Stakeholders Teacher Leadership Standard 6

Teacher Leadership Standard 6

Communicates and Collaborates with a variety of stakeholders

I have identified 3 main stakeholders involved in the health and wellbeing of a school community. These are the teachers, PTA leaderships, and building administrators.[G1]  My Engaging Communities class really opened my eyes to this idea. I saw the real importance of the collaboration needed in working toward closing the achievement gap. [G2]

Each stakeholder having distinct obligations to provide a culturally responsive community that addresses achievement and the social emotional well-being of all students. In my Communication and Collaboration class, I learned the importance of adult learning as it pertains teaching and learning of cultural responsiveness in a community. Understanding the theory of adult learning will be a key component in transforming our current practice. Elaine Cox writes, “Knowles’s theory of andragogy is a constructivist approach to learning that involves facilitating adults to draw on their experience and so create new learning based on previous understandings. Knowles argues that readiness to learn is linked to the relevance of the learning to adults’ lives and that they bring an expanding pool of experience that can be used as a resource for that learning” (pg 29).  This means our current teachers must relate the cultural responsive practices to something that is relevant to their current practice.

            Adult learning should be transforming in nature. To get here, there needs to be a framework. I found this framework in the WEA/UW Culturally Responsive Strategies Framework. Each module of the CRS framework is intended to help adult teacher-learners to be reflective throughout the learning experience. [G3] Much like Jack Mezirow’s (an American sociologist) study, CRS is “designed to provide participants with an opportunity to experience Mezirow’s transformational learning, including experience, reflection, discourse, and action” (Malik, M 2016). Through the CRS framework, teachers will work toward transforming their current practices to a culturally responsive practice. In contrast to a pedagogical approach where most educators rigor their practice, “the andragogic instructor prepares in advance a set of procedures for involving the learners and other relevant parties in a process involving these elements: 1) preparing the learner, 2) establishing a climate conducive to learning, 3) creating a mechanism for mutual planning, 4)diagnosing the needs for learning, 5) formulating program objectives (which is content) that will satisfy these needs, 6) designing a pattern of learning experiences, 7) conducting these learning experiences with suitable techniques and materials, and 8) evaluating the learning outcomes and rediagnosing learning needs” (Knowles, M.S., Holton, E.F., and Swanson, R.A.,  2015). Andragogy will be the primary theoretical practice to engage in discussion on culturally responsive teaching and race.[G4] 

Part of adult learning is setting up spaces for adult learning to happen. I believe in the creation of a safe space where teachers can come together with a common goal and discuss diversity and equity. This is a space created by teachers for teachers.  Using the CRS Framework, teachers can engage in these discussions much like what Zapeda (2012) calls, “Learning Circles and Critical Friends Groups.” Zepeda[G5]  states, “CFGS support teachers taking the lead in their own learning” (pg. 205). Additionally, She states, “Learning circles as a professional development model create smaller groups, enabling a more efficient and effective means of establishing learning communities”(pg 241). In this case, the focus these groups is closing the achievement gap through culturally responsive teaching practices. In addition to using the CRS Framework, Teachers will engage in a book study to help build schema related to equity and the achievement gap. I have identified [G6] Zaretta Hammond’s Cultural Responsive Teaching & The Brain as a book that is aligned with the CRS Framework. Hammond (2015 explains, “The chronic achievement gap in most American schools has created an epidemic of dependent learners unprepared to do the high order thinking” (pg 12). She further states, “Classroom studies document the facts that underserved English learners, poor students, and students of color routinely receive less instruction in higher order skills development than other students” (Hammond 2015). This is a culturally responsive issue that needs to be addressed. The safe space created will be in place to discuss plans of action using learning circles or critical friends groups. [G7] 

PTA

The Parent Teacher Association historically has been event and fundraising driven. Those who can participate in these events. Unless our families have [G8] accomplices or advocates in the dominant system, families are often left on the outside looking in.

On their website at. www.pta.org/diversity-inclusion-toolkit, it states, “These differences and similarities include age, ethnicity, language and culture, economic status, educational background, gender, geographic location, marital status, mental ability, national origin, organizational position and tenure, parental status, physical ability, political philosophy, race, religion, sexual orientation, and work experience.”

Additionally, it states, "[G9] Therefore PTAs at every level must:

• Openly assess beliefs and practices to assure inclusiveness and guard against discrimination;

• Make every effort to create a PTA board and membership that is inclusive and reflective of its community;

• Encourage that all PTA activities at the school be planned by a committee which is representative of the population;

• Foster programs and practices that eliminate bias, prejudice, and misunderstanding within their communities;[G10] 

• Become acquainted with the leaders of the many diverse groups in the community and collaborate with them to increase parent, family and community involvement;

• Educate its leaders and members to the needs, cultural beliefs, traditions and family structures of the population they serve; and

• Propose change wherever discriminatory practices are perceived.”

District

Focusing on professional development, the plan is to roll out CRS classes for our teachers. Engaging in professional development centered on cultural responsiveness requires care and finesse as its rigor is on race and equity.  I have personally seen professional development go bad and some go really good. This is attributed to the conversations people have to endure. It’s uncomfortable. For example, some internalize the descriptors of what racism looks like and do not like being placed in the category as being racists. In another example, some may feel bitter and resentment to others in the audience. Because of controversial nature of this topic, I believe we should always begin with establishing norms. Caprice Hollis and Ilsa Govan, the authors of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (2015), provides strategies for facilitating conversations on race. Her theory aligns with the WEA CRS Framework as she addresses awareness, knowledge, skills, and advocacy as pillars of cultural competence. They lay out these necessary norms to engage in these conversations. “Norms are helpful for setting the tone, and letting participants know what to expect in themselves and of one another” (Hollis and Govan 2015). The following are the prescribed norms by Hollis and Govan,

·         Stay engaged

·         Speak your truth

·         No Fixing

·         Experience Discomfort

·         Take Risks

·         Listen for understanding

·         Expect and accept nonclosure

In the end, my takeaway from the two course I mentioned above is all stakeholders need to be aligned when building culturally responsive communities. Otherwise, everybody is tugging at different ends of our communities. It tears away at the fabric of our democratic society. Working together is the answer for progression to occur.

 

Resources

Cox, E. (2015) Coaching and Adult Learning: Theory and Practice.

Hollins, C. and Govan, I. (2015) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Strategies for Facilitating Conversations on Race. Lanham, MD

Hammond, Z., and Jackson, Y. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Knowles, M.S., Holton, E.F., and Swanson, R.A.,  (2015). The Adult Learner: The definitive classic adult education and human resource development.

Malik, M (2016). Assessment of a Professional Program on Adult Learning Theory.

"National PTA Inclusion Policy." PTA.org,  20 November 2017, https://www.pta.org/home/run-your-pta/Diversity-Inclusion-Toolkit/National-PTA-Diversity-and-Inclusion-Policy.

“OSPI Report Card.” K12.wa.us, 20 November 2017, http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?groupLevel=District&schoolId=2159&reportLevel=School&yrs=2010-11&year=2010-11.

Zepeda, S. J. (2012). Professional development: What works. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

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