How to Go Beyond Performative When Celebrating Culture
The Kentucky Department of Education's (KDE's) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Division has created a resource that will offer school communities ways to celebrate different themes each month. You can use this resource to recognize and affirm the cultural backgrounds of all students and to celebrate different monthly themes that may resonate with your school community.
February Connections Calendar
"In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute."
-Thurgood Marshall, first African American on the U.S. Supreme Court
You can celebrate the theme of the month by:
- Supporting Local Businesses
- Reading Articles
- Watching YouTube Videos
- Watching Documentaries
- Visiting Museums
- Listening to Podcasts
If you come up with a weekly activity you like better than the examples, share your idea with your team; others may resonate with your idea as well.
FEBRUARY THEMES:
- Black History Month
- Career and Technical Education Month
- International Boost Self-Esteem Month
MONTH GOAL: Bring in an artifact related to the month's themes that has significance to you, your family, your travels and/or your learnings and share with your team.
EXAMPLES:
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Example 1: Support a Black-owned restaurant or business and make a recommendation to your team.
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Example 2: Read about an African American historical or living leader that you know little about. Share one learning and/or a short article/reading with a colleague by the end of the week. EXPAND: Learn about an African American historical or living leader from Kentucky.
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Example 3: Learn more about the Office of Career and Technical Education’s programs and initiatives. Reach out with questions or ways you can support their work. Share your answer to this question with a colleague: If you could go back in time, what career field or technical education pathway would you explore further? EXPAND: Learn about an African American leader who contributed to the field you shared with your college and share about this person with your team.
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Example 4: Learn about symptoms of low self-esteem and ways to boost self-esteem and peer confidence for students and adults. Share with your team. EXPAND: Learn more about asset-based language and this language’s impacts on self-esteem.
HELPFUL LINKS:
The provided links are for informational purposes only. All resources must meet or be adapted to meet Kentucky’s regulations and laws including Senate Bill 150 (2023). Neither the Kentucky Department of Education nor its employees endorse, recommend or favor these links or the individuals or organizations that created them over others. Leaders should carefully review links before using them because they are best positioned to make decisions about what is most appropriate for their context.
Sources:
Jesuit Resource. (n.d.). Black History Month Quotes. Xavier University Center for Mission and Identity. https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/quote-archive1/black-history-month-quotes.
National Educational and Health Awareness Dates: 2023-2024 Calendar. American School Counselor Association. (n.d.). https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/dd5fdee1-e207-4178-ab42-0c8cfaae9f31/awareness-calendar.pdf.
The links listed on this document are for informational purposes only. All resources must meet or be adapted to meet Kentucky’s regulations and laws including Senate Bill 150 (2023). Neither the Kentucky Department of Education nor its employees endorse, recommend or favor these links or the individuals or organizations that created them over others. Leaders should carefully review links before using them because they are best positioned to make decisions about what is most appropriate for their context.
New Tool for Educator Wellbeing from KDE's DEIB Division
The DEIB Division has a new tool for educators. The new tool titled, "Educator Wellbeing: 10 Wins for School Leaders," connects principal standards to "quick hit strategies and structures school leaders can use to create an environment that supports well-being for educators."
Culturally Sustaining PLCs? Yes, Please!
KDE's DEIB Division has created a new tool, titled "Culturally Sustaining/Responsive PLCs," that helps Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) ensure they are planning units/lessons that are culturally sustaining and responsive.
I Want to Host a Book Study Centered on DEIB. Where Do I Start?
Our division has completed several book studies that have really inspired us. Book studies are a great way to create psychologically safe spaces that are inclusive and allow your staff to connect. They also help us grow while digging deep into the content.
These are five book studies our division has completed:
"Conscious Classrooms: Using Diverse Texts for Inclusion, Equity and Justice Professional Development Book" by Allison Briceño, Ed.D. and Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica, Ph.D. "Conscious Classrooms" helps “teachers learn how to authentically include different voices and experiences in the classroom.
Highlights include:
- Tools for auditing read-aloud texts, classroom libraries, and curricula
- Sample book lists and ideas for acquiring diverse texts on a tight budget
- Checklists and tips to determine if a book has questionable content
- Research and instructional frameworks for diversity, equity, and inclusion” (Briceño & Rodriguez-Mojica, 2022).
"Street Data" by Shane Safir and Jamila Dugan
Learn to expand your focus from standardized test scores and “‘fixing’ and ‘filling’ academic gaps” to focus on student and educator voice, diagnosing root causes, transforming learning, and reshaping adult culture.
Learn about an asset-based model to data by learning about what street data is, how to gather it, and how it “can complement other forms of data to guide a school or district’s equity journey” (Safir & Dugan, 2021).
"The Energy Bus" by Jon Gordon
“...The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals 10 secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment - at work and at home.
"Everyone faces challenges. And every person, organization, company and team will have to overcome negativity and adversity to define themselves and create their success…Gordon infuses this engaging story with keen insights, actionable strategies and a big dose of positive infectious energy…” (Gordon, 2007).
"iGen" by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D.
Read to learn about “why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy–and completely unprepared for adulthood and what that means for the rest of us” (Twenge, 2018).
“Drawing from nationally representative surveys of 11 million young people as well as in-depth interviews, "iGen" is the first book to document the cultural changes shaping today’s teens and young adults, documenting how their changed world has impacted their attitudes, worldviews and mental health” (Twenge, 2018).
"Coaching for Equity" by Elena Aguilar
“If we are going to interrupt educational inequities and create schools in which every child thrives, we must refine our conversation skills. "Coaching for Equity" offers extensive strategies…which lead to changes in a teacher’s practice.
This book is for teachers, leaders and coaches who accept responsibility for interrupting inequities in schools and who want to build the knowledge and skills to coach for equity” (Aguilar, 2020).
About these Books:
The books listed above are for informational purposes only. All resources must meet or be adapted to meet Kentucky’s regulations and laws. Neither the Kentucky Department of Education nor its employees endorse, recommend or favor these resources or the individuals or organizations that created them over others. Leaders should carefully review the resources before using them because they are best positioned to make decisions about what is most appropriate for their context.
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