Creating a School Climate Team & Working With Your Grade Team

By working collaboratively with the grade team and school climate team, teachers can create a supportive and inclusive educational environment that celebrates diversity, empowers students, and promotes a decolonized curriculum. Here are some ways you can start the conversation and help you to collaborate with your grade team and school climate team in integrating concepts of inclusivity, decolonization, and creating an equitable educational environment.

1. 1. Establish a Common Understanding: Begin by sharing resources and information on the importance of inclusivity, decolonization, and creating an equitable classroom. Hold team meetings or professional development sessions to establish a common understanding of these concepts.
  2. Collaborative Goal Setting: Work together as a grade team to identify specific goals and action steps to promote inclusivity and decolonization within your grade level. Ensure that these goals align with the overall vision and mission of the school.
  3. Curriculum Review and Enhancement: Review existing curriculum materials and identify areas where inclusivity and diverse perspectives can be incorporated. Collaborate with the grade team to modify lessons, texts, and assignments to reflect a wider range of experiences and voices.
  4. Cross-Curricular Connections: Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among teachers to explore opportunities for integrating inclusivity and decolonization across multiple subjects. Share strategies and resources to promote consistency in the implementation of these concepts.
  5. Professional Learning Community: Create a professional learning community within the grade team and across the school to facilitate ongoing discussions and learning related to inclusivity and decolonization. Share articles, books, and relevant research to deepen understanding and foster growth.
  6. Supportive Classroom Management: Collaboratively develop classroom management strategies that prioritize inclusivity and equity. Share best practices and provide support to team members in creating safe and inclusive learning environments that celebrate diversity.
  7. Student Voice and Agency: Empower students by involving them in decision-making processes and providing opportunities for their voices to be heard. Encourage students to share their perspectives, experiences, and suggestions for creating a more inclusive and decolonized learning environment.
  8. Collaboration with the School Climate Team: Engage with the school climate team to align efforts and collaborate on initiatives that promote a positive and inclusive school culture. Share insights, challenges, and successes from the grade team's work to contribute to the larger school-wide strategy.
  9. Community Engagement and Partnerships: Explore opportunities for community engagement and partnerships that support inclusivity and decolonization efforts. Collaborate with local organizations, community members, and families to enrich classroom experiences and promote cultural exchange.
  10. Continuous Reflection and Evaluation: Regularly reflect as a grade team on the progress made and challenges faced in integrating inclusivity and decolonization. Use feedback from students, colleagues, and families to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and make adjustments as necessary.

Video:

The path to building an anti-racist workplace | Susan Long-Walsh | TEDxSeattle
This video helps to inspire educators in making progressive changes that are beyond "one and done diversity workshops" and gives insight in how to make lasting changes to support the establishment of inclusivity in classrooms.

~ ♡ ✧ * 。~

Sharing Resources

Collaboration and sharing sources among educators are crucial for maintaining consistency and keeping teachers aligned with the mission and vision of inclusive changes. By working together and sharing resources, teachers can ensure a consistent approach to implementing inclusivity in their classrooms. They develop a shared understanding of strategies and best practices, supporting their professional growth. Sharing sources creates a valuable resource pool, saving time and effort in finding relevant materials. It also helps teachers align their efforts with the school's mission, promotes continuous improvement, and provides a supportive network. By collaborating and sharing, educators empower each other to create lasting, positive change in fostering inclusivity and equity. Below you will find resources that will help to guide you towards finding resources about inclusive education to share with your colleagues and team.

Resource List

- - - Inclusive Schools Network: ISN is a digital resource for families, schools and communities looking to design and implement effective inclusive schools. They offer a wide variety of resources including assessment tools, collaboration strategies, technology advice and much more.
    - National Center for Learning Disability: NCLD advocates for people with disabilities offering programs and resources for parents, young adults, professionals and educators. They also publish reports and studies on a range of topics related to disability and offer scholarship information for students with learning and attention issues.
    - Wrightslaw: Wrightslaw is a great resource for those looking to learn more or stay up-to-date on special education law, education law and advocacy for children with disabilities.
    - TASH: TASH works to advance inclusive communities through advocacy, research, professional development, policy and information and resources for parents, families and self-advocates. They offer several different publications including a blog, annual reports, a podcast and more.
    - ASCD: The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) covers a range of educational topics not limited to inclusive learning. This is a great resource for educators across all disciplines and grade levels, whether they are looking to create an inclusive school or to simply find new strategies to improve their effectiveness in the classroom.