Ossining Schools Continue Mission to Ensure Equity for All

As the Ossining Equity Committee prepares for its fifth year of working to dismantle inequity within the school district, Superintendent Raymond Sanchez and other administrators recently gave the Board of Education a roadmap of actions they will take in upcoming months.

The committee defines equity as ensuring that all students have what they need to experience their own success, experience joy in learning, and see themselves reflected in their educators and the content of what they learn. It also means having schools where children of all races, ethnicities, languages, cultures, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, religions and socio-economic statuses can be themselves and thrive.

Dr. Sanchez said the Ossining district and community have worked hard to combat inequity – from calling for school redistricting in 1979 and narrowing the achievement gap to creating the Equity Committee in 2016. The committee’s work has expanded each year, from curriculum and library audits and teacher training to developing subcommittees at each school and engaging student leaders in the process. Ossining works with New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools.

“Even with these concerted efforts, we still face inequality within our schools,” Dr. Sanchez said. “We know we can improve, and I assure you that we will improve. The ‘teachable moment’ has passed. The actionable moment is upon us.”

The Equity Committee will focus on five key areas for the 2020-21 school year:

• Climate consciousness: Monitoring and understanding school climate by continuing to use the Panorama School Climate Survey for students and staff; elevating the use of focus groups and affinity groups (for people with similar lived experiences); and revising the Code of Conduct through an equity lens to reflect the disciplinary philosophy of restorative practices over suspension when possible.
• Communication: Communicating regularly and effectively about equity. This includes strengthening community partnerships to reach all families; publishing a bilingual school calendar (to be posted online when the status of school events is determined); and providing ongoing support for families through online resources.
• Culturally Responsive Curriculum: Continuing to develop a representative and responsive curriculum that meets the needs of students and supports teachers’ use of anti-bias, anti-racist and anti-oppressive pedagogy. Culturally responsive education advances equity and social justice by centering and valuing students’ cultures and identities; using rigorous and relevant curriculum; employing anti-oppressive teaching; building strong relationships among students, family and staff; and supporting students in developing the knowledge, skills and vision to transform the world.
• Data: Ensure that local data collection systems communicate with one another to enhance the district’s ability to identify disparities; regularly evaluate various forms of student data; and address the narratives behind the data. The district will make quarterly presentations on its findings to the Board of Education.
• Racial Literacy Professional Development: Provide professional development for all staff members on developing an equity lens to identify and address the impact of race and bias throughout the district. The district will also offer social-emotional learning training on developing trauma-sensitive schools and using restorative circles to build and heal relationships. Social-emotional learning incorporates discussions on race.

Carrieann Sipos, director of elementary teaching and learning, said that educators, families and students will work together in August to create a framework for culturally responsive teaching. District leaders will propose a comprehensive plan by June 2021. She underscored that it will encompass all teaching and classes, from English language arts to science to physical education.

Ossining is doing a lot of work on its curriculum this summer. That includes ordering a large, diverse selection of books; conducting districtwide training on restorative circles; and providing online learning for staff on racial literacy. Building-level equity teams are planning professional learning for 2020-21. In June, Ossining’s elementary schools hosted a Town Hall on Race for students and families. The summer “Ossining Loves to Read” campaign is framed around equity.

Dr. Sanchez discussed the district’s efforts to recruit a diverse staff that more fully reflects the student body. Ossining helped organize the inaugural Lower Hudson Council of School Personnel Administrators Diversity Fair earlier this year and hired three educators who attended.

The district wants to create a Teacher Prep Academy program at Ossining High School to encourage students to enter the teaching profession and return to Ossining to teach. “We know and acknowledge that there is more work to be done,” Dr. Sanchez said.

Ossining has expanded students’ input into and involvement in equity work over the years. High school and middle school students have led sessions with educators, support staff and students, including a “talk back” series on the N-word. OHS and Anne M. Dorner Middle School have student equity leaders, and the district is considering setting up equity teams at Roosevelt and Claremont schools.

AMD student leader Lena Sealey-Nicotra said the school’s team members learned early on in their meetings the difference between equality (all students get the same thing) and equity (students get the resources they need to be successful and are all on a level playing field).

“Throughout my two years on the AMD Equity Team, I have realized that keeping an equitable environment is much harder than keeping an equal one because you have to cater to everyone’s individual needs,” said Lena, a rising ninth-grader. “However, it’s a smarter way to function because it works for everybody.”