Week of February 14th

UAI Staff News

Volume IX

Issue 23

February 14th, 2022

Centering POC Voice at UAI (A Guest post by Jean).  Kristina, Nakita and I met several times last week and we are in the process of restructuring our work in fostering an anti-racist and anti-biased school.

The mission statement for our committee has not changed and is as follows:

To establish and maintain a brave space, in order to confront and dismantle individual biases, foster connection and relationships, and begin to build an antiracist and fully inclusive school community, so that all students have equal opportunity to thrive.

To continue this work, we believe it is imperative to begin ABAR work by hearing from the voices that are impacted most at UAI- the POC staff.

Our committee’s first benchmark goal for the Spring Semester is to have POC voices as the focal point for our steps moving forward.

On Monday, we will be setting up small focus groups that will allow a brave space for staff to share their experience working at UAI and their vision on what/how a fully inclusive and anti-racist school would look."

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Thank you Jean for bravely stepping into the limelight of the blog to share your teams' work and plans!

I want to formally and publicly say thank you to the Circles Team. They have bravely stepped up to lead the critical work we need to do as a community to move our school towards realizing our goal of becoming an anti-racist and fully inclusive community. I thank Nakita, Jean, and Kristina for putting themselves out there this year to take the leadership risks! Your work has been critical to our own reflections and needs, and your ability to incorporate feedback for the best interest of our staff and students has done (and continues to do) amazing work for our community. I am awed by your bravery, persistence, and commitment to the work. Thank you!

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Here are the logistics

Please meet in your assigned rooms at 3PM. The committee created a series of prompts and activities to gather staff feedback, and in particular elevate input from staff who identify as POC.

• All the staff who identify as a POC will work with Nakita (rm 315) or Jean (Rm 515). I identify as a person of color, but I'm not joining those rooms on Monday. Both the committee and I agreed that having the principal in these spaces may not contribute to the sense of safety for all. So, I volunteered and the committee agreed that I not join the POC rooms. Instead, I will be supporting Kristina and the committee in room 415.
• All staff who do not identify as a POC will work with Kristina (rm 415).

• Room 315	Room 515	Room 415
  Nakita	Jean	Kristina
  Dai	Olympia	Claire	Jen
  Phillan	Adelle	Sarah M.	Sarah R
  Sallie	Judy	Elena	Kelly
  Martine	Christina	Sean	Matthew
  Denyea	Pauline	Kiri	Marni
  Cassandra	Jenetta	Jamie	Danielle
  Tiffany	Juelle	Tom	Alison
  Cherry	Aisha	Courtney	Rachel
  Damaris	Nina	Jake	Joey
  Jelissa	Elana	Annie	Rebecca
  Nicole	Jennifer	Shana	Freida
  Marsha		Laura	Brodie
  Leonela		Nica	Damon
  		Brenda-Marie	Liza

Important dates this week.  

• Wed 16FEB22:   BHM Virtual Speaker Series - UAI Welcomes Kimberly Lewis - M. Ed candidate in Human Development and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education 
• Thu 17FEB22:  BHM VIRTUAL Cinema Night Featuring THE WIZ
• Fri 18FEB22:  Rapid Dismissal at 2:30PM
• Mon 21FEB thru Fri 25FEB:  Mid Winter Recess NO SCHOOL

Committee Updates

Last Tuesday, members of all of the committees met to discuss how individual committee work moves our organization ahead in our goal in becoming an anti-racist and fully inclusive school.  Each committee agree to draft goals that are aligned to the Continuum on Becoming and Antiracist Institution.  In addition, committees will articulate clear benchmarks and metrics and dates by which to engage the entire staff in the work.  Here's where the committees are so far...

Scheduling Committee. Scheduling Committee met this week to draft goals and benchmarks aligning our work to the Continuum on Becoming an Antiracist School. You can track progress by following the agenda and notes.  Here are the draft goals, please do share your feedback with any member of the scheduling committee (Brodie, Marsha, Jelissa, Liza or Kiri):

• Incorporating Constituency Voices. By using focus groups with each constituency (Families/students/staff) at least once per quarter to give feedback and weigh in on decisions to move from where we are on the continuum to “Implements structures, policies and practices with inclusive decision making and other forms of power sharing on all levels of the institutions life and work: 

• Include Students/Families on the committee or somehow in the decision making - creating opportunities for Students/Families to help create the schedule at different points

• Share rationale of program parameters and limitations

• Concrete Goal:  At least 1 focus group with all constituencies per MP3 and MP4

• Connecting to larger organizations.  By looking at other school programs and/or connecting with programmers (or programming committees) at other schools, we can move from where we are to the continuum to “Actively working in larger communities (regional, national, global) to eliminate all forms of oppression [within our program] and to create multicultural organizations”.

• Concrete Goal:  Connect with at least 1 outside team and review at least 10 outside programs and at least  5 UAI historical program to help inform the program choices for this year.  (Members of the team will bring folks to the table) By Mid March
  
  

• Building Relationships & Trust.  Through these transparent processes and connections to the larger communities we will “Redefines and rebuild all relationships and activities in [our school community], based on anti-racist commitments.

• Concrete Goal - pull the Trust questions out of the LES Survey to use as metrics (need refine this one).  Survey on Satisfaction with the Schedule…(we could pull the satisfaction questions from the focus groups too - what would satisfy you about the program?) as Measured in June

The Hiring Committee.  The hiring committee had our first Hiring Fair on Saturday 12FEB22.  Our next fair is On March 12, 2022.  Please SHARE OUT THIS FLIER to anyone you know who may be looking for a job in teaching next year!  Here are the committee's draft goals 

• Diversity Staff Hires. Actively recruits and promotes members of groups have been historically denied access and opportunity
• By intentionally reaching out to organization for educators identifying as POC, the Hiring Committee will increase the number of folks identifying as POC in Round 1
• The committee will report results of each Hiring Fair and Demo Lessons in the subsequent Blog and will provide an indepth report of processes in April and in June.
• Inclusive and Interrogated Decision Making. Implements structures, policies and practices with inclusive decision making and other forms of power sharing on all levels of the institutions life and work
• By collaboratively interrogating decisions and actively raising up possible member biases around POC or conditions that may put folks identifying as a POC in Round 1 and in the Demo Lessons, the Hiring Committee will increase the percentage of POC being offered a position at UAI by Sept 22

Here are the results of this weekend's Hiring Fair. Jenetta, Phillan, Judy, Kelly, Sarah R, and Kiri conducted individual panels of 5 people with a total of 30 candidates. We cannot by law ask specific questions regarding race, religious belief, gender or sexual identification, etc. So, in our analysis of the % of folks who identify as a person of color, we are only counting those folks who self-identified (unprompted) during the interview. It certainly is not a perfect analysis so if folks have other ideas, please do share with a member on the committee!

Here are our Round 1 Results

• 30 total candidates:
• 11 self-identified as a POC, 19 did not
• 11 were promoted to do a Demo Lesson:
• 6 self-identified as a POC, 5 did not
• Here's the complete list

Equity Team.  Please see the meeting agenda and notes to review the highlights of our discussion.  Here are the draft goals for the Equity Team:

• Increasing commitment to dismantle racism and eliminate inherent white advantage (4)

• Concrete Goal: Restorative practices will begin to be used in response to misbehavior (deans will use conferencing protocols, students will repair harm done) by April 25

• Implements structures, policies and practices with inclusive decision making and other forms of power sharing on all levels of the institutions life and work (5), Commits to process of intentional institutional restructuring, based upon anti-racist analysis and identity (5)

• Concrete Goal: Complete draft discipline policy using restorative practices by May 15

• Concrete Goal: Equity team members will be trained in restorative justice by June 28 

• Actively recruits and promotes members of groups have been historically denied access and opportunity

• Concrete Goal: Students will create a youth leadership council led specifically by students to address disproportionality across UAI school systems and structures by engaging the full school community. Launch council meetings by April 11.

Circles Committee. See Opening Message from Jean

Consultation Committee.  Next meeting is on Thursday at 3PM in room 403.  See consultation committee notes.   Goals for this committee are still TBD

Instructional Leadership Team. Draft Goals are still TBD

Announcements

<<REPOST>> Monthly Meetings.  For the Spring Term, we will be moving all of our meetings to Mondays.  They will be the first and 2nd Monday of each month.  In place of ENL/SPED PD Mondays, we will continue our ABAR work and community building on the first Monday of the month.  In place of grade team attendance meetings (which is not being handled by out-of-classroom staff), we will 

• move these Tuesday Meetings from the 1st Tuesday to the 2nd Monday
• AND these Monday meetings will be a mix of ongoing ABAR work & community building and items as needed, including additional co-planning and/or outreach time.

All staff are required to be onsite on the first and 2nd Monday of each month from 3:00-4:10.  Please do not schedule any conflicting appointments during that time.

Teacher Flex Time.  As a reminder, I made our extended time on Monday and Tuesday, flexible in terms of where you work - NOT flexible in terms of IF you work.  You are still contractually responsible for professional development and outreach that would have occurred during that time.  You are allowed to use a flexible work location and time to achieve these same goals.  So, for example, you and your planning teams can choose to zoom meet or you could complete outreach calls from home.  But UFT Staff are still required to fulfill the PD (which has been converted to increased planning & prep tine this year) and outreach (which is academic outreach for your classes) that is contractually required.

To Do This Week

PAY ATTENTION TO THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHTS
This is the stuff that requires your attention AND it's stuff you need to do!

Take Skedula Attendance For ALL CLASSES.  Now that we are not asking advisors to make attendance outreach, we are heavily relying on all teachers to accurately take attendance IN SKEDULA.  Now that Skedula is back to working, please make sure that Skedula attendance is accurately reflected for each period.

Per Session Postings

Please complete THS PER SESSION INTEREST FORM and email Kiri to let her know that you are applying for a per session position.

• Special Education & ENL Team Meeting.  All ENL and SPED co-teachers are invited to meet weekly with fellow SPED/ENL teachers on Tuesdays at 3PM to develop their capacity to support ENL and SPED students and to then turnkey those skills to their co-planning partners in their co-planning classes and meetings.  1 hours per week per session for the remainder of the school year.  Please complete the per session interest form and email Kiri by 07MAR22.
  
  
• Per Session Opportunity - Women's History Month Planning
  March is Women's History Month and historically UAI has celebrated with a host of different events promoting career exploration, health and well-being and college readiness.
  The Culture Committee is looking for staff to help with this important and FUN work by creating opportunities for our students, staff and families via planning lessons, hosting speaker series opportunities and/or creating fun and engaging in-day or after school (virtual or in-person) events.
  
  
  Up to 4 hours of per session for the planning and execution.
  
  
  Please email Jen with your interest Deadline to apply is 2/28