to establish a Black Excellence Club. Both initiatives were received well by students, parents and staff.
After examining CAASPP data for Black students, the Taskforce noticed a significant increase in test scores during the 15-16 academic year that students were not able to continue through the 16-17 school year. The response from the Taskforce was to continue to focus on the school-wide math initiative, host events like Math/Stem Night and restructure their math interventions.
After examining CAASPP data for Black students, the Taskforce noticed a significant increase in test scores during the 15-16 academic year that students were not able to continue through the 16-17 school year. The response from the Taskforce was to continue to focus on the school-wide math initiative, host events like Math/Stem Night and restructure their math interventions.
C.
ECMS-I Update
The ECMS- I Taskforce began their project with an African American Parent Partnership meeting. The findings from these meetings led to the Taskforce shifting their mindset from that of doing something for a population to that of creating a platform for that population to be their own voice. The Taskforce aimed to create spaces for Black parents and students. These included the Parent Partnership, the celebration of Black History Month and participation in the MLK Parade. Along with continuing this work, the Taskforce would like to see continuous anti-bias and racial competency training for all staff and faculty.
After analyzing their site data, the ECMS-I Taskforce decided to focus on the math achievement of African American students. The Taskforce implemented ways to provide parents want resources to help them feel more comfortable providing math assistance to their children. These resources include tangible resources like textbooks, events like Math Night and math workshops, and even a virtual resource platform. Taskforce continues to search for the best way to provide these as well as more resources to support these initiatives.
After analyzing their site data, the ECMS-I Taskforce decided to focus on the math achievement of African American students. The Taskforce implemented ways to provide parents want resources to help them feel more comfortable providing math assistance to their children. These resources include tangible resources like textbooks, events like Math Night and math workshops, and even a virtual resource platform. Taskforce continues to search for the best way to provide these as well as more resources to support these initiatives.
D.
ECHS Update
The Taskforce analyzed exit data for African American students and found that students most often leave because they experience isolation, micro-aggressions and anti-blackness. They also met with Black parents and students to hear about their victories and challenges in their schooling at ECHS. Both of these informed the Taskforce’s decision to focus on creating permanent and well-resourced black-centered spaces. The Taskforce highlighted that these efforts are often undone by staff’s lack of racial literacies and argued that ongoing training needs to be provided to staff to prevent this.
E.
Collaboration Activity
Danielle Kelsick led attendees through a cross-campus collaboration activity. Attendees were provided with an excerpt from the “Black Minds Matter” report from The Education Trust - West and identified similarities and differences between ECS’s and the rest of California’s equity practices. This conversation led to the conclusion that all three sites could greatly benefit from systematizing. This brings up the question of how to best fund and support these efforts.
F.
Next Steps
All three taskforces will continue their projects. Committee members not from specific sites will continue to look for ways to support this work, financially and otherwise.
IV. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 6:36 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Paola Reyes
Danny Cristales made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Tashanda Giles Jones seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Danny Cristales |
Aye
|
| Samson Pham |
Absent
|
| Tashanda Giles Jones |
Aye
|
| Danielle Kelsick |
Aye
|
| KC Fabiero |
Absent
|
| Kami Cotler |
Absent
|
| Sara Diaz |
Aye
|
| Farnaz Golshani-Flechner |
Absent
|
| Alison Diaz |
Aye
|