Kudos
- Custodian Appreciation Day!!! I am so sorry we did not have something ready for Friday, October 2, but it is better late than never! Thank you to all of our custodial support throughout the school district! Our staff is amazing, responsive, and always looking through the lens to support our students and staff - thank you all!!!
- Also, please welcome James Ferrel to Karcher and Waller School. James is coming to us as the new building engineer for both buildings and will be starting on Tuesday, October 6th! James formally worked as the Racine County Prison building engineer prior to accepting the position with BASD. Welcome to BASD James!!! Though this team may not see James as much this year it is always nice to know who the new building engineer is! Josh Oldenberg took over being the head of outside buildings and grounds.
- Congrats to Kris Thomsen who applied for the Waller health aide position and accepted the position! Kris will be staying at Karcher until the end of October until Pam Bauer is able to return to Karcher. As you know, Pam Bauer is at the high school covering Linda Londre until she is able to return. To help Waller with coverage until Pam is able to return so that Kris can then start at Waller - Kelly Maloney will be covering the health office at Waller with coverage then for Kelly. Though this does not impact 7-8, minus Kris moving to Waller, this really does show the team work, outside of the box thinking, and need to use people differently than we ever have before!
- Kris, as you know has been with the Karcher team for a LONG time. She will be missed for sure! Kris didn't realize she would like the health office until given this opportunity to assist at Karcher! Please reach out to Kris to congratulate her on her new position!
Article: Here are the other 3 myths from the same article last week!
6 Myths About Educational Inequity
We break down six common misconceptions for those beginning to learn about educational inequity and the importance of all children having access to an excellent education.
Myth 4: “All Students Should Receive the Same Educational Resources”
There is a reason we use the word “equity” and not “equality.” They may sound the same, but they are different concepts.
Equality implies that everyone is treated the same and that all students are given the same support, same curriculum, same resources, and same funding to succeed. This sounds fair in theory. However, this mindset fails to take into account disparities caused by centuries of oppression and discrimination, and the toll they take on even our youngest learners. Equal treatment is not fair treatment when students from historically marginalized communities face systemic barriers that do not disappear at the classroom door.
By contrast, an approach based on equity aims to ensure that where you were born, your parents’ income, or the color of your skin does not predict whether you will succeed in school. This focus on equitable outcomes determines the resources students receive, instead of allocating the same supports and opportunities for each student in the hopes that they will result in fair outcomes.
Simply put, while equality focuses on leveling the playing field, equity focuses on giving every player a fair chance of succeeding on that playing field.
There is a reason we use the word “equity” and not “equality.” They may sound the same, but they are different concepts.
Equality implies that everyone is treated the same and that all students are given the same support, same curriculum, same resources, and same funding to succeed. This sounds fair in theory. However, this mindset fails to take into account disparities caused by centuries of oppression and discrimination, and the toll they take on even our youngest learners. Equal treatment is not fair treatment when students from historically marginalized communities face systemic barriers that do not disappear at the classroom door.
By contrast, an approach based on equity aims to ensure that where you were born, your parents’ income, or the color of your skin does not predict whether you will succeed in school. This focus on equitable outcomes determines the resources students receive, instead of allocating the same supports and opportunities for each student in the hopes that they will result in fair outcomes.
Simply put, while equality focuses on leveling the playing field, equity focuses on giving every player a fair chance of succeeding on that playing field.
Myth 5: “Solving Educational Inequity Will by Itself Fix Other Societal Disparities”
Low-income children and children of color--and their families--are disproportionately affected by many societal problems, including economic inequality, food insecurity, high rates of incarceration, lack of access to health care and affordable housing, fewer jobs that provide a living wage, and the rapidly shrinking path to the middle class.
Educational inequity sits at the intersection of so many of those issues, but fixing educational inequity alone is not enough. Solving educational inequity will not in and of itself provide all children with the opportunities they need to succeed. These problems have consequences that deeply affect a child’s ability to be successful inside and outside the classroom and that prevent the sort of social mobility needed to break generational cycles of poverty.
On the other hand, we cannot solve so many of these other issues—including providing that mobility for students from historically marginalized communities—without improving our current education system, because an excellent education is key to college attainment, competitive career options, and greater opportunities later in life. And the students in our classrooms today can’t wait.
Although an excellent education alone cannot solve all these injustices, it’s clear that in order to create a fair system that gives all students the chance to succeed and thrive, we have to pursue educational equity and work toward ending poverty.
Low-income children and children of color--and their families--are disproportionately affected by many societal problems, including economic inequality, food insecurity, high rates of incarceration, lack of access to health care and affordable housing, fewer jobs that provide a living wage, and the rapidly shrinking path to the middle class.
Educational inequity sits at the intersection of so many of those issues, but fixing educational inequity alone is not enough. Solving educational inequity will not in and of itself provide all children with the opportunities they need to succeed. These problems have consequences that deeply affect a child’s ability to be successful inside and outside the classroom and that prevent the sort of social mobility needed to break generational cycles of poverty.
On the other hand, we cannot solve so many of these other issues—including providing that mobility for students from historically marginalized communities—without improving our current education system, because an excellent education is key to college attainment, competitive career options, and greater opportunities later in life. And the students in our classrooms today can’t wait.
Although an excellent education alone cannot solve all these injustices, it’s clear that in order to create a fair system that gives all students the chance to succeed and thrive, we have to pursue educational equity and work toward ending poverty.
Myth 6: “We’ll Never Achieve True Educational Equity”
A teacher intimately understands how economic and societal disparities manifest within the classroom: the child who is too hungry to focus on his work because he wasn’t able to have breakfast, or the student who struggles to keep up in class because she lacks eyeglasses to see the board. Teachers understand that while they may not be able to solve food injustice or medical access issues on their own, their actions in the classroom, the supports they provide, and the standards they hold for their students can make a significant difference in their students’ lives.
Because of this, we are steadfast in our belief that the fight to end educational inequity, while long and difficult, is a fight that is well worth our efforts. And it is one we can win. Over Teach For America’s 30-year tenure, we’ve seen undeniable progress in this work. In regions across the country, academic achievement and high school graduation rates are on the rise.
We see it in Chicago, where college graduation rates among Chicago Public Schools alumni have doubled in the past decade. And in Tennessee, which has been recognized as one of the fastest improving states since 2011 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). And nationwide, we see the numbers of first-generation college students growing at an unprecedented rate, with a third of enrolled college students being the first in their family to seek a college degree. A growing number of schools are meeting the needs of all of their students, and giving children the support needed to overcome obstacles and shape a greater future for themselves.
While there is still much work to be done, we know this is true: None of this progress would be possible without teachers who joined the profession because they truly believe in the potential of every child. Whether they remain in the classroom or bring their knowledge and passion to other fields that shape the lives of children, these leaders intimately understand the systemic issues that prevent all children from achieving their fullest potential--and they are committed to making change happen.
A teacher intimately understands how economic and societal disparities manifest within the classroom: the child who is too hungry to focus on his work because he wasn’t able to have breakfast, or the student who struggles to keep up in class because she lacks eyeglasses to see the board. Teachers understand that while they may not be able to solve food injustice or medical access issues on their own, their actions in the classroom, the supports they provide, and the standards they hold for their students can make a significant difference in their students’ lives.
Because of this, we are steadfast in our belief that the fight to end educational inequity, while long and difficult, is a fight that is well worth our efforts. And it is one we can win. Over Teach For America’s 30-year tenure, we’ve seen undeniable progress in this work. In regions across the country, academic achievement and high school graduation rates are on the rise.
We see it in Chicago, where college graduation rates among Chicago Public Schools alumni have doubled in the past decade. And in Tennessee, which has been recognized as one of the fastest improving states since 2011 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). And nationwide, we see the numbers of first-generation college students growing at an unprecedented rate, with a third of enrolled college students being the first in their family to seek a college degree. A growing number of schools are meeting the needs of all of their students, and giving children the support needed to overcome obstacles and shape a greater future for themselves.
While there is still much work to be done, we know this is true: None of this progress would be possible without teachers who joined the profession because they truly believe in the potential of every child. Whether they remain in the classroom or bring their knowledge and passion to other fields that shape the lives of children, these leaders intimately understand the systemic issues that prevent all children from achieving their fullest potential--and they are committed to making change happen.- Please continue to keep your distance from each other during prep, lunch, meetings, etc.
- Tuesday, October 6 - 6th grade Dyer staff meeting via Zoom
- Discussing 6-8 information when it comes to furniture and Essential Skills. Anyone wanting to attend within the Dyer staff will be welcome to attend the Zoom. This is the second meeting this year with 6th grade to ensure they too are kept up to speed on needs and planning for the 2021-2022 school year. Just an FYI to keep you all in the loop that these meetings are happening :)
- Thursday, October 8 - Staff Inservice!
- Certified staff have an 8:00-4:00 workday.
- Support staff are asked to arrive at 10:00-4:00.
- Teachers:
- 8:00 - 10:00 is teacher work time (on your own)
- 10:00 - 12:00 (Technology Sessions)
- The below link has been put together by staff within our district willing to share their knowledge pertaining to different components of technology being used across the district. These sessions have been intentionally designed to support CURRENT practice in the COVID model we are in! Please take advantage by attending at least 2 sessions during this district level time for all staff!
- Here is the link to the sessions! (tweaks might take place between now and Thursday but I wanted to get you the link sooner rather than later!)
- 12:00 - 1:00 (Lunch on your own)
- Please, please make sure you are maintaining social distancing throughout every day, including during this hour lunch period!
- 1:00 - 2:00 - Universal Access "Equity for Students"
- We are asking that all staff complete this survey by Wednesday night this week! This survey is needed for our inservice on Thursday.
- If anyone needs a computer please let the main office know and they will assist with ensuring you have a computer to take the survey.
- At 1:00 please be in the BHS gym for our 1:00-2:00 building level time focused around equity for students.
- 2:00 - 4:00 Work Time
- After the building level time you can return to Karcher for work time with your teaching support partners!
- Monday, October 12 - District Essential Skills Committee
- This will be our first meeting of the year for this committee. Our focus this year will be on grading practices as we work to move to a standards-based gradebook within the system.
- We will be meeting in the Karcher auditorium (to socially distance) from 3:45-5:30.
