Temecula Valley Unified School District Welcomes National Director of Equity

TEMECULA, Calif., March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) has been working to ensure that teachers, administrators, support staff, and students develop cultural proficiency for the past three years. "We are proud of the work our Cultural Proficiency Leadership Team has done to raise awareness and create a plan that involves all stakeholders," shared TVUSD Deputy Superintendent Jodi McClay.

In an effort to plan the 2019-2020 school year, the TVUSD Educational Support Services and Human Resources and Development divisions, under the leadership of McClay and Assistant Superintendent Ray Johnson, respectively, facilitated a two-year study with the district's Cultural Proficiency Leadership Team that resulted in the decision to bring in Generation Ready, a national group focused on cultural proficiency and awareness. "We have found that by building the capacity of a small group of dedicated individuals and then utilizing the team to 'grow' the work to others within the organization, is a model that provides more sustainability on any topic," added Deputy Superintendent McClay. So TVUSD created three cohorts comprised of teams from each of their 27 school sites to spend six days together expanding the work.

This month, the district had the pleasure of welcoming the National Director of Equity, Dr. Erick Witherspoon, as the facilitator for the training. "We are thrilled to be working with such an esteemed educator," shared McClay. "The teams have benefitted immensely from his guidance as they have addressed achievement gap issues and the Framework for Cultural Proficiency, which includes guiding principles, a continuum, essential elements, and common barriers," added McClay.

In addition to the cohort training, the district's comprehensive high schools are each hosting forums sponsored by their Black Student Unions and African American Parent Advisory Councils. This week, Great Oak High School hosted over 250 students from all three high schools. Deputy Superintendent McClay, who joined the session for the kick-off, shared "It was an amazing event addressing the power of language and labels with a focus on empowering students. Seeing students unite and work collaboratively from all sites to bring attention and awareness to this topic was validating that we are doing the right work." The event included student performances, guest speakers, and many collaborative activities. McClay went on to thank the staff from all three sites, Black Student Union members, and African American Parent Advisory Councils for their hard work and support of the events.

SOURCE TVUSD