Standard 3. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness

Effective educational leaders strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student’s academic success and well-being. Effective leaders: a) Ensure that each student is treated fairly, respectfully, and with an understanding of each student’s culture and context. b) Recognize, respect, and employ each student’s strengths, diversity, and culture as assets for teaching and learning. c) Ensure that each student has equitable access to effective teachers, learning opportunities, academic and social support, and other resources necessary for success. d) Develop student policies and address student misconduct in a positive, fair, and unbiased manner. e) Confront and alter institutional biases of student marginalization, deficit-based schooling, and low expectations associated with race, class, culture and language, gender and sexual orientation, and disability or special status. f) Promote the preparation of students to live productively in and contribute to the diverse cultural contexts of a global society. g) Act with cultural competence and responsiveness in their interactions, decision making, and practice. h) Address matters of equity and cultural responsiveness in all aspects of leadership.

GELS 3 activity: attend Autism Speaks Walk

Reflection

On Sunday, April 30^th, 2017, the Autism Speaks Walk was held at Turner Field. We came together as a KIPP WAYS Team & Family and walked in support of people living with autism. http://bit.ly/2pXYVLdLinks to an external site.

Attending the walk is a wonderful opportunity for families to come together and connect with other families and service providers to obtain support, ask questions and acquire valuable information on programs and services to help their children.

Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are the foundation for the non-profit organization, representing hundreds of thousands of volunteers in more than 100 cities across North America. Each Walk Now for Autism Speaks event is unique to its host city.

This picture on toked on the Autism Speaks Walk with Dr, singleton and her daughter, my husband Hadi and my daughters (Lamis, Tala, and Rose).

GELS 3 activity: discuss and reflect The Fire happened on I-85 in Atlanta GA and how it is Impacting the School Families and the Community

Reflection

During the school day, if the weather becomes a significant safety issue, district officials will consult with outside safety experts, Vision Transportation, schools and programs. Should a decision be made to have an early dismissal, the notification systems described above will be immediately implemented. Announcements normally are only made if a decision is made for a late start, early dismissal or closure.

An elevated section of northbound Interstate 85, a major north-south artery for the Southeast, collapsed Thursday evening in Atlanta after a massive fire, officials said.

All five lanes of the highway in each direction were blocked and will be closed for the foreseeable future, officials said.

That prospect sent shudders through metro Atlanta commuters, who already contend with heavy traffic. An estimated 250,000 vehicles drive daily through that stretch of I-85, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Fire is unpredictable disaster that can result in the loss of human lives, as well as in the physical destruction of homes, businesses, neighborhoods, livestock, and wildlife. In addition, fires may cause serious emotional distress to children and families.

The potential impact of a school fire on the wider community has increased, through the loss of facilities for local groups and possible major disruption to the other agencies, such as health and social services, which use school buildings. All this contributes to the wider cost of school fires, as does the impact on employment and income; for parents needing to take time off work to look after children, for non-teaching staff employed by the school and for local shops and businesses. Fires are a leading cause of unintentional injury deaths among children in the United States. Fire prevention strategies have been shown to reduce fire related injuries. Fire safety behavior among households improves with an in‐home fire prevention intervention.

The safety and security of any school district students and staff is of utmost importance. The district must have a comprehensive crisis plan and district administrators coordinate closely with city emergency management officials and law enforcement representatives to monitor and update plans on a regular basis.

In addition, schools must have well-established security measures to ensure the wellbeing of students and staff. These include: visitor check-in procedures, locked doors after the start of the school day, surveillance cameras, and many sites have school resource officer support. The parent or guardian should receive the most up-to-date information from their child’s school by ensure that every parent has the most accurate account of the emergency situation, parents must keep their contact information up to date in the student data system.

References

https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/lfw01/lfw01.pdfLinks to an external site.

http://fox59.com/2017/03/30/section-of-atlanta-highway-collapses-thursday-evening/Links to an external site.