"A Passion for Equity"

On March 28, 2005, staff members from schools in the Sheldon Region met at Sheldon High School for a day of training, reflection, and planning regarding the topic of equity and achievement. Subtitled "Engaging the Personal and Professional Journey," most of the workshop was dedicated to the application of learning presented by Gary R. Howard in the morning session. Gary Howard is the founder and president of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in Seattle.

Sheldon Region staff members pick up their name tags and workshop materials.	Dr. Bob Bolden, Sheldon principal, welcomes Gary Howard to the region.	Gary explains that the workshop is all about school improvement for all in order to close the achievement gap.
The Cultural Bingo game is one way to raise your awareness of cultural differences. [Permission for use in Eugene 4J School District only.]	Phases of the work include: Tone and Trust Personal culture & personal journey From social dominance to social justice Classroom implications & applications Systemic transformation & planning for change	Cultural competence is both a personal and a professional journey. Students make their own journey to equity. What are the kinds of things we do that create the kinds of classroom, work, & community environments that make a difference? [Permission for use in Eugene 4J School District only.]
Sheldon staff members ponder aspects of the culturally responsive classroom, reflecting on how that applies at their school.	[Permission for use in Eugene 4J School District only.	Staff members from Bertha Holt Elementary School examine doorways (things that facilitate student growth toward cultural competence) and barriers (things that get in the way)
Staff members were invited to do their own "I Am From..." poem, based on the places, products, food, people, common things, pictures, events, phrases, smells, sounds, sights, and ouches in their lives.	Then after hearing a sample of student "I Am From..." poems, they shared their own with the group.	Participants learned a lot about each other, and pondered how life experiences impact their own students and their inclusion and success in our schools
After presenting the 7 principles of a culturally responsive teaching, classroom, community, Gary helps staff members examine application in depth.	Dr. Bob gets an opportunity to query Gary on some issues he sees locally, and getting Gary's take on it in the bigger picture.	What would each of the principles look like in action? What would it take to make that happen?
The workshop included a detailed look at each principle in various settings. [Permission for use in Eugene 4J School District only.]	Gary poses the questions: what are the implications for our work related to equity and eliminating the achievment gap? What would it take for all of us to be able to move forward together on this line?	Personal growth, professional development , and team response planning all follow the same format. [Permission for use in Eugene 4J School District only.]