TEAMS:
Restorative Practices Collaborative The RP Collaborative is a group of BSD professionals dedicated to narrowing the achievement gap for students and improving the culture within the District for students, teachers, and faculty through the use of intentional community and relationship-building restorative practices. The RP Collaborative provides the training, tools, support, and learning community required to produce meaningful outcomes related to improving students’ sense of belonging and success is school life, reducing out-of-school suspensions, and reducing absenteeism.
Restorative Practices Evaluation Team In partnership with the University of Vermont, the Evaluation Team guides process and outcome evaluation of the District’s RP work and assesses the fidelity of RP implementation. The Evaluation Team assists to implement an annual, District-wide survey, analyzes data at District and school levels, executes a timely return of data in accessible formats to school and community partners to inform RP training and implementation.
Youth and Family Engagement Team With support from Up for Learning who has partnered with BSD to build youth-adult partnership capacity, this team was founded as a team of action supported by a DCF grant that aims to reduce ethnic and racial disparities in suspensions and disciplinary practices at BSD. Made up of middle and high school youth, parents, school board commissioners and BSD staff, the team empowers all members of the community, especially the most vulnerable, and builds the capacity of students to participate as equal members of teams and committees with adults.
What we are working on….Fall 2023
- Anti-Racism Professional Learning for PreK-5 Teachers for SY 23-24
- Collaboration with Truss Leadership Collaborative on district wide antiracism initiatives
- Equity and Inclusion Annual Report & Restorative Climate Survey
- Establish Global Majority Student and Families Advocacy Group
- Host 4th Year of annual Virtual and In Person Community Equity Workshops
- Full roll out of the Restorative Code of Conduct district wide
- Collaboration with the Department of Teaching and Learning to provide supplemental “Spotlight on Equity” resources to correspond with ARC literacy program
- Design and provide post HHB Learning Pathways for students
- Training Staff on New Incident Systems
- Host Safety Team and HHB Team Meetings
- Ensuring HHB prevention is being taught to all students
- Provide resources for School Safety Week Sept 9-11
- Revive Restorative Practice Teams at all schools
- Convene monthly as the Restorative Practices Collaborative
- Ongoing equity support for administrators and district leadership teams
- Sponsor LGBTQ+ Staff Affinity Spaces
- Establish Youth Leadership Team with students from Racial Justice Academy
- Onboarding new Office of Equity student intern
- Support of Restorative Practice Specialists at 6 school sites
- Ongoing work of the Reducing Disparities in Suspensions grant through DCF
- Restorative climate support for schools through listening tours and professional workshops
- Provide monthly Equity Newsletters to BSD staff with updates and resources
- Work with School Board D E and I Committee on implementation of new Equity Policy
- Collaboration with community partners including the City of BTV Department of Racial Equity Inclusion and Belonging, the Vt Racial Justice Alliance, Burlington Community Justice Center, The VT Human Rights Commission, Vermont Equity Educators Collaborative, University of Vermont, Howard Center, Spectrum and more…
STATEMENT ON ANTI RACISM FROM BSD EQUITY OFFICE, Fall 2020
We are living in a historic moment of racial reckoning as we watch our country come to terms with its history and present while living within the dual pandemics of racism and Covid-19 and the disproportionate impact on BIPOC communities. As our nation grapples with anti-Black violence and the recent killings of Black people, we recognize that racism has persisted in our nation for centuries and we acknowledge the part that schools play in perpetuating institutional racism. We recognize there is much work to be done in our commitment to dismantling the systems of oppression within our practices, policies and procedures.
We at BSD strongly denounce racism in all its forms. We dedicate ourselves to examining our practices in order to eradicate systemic racism in our school community. We stand in solidarity with Black students, faculty and staff in condemning racial injustice. We believe Black Lives Matter and stand behind local nonviolent youth activism committed to Anti-racism.
On Tuesday, September 15 the Burlington School Board passed a resolution to hang the Black Lives Matter flag at all of our buildings. While this symbolic gesture is important, our solidarity must be backed with action. We have dedicated ourselves for this academic year to the following commitments:
- Fully implement Restorative Practices in all schools to create a more equitable behavioral response system to reduce suspensions and punitive disciplinary actions.
- Develop a plan to ensure our curriculum and teaching is culturally relevant, anti-racist, and holds high expectations for what all students know and are able to do.
- Create space for student and family voice in youth- and parent-led conversations about race and equity in our community.
- Implement a year-long race and equity training series for school and district leaders this school year.
- Raise the Black Lives Matter flag at each school and integrate studies into the curriculum
- Create healing Affinity Spaces for students and staff of color
- Conduct an Equity Audit to recognize, respond and redress existing inequities
- Set up an SRO Community Task Force to review the use of SROs in schools.
- Form community partnerships with the City of BTV and local organizations that promote Social Justice for all
- Offer a series of learning events including youth panels and Equity Conversations for the greater community
- Conduct a Race and Equity Tour with the Superintendent and city leaders to explore sites on the African-American Heritage Trail
Equity Conversations – The Equity Council was created in 2013 and was charged with creating a foundation and a framework to train teachers and others to facilitate courageous conversations about equity and inclusion in the classroom and with other adults in the district. From 2014-2017, staff members engaged in equity conversations on a monthly basis. In 2016 the Equity Council was reimagined as the Restorative Practices Collaborative with the goal of narrowing the achievement gap for students and improving the culture within the District for students, teachers, and faculty through the use of intentional community and relationship building restorative practices.
Below is just a sampling of some the Equity Conversations. Please contact equity@bsdvt.org if you would like access to more detailed information about any of these conversations.
EQUITY CONVERSATIONS TOPICS AND RESOURCES:
- Why Race? Introduction to Courageous Conversations
- The Power of Language https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary
- English Language Learners NEA English Language Learners Video
- White Privilege Unpacking the Invisible Backpack – Peggy McIntosh
- Rethinking Poverty Equity Literacy Principles for Educators of Students Experiencing Poverty
- Beads of Privilege The Beads of Privilege Activity
- Queer and Trans 101 http://www.outrightvt.org
- Evaluating-Children’s-Books-for-Bias-Criteria
- ADDITIONAL EQUITY CONVERSATIONS FROM THE ARCHIVES:
- Student Voice
- Tools for Confronting Racism and Micro-aggressions
- Discovering Our Own Biases
- Why Race? Going Deeper into Protocols
- The Importance of Names
- Cultural Proficiency: A Moral Imperative
- Looking at Data through an Equity Lens
- Colorblind or Colorbrave?
- Microaggression Themes: Derald Wing Sue
- NEWER EQUITY CONVERSATIONS!
- Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture – SURJ,White Supremacy Culture Checklist
- Equity Literacy – Equity Literacy for Educators: Definition and Abilities, Basic Principles for Equity Literacy– Paul Gorski
- Equitable Approaches to SEL When SEL is Used as Another Form of Policing
- Circle Up! Transforming Classrooms with Restorative Practices Circle Up! Transforming Classrooms with Restorative Practices Video
- The Anti-Racist Educator
- Intersections of PBIS and Restorative Practices
