Additional settings for Safari Browser.
Student Equity
Equity Mission
Our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts aspire to create a culture where every student experiences learning and belonging as a result of equitable access to opportunities, resources, and support. We aim to foster a more just and equitable society by empowering students and staff to recognize and challenge injustice in our communities. Through education, advocacy, and allyship, we aim to ensure all students and staff will thrive regardless of background or identity.
- We encourage our schools to enact this mission by:
- Developing an mindset that equity is everyone's work
- Developing educators capacity for equity minded instruction
- Informing curricula with an anti-bias lens
- Fostering student centered learning environments
- Promoting and celebrating cultural diversity
- Redefining accountability and addressing bias
- Recruiting a diverse workforce
- Ensuring caregiver engagement
- Creating inclusive environments
Equity Resources
-
Strategic Planning Tool
This document outlines the Windham Central Supervisory Union's (WCSU) District Equity Policy, adopted on April 26, 2023.
-
WCSU Best Practices for Anti-Bais
This document, "WCSU Best Practices for Anti-Bias and Culturally Responsive Holiday Engagement," outlines guidelines for schools to approach holidays in an inclusive and equitable manner, reflecting the diverse experiences of students, families, and communities.
LGBTQ Resources
- GLSEN website an organization working to ensure that every member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
- Outright VT an organization that is building a Vermont where LGBTQ+ youth have hope, equity, and power!
- GLAAD (glaad website) – A media advocacy organization working to ensure accurate representation of LGBT+ people.
- The Trevor Project (thetrevorproject website) – A crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youth.
- PFLAG (pflag.org) – Offers support to parents, families, and friends of LGBT+ individuals.
- Human Rights Campaign (HRC) (hrc website) – Provides educational resources and advocates for LGBTQ rights.
- Stonewall (stonewall website) – A UK-based charity that provides support and advocacy for the LGBT+ community.
Israel/Palestine Conflict
- Teaching, discussing, restorative circles, & historical background of Israel/Gaza/Palestine
- Talking about Anti-Semetism
- Podcast Resources for early education (P-2)
- National Council for Safe and Supportive Learning Environments
- Supporting Muslim Students
- Supporting Jewish Students
- Supporting Arab Students
- Discussing Israel-Palestine Conflict in the Classroom
- Jewish Family and Children's Services: Call 781-693-5562 for free and confidential advice, referrals to therapists (including Hebrew-speaking), and support groups.
- Naseeha: Naseeha is a confidential, anonymous youth helpline for Muslim Youth in Canada and the United States. You can reach their trained counselors over the phone or chat with them on their website: 1-866-NASEEHA (627-3342)
Equity FAQ
-
Equity Work is a proactive effort to make sure all students and staff feel safe and included in our schools regardless of identity and background.
-
Absolutely! Proximity does not equal awareness. One of the goals of education is to help build students’ Cultural competence, which is their ability to interact with all humans globally. Engaging in Equity work is one way to build this competency. Equity work benefits everyone. Things shouldn't have to affect you personally in order to extend compassion and care.
-
Equity work at every age is very important! Research shows that children have formed biases by age 3. Our efforts can go toward anti-bias work with our youngest learners. Using books is a great way to do this! Click this link to start a conversation about race with your elementary or primary age student using age appropriate picture books.
-
WCSU has an Equity Coordinator and Building Equity Representatives in each school. There is also an Equity Team! This structure steers Equity work for the WCSU including helping to decide which initiatives to bring forward, helping make sure that students are involved every step of the way, and engaging staff in equity learning and feedback.
-
Right now, the Equity Team is engaging in Anti-Racism Work. Click here for a link to a cross-generational text about Anti-Racism to learn more.
-
The Equity Team is a cross-generational and cross-functional team that supports equity across WCSU. The team members learn new skills, review policies and procedures, and engage in activism. The team meets monthly and members include students, teachers, administrators, board members, parents, and central office.
-
Please email equityinfo@windhamcentral.org to find out ways to get involved, set up a time to chat with the Equity Coordinator, or for more resources on a specific topic!
Policy and Vermont Equity Information
Equity Team
 (2)_1754546998.png)
The Equity Team
The Equity Team is a cross generational team that includes diverse perspectives.
- The team acts as an advisory committee to Inform Equity work and leadership at WCSU
- The team acts as a body to amplify student voice for student centered decision making
- Members Interrogate their own thoughts, beliefs, and experiences
- Members listen to many perspectives and voices
- Members collect and analyze data
- Each school has a Building Equity Representative that leads new learning and acts as an equity contact for their school!
Contact the Equity Coordinator at equityinfo@windhamcentral.org for more information or to get involved.
-
Equity, Joy, & Justice WCSU
This proposal from the CES Joy & Justice Team outlines a partnership with Windham Central Supervisory Union to advance equity and justice.
-
Parent Acknowledge Form
This form, is for a caregiver or family member to acknowledge a student's participation in the Equity Team.
Equity Partners
WCSU partners with many justice programs across the north east. These programs are part of development and implementation processes to support and sustain justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work.
_1754546939.jpg)
_1754546939.png)
Common Terms
-
The ABC's of Social Justice
This document, is a glossary of working language for socially conscious conversations. It aims to provide a starting point for understanding terms related to social justice, diversity, and allyship.
-
Equity vs. Equality:
- Equity refers to fairness and providing every student with the necessary resources based on their individual needs.
- Equality means providing every student with the same resources, regardless of their individual circumstances.
Achievement Gap: The disparity in academic performance between groups of students, often categorized by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or gender.
Opportunity Gap: The unequal or inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities, such as access to advanced coursework, experienced teachers, and extracurricular activities.
Cultural Competence: The ability of educators to understand, appreciate, and interact with students from cultures or belief systems different from their own.
Implicit Bias: The unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect an educator's understanding, actions, and decisions in an instructional setting.
Inclusive Education: An educational approach where all students, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, learn together in the same age-appropriate classroom.
Restorative Practices: Approaches to discipline that focus on repairing harm and restoring relationships, rather than punitive measures.
Differentiated Instruction: Tailoring teaching methods and materials to meet the diverse needs of students.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A framework for designing educational environments that enable all learners to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning.
Socioeconomic Status (SES): A combined measure of an individual's economic and sociological standing, often based on income, education, and occupation.
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Teaching practices that recognize and incorporate students' cultural backgrounds into the curriculum and learning environment.
Access and Inclusion: Ensuring that all students have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of educational life, including extracurricular activities, advanced courses, and gifted programs.
Microaggressions: Everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to individuals based on their marginalized group membership.
Trauma-Informed Education: An approach to teaching that recognizes the presence of trauma in students' lives and adapts educational practices to support their emotional and academic needs.
Linguistic Diversity: Recognition and support for students who speak languages other than English at home, including bilingual education and English language learning programs
LGBTQ+: An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and others. The "+" includes other sexual orientations and gender identities that are not explicitly mentioned in the acronym.
Gender Identity: A person's deeply-felt internal experience of gender, which may be different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Sexual Orientation: A person's emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to others. Common orientations include heterosexual, homosexual (gay or lesbian), bisexual, and asexual.
Gender Expression: The external manifestation of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut, or voice, which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.
Transgender (Trans): An umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Cisgender (Cis): A term for people whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.
Nonbinary: A gender identity that doesn't fit within the traditional binary of male and female. Other related terms include genderqueer, genderfluid, and agender.
Queer: A term used by some people to describe a sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression that does not conform to societal norms. It has been reclaimed by some in the LGBTQ+ community as a positive and inclusive term.
Pronouns: Words used to refer to people that often relate to their gender identity, such as he/him, she/her, and they/them. It's important to use the pronouns that a person identifies with.
Coming Out: The process of revealing one's LGBTQ+ identity to others. It can be a gradual or sudden process and can happen at any stage in a person's life.
Ally: A person who supports and stands up for the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people.
Safe Space: An environment in which LGBTQ+ students can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment, or any other emotional or physical harm.
GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance or Gay-Straight Alliance): A student-led organization that aims to create a safe and welcoming school environment for LGBTQ+ students and their allies.
Intersectionality: The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
Two-Spirit: A term used by some Indigenous cultures in North America to describe a person who embodies qualities of both masculine and feminine genders.
Deadnaming: The act of referring to a transgender person by the name were given at birth.
Disability: A physical or mental condition that significantly limits one or more major life activities. Disabilities can be congenital (present at birth) or acquired (developed later in life).
Ability: The possession of the means or skill to do something. In the context of disabilities, it often refers to the strengths and capacities that individuals have, regardless of their disabilities.
Impairment: A loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function. An impairment may or may not result in a disability.
Functional Limitation: A restriction in the ability to perform an activity or task in a typical manner. This can be due to an impairment or a disability.
Belonging: Belonging refers to the feeling of being accepted, valued, and included within a group, community, or environment. It encompasses a sense of connection and identity with the people and surroundings, making individuals feel secure, supported, and recognized as integral members.