12 | ACTON-BOXBOROUGH REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
The success of our DEI work is dependent on every member of our district taking collective ownership for building culturally responsive schools. Responsibility for this work is em- bedded within the roles of every staff member in our District. We reaffirm our commitment to removing barriers and limits that have historically been in place for our underrep- resented and marginalized communities. We strive to expand and improve the school district’s understanding of the equity issues it needs to address to achieve positive experiences and outcomes for all. CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SCHOOLS To advance our commitment to being a cultur- ally responsive school community, we continue to support our educators’ efforts to broaden and deepen their instructional practices in ways that view the culture and identity of our students and families as assets, and to explicitly address disparities in achievement and opportunities. We have partnered with the Leadership Academy (https://www.leader- shipacademy.org) to develop a framework and plan for our work moving forward. This Spring, we also identified thirty educators who will serve as Culturally Responsive Practice teacher leaders within their respective schools and will serve as resources and facilitators of ongoing professional learning and initiatives with their colleagues.
Meet Our DEI Director
In the Spring of 2022 the District began a search for a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion who would join on July 1, 2022. We are pleased to welcome Jen Faber. Ms. Faber was most recently
an elementary principal in the Weston Public Schools, and is currently a fellow in DESE’s Influence 100 program that provides mentoring to educational leaders in advancing efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
What is “DEI?”
Diversity: the sum of the ways that people are both alike and different. While diversity itself is not a value-laden term, the way that people react to diversity is driven by values, attitudes, beliefs, and experiences. (Adapted from the National Education Association) Equity: securing needed supports, opportunities, and resources for individuals and groups of students who typically haven’t received what they need from schools (Adapted from Mica Pollack’s Schooltalk: Rethinking What We Say About- and to- Students Everyday) Inclusion: is not a strategy to help people fit into the systems and structures that exist; it is about transforming those systems and strategies to make it better for everyone. Inclusion is about creating a better world for everyone. (Diane Richler, Inclusion International)
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