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School of Education

Objectives, outcomes & actions

Improving Climate through the Lens of Justice & Equity (2019-Present Focus)

Workplace climate

Outcome Action Step(s)/Current Status
Develop and propose SOE meeting norms and structure, providing more connection activities and highlights.

Fall 2021 kickoff SOE meeting:

  • Norm setting
  • Warm-up connection activity

Future SOE meetings:

  • Additional connection activities
  • Highlight member accomplishments
Establish a visual communication flowchart and identify/revise communication procedures In process

Provided information on support structures to address conflicts and disagreements within SOE, including:

  • Sharing information on current practices/policies
  • Encouraging senior SOE faculty/staff to reinforce & support these structures and junior faculty/staff
  • Explore collaboration with HR/AAO to ensure accountability for recommended strategies

Crucial Conversation Trainings - supported by SOE Dean budget: 

  • 12 faculty/staff attended August 2021 1.5 day training
  • Additional trainings planned for Fall/Winter

Affirmative Action Officer Dina Zavala presented at Feb. 5, 2021 SOE meeting
Develop a more inclusive mission and vision statement; revisit and update on a regular basis. Planned time allocated in 2021-22 SOE meetings
Outcome Action Step(s)/Current Status
Clarify and determine improvements to how School of Education Leadership (SOEL) team functions to increase transparency for decision-making

Fall 2021:

  • SOEL will develop bylaws that including scope and membership/representation
  • Clarify and articulate roles and responsibilities of SOEL
  • Consider how staff are represented in SOE 

Examine decision-making procedures at each unit level (e.g., content area/department, program/certification range, upper-level administration, etc.)

Examine existing language for program director positions (roles and responsibilities)

September 2021 SOEL meeting: Program directors will develop prompts for the review of:

  • program director position description,
  • program director evaluation tools, and
  • group decision-making norms. 

October 2021 SOE meeting: PLC groups will discuss and respond to prompts

November-December 2021: Review of data
Outcome Action Step(s)/Current Status
Allot time connected to or integrated in SOE meetings to address an equity-related topic and provide opportunities to engage in equity trainings.

PD at SOE meetings: In progress.

  • Spring 2021: presentations on Mental Health (UWL CTC Director Gretchen Reinders), Affirmative Action (Dina Zavala), Curriculum Learning Network (Gerardo Aponte-Safe, Yuko Iwai, Jenni McCool), Reflections on Black Lives Matter at School and our Responses to Community Activism (Gerardo Aponte-Safe, Matt McMarker, Hanadi Shatara)
  • Future topics of interest for 2021-22: responding to microaggressions, bullying, harassment (AA/HR),  trauma-informed care, mental health equity. 
  • Continue to seek suggestions for topics and presenters

Equity Trainings: trainings identified by faculty and supported by SOE funds

Crucial Conversations Training - 1.5-day training (also listed above):

  • July 28-29, 2021: 12 participants
  • Additional trainings planned F21

Antiracist Pedagogy Across the Curriculum (ARPAC) Training - 5-day intensive training:

  • Aug. 16-19, 2021:  15 SOE participants + 5 UWL/community partners
  • Additional trainings anticipated 2021-22 

Provide ongoing structured professional development related to effective ways to establish and maintain productive working groups. Engage in collective readings of books, texts, and media that promote social justice perspectives and conversations.

Based on a faculty interest survey, books were purchased and distributed in Summer, 2021 - 23 SOE members are engaging in small group SOE discussions of the following:

  • We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom (2019) - Bettina Love
  • Courageous Conversations about Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools (2014) - Glenn E. Singleton
  • Not Light, but Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom (2018) - Matthew Kay

Develop/explore funding resources for UWL SOE faculty/staff to attend equity-related training, with the expectation they will “share out” at an SOE meeting.

SOE deans office has allocated resources.

Fall 2021: Appropriate workgroup will develop an RFP for faculty to request funds.

Prepare and distribute an informative product (e.g., summary, infographic) summarizing what factors impact workplace climate and how climate affects well-being, productivity, and feelings of belonging among key stakeholders.

Re-visit our definition and understanding of equity and social justice on a regular basis

 

Work to begin Fall 2021.
Outcome Action Step(s)/Current Status
Charge all standing SOE committees with developing equity-minded bylaw language for their committee work (clear process for decision making). This information will then be added to the SOE website.

Work to begin Fall 2021 as charges to SOE committees (TCPR, EPC Mentoring, Strategic Planning Executive Committee, SOEL)

Draft language will be shared with Action Team: December 1.

Action Team will provide feedback to each committee prior to January SOE retreat.

Each SOE committee will present their final drafted language to the SOE membership at the January SOE retreat.

Language to be finalized and posted on the SOE website: March 1, 2022.
Identify policies and procedures that negatively impact SoE climate.

Fall 2021 Action Team: Will seek feedback from the SOE membership about policies or procedures that could be modified to better support their work.