An item from a K-12 blended learning organization.

This week, we presented at the MASS Summer Executive Institute with our Norwood partners

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Join the conversation as we partner with communities to design and implement culturally responsive school change.

In This Week’s Issue

• Presenting the session “A Districtwide Model Centering Instructional Equity” at the MASS Summer Executive Institute this week
• New summer recommendation series from the Highlander Institute team, launching with a feature from Stephanie Garcia

Margo Fraczek (Coakley MS Principal), Alec Wyeth (Norwood Assistant Superintendent), & Malika Ali (Highlander Institute Chief Innovation Officer) prepare to present at the M.A.S.S. Summer Executive Institute on July 13, 2022

A Districtwide Model Centering Instructional Equity

This week, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents held their Summer Executive Institute at Mashpee High School. Our Chief Innovation Officer Malika was proud to present alongside leaders from Norwood Public Schools, including Coakley Middle School principal, Margo Fraczek and Assistant Superintendent, Alec Wyeth.

During our session, we shared the district and school level context that brought about our partnership and the intentional programming we’ve established in alignment to their district strategic plan. We also showcased the design of districtwide professional learning structures, highlights from classroom level strategy implementation, and next steps to deepen the work across the district in the 2022-2023 school year ahead.

Superintendents and other leaders from all over Massachusetts reflected on connections to statewide priorities, applications to their local contexts, and implications for improving experiences and outcomes for all of our students.

Thank you to the M.A.S.S. conference team for organizing this successful event and for inspiring attendees with the theme: Promoting Equity, Wellness, Academic Achievement and a Culture of Care for All. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share our work as presenters!

What We’re Reading

Throughout the summer, our team members will be making appearances in our newsletter to feature resources and food for thought. This may take the form of events, articles, books, podcast episodes, and more. This week, Stephanie Garcia from our coaching team recommends checking out: “Really Listening to Students Has an Academic Payoff, New Research Finds”.

From Stephanie: This article prompted me to reflect on my own experience as a student. I was fortunate to have a teacher in high school who truly listened to me and who noticed and nurtured my passions. This acknowledgment showed me that I did have the ability and strength to be more than what the status quo told me I could be.

In addition, I’m thinking about a 7th grade classroom where I work as a coach. I witnessed a moment at the end of this school year where a student raised his hand to ask the teacher for advice. The student knew that his vulnerability would be met by the teacher with active listening and responsiveness. Based on these strong relationships, he and his classmates became even more engaged in the classroom experience and as the article points out, I believe academic gains will build on this foundation.

For More Connections: Learn about our approach to inclusive change management in our blog post “Why We Need Students on School Improvement Teams”.

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