LaNea Noelle Sadler

Diversities 6020

Spring 2015

Commitment to Social Justice Survey

1. Proposed intervention plan.

I would like to learn the ethnic background of my students and educate my students so

they can become knowledgeable and understanding of the different ethnicities in the classroom. I

also would like to educate the teachers and help them incorporate this into their teaching as well.

I have organized my students into groups that span the different levels, including students with

disabilities, to allow my students the opportunity to work with these students and grow an

appreciation of them.

2. This schools school climate and school rituals and practices reflect a commitment to

diversity and inclusion.

I strongly disagree with this statement. This school is at a disadvantage here because they

just recently purchased the old Academy, which is a block away from the older this school. This

is a small building and when the K-6 school doubled in size they were not able to fit all K-6

faculty and students into the new building. The administrators decided to keep 5th and 6th grade

up on the third floor of the old building, with the secondary school on the first and second floors.

Because the 5th and 6th grades are not a part of secondary, they are not included in any assemblies
for the secondary, and the K-4 teachers also do not include the 5th and 6th grades in any plans

they make. The purchase of that building isolated the 5th and 6th grades. Parents are not present

on the third floor because the majority of the parents work and are not able to come in to help.

2b. Proposed intervention plan.

This is a difficult one because of the logistics of the buildings. It makes for a difficult

circumstance. Talking to the administrators more and expressing our concerns is the first step to

rectifying this problem. We have shared our concerns about this, but perhaps we were not vocal

enough about it. The next step towards a better school climate is to push more for parent

volunteers.

3. The curriculum reflects a commitment to social justice and diversity.

I am not sure with this statement. This school is in its second year for the elementary and

I only teach Language Arts. I have not had the opportunity to see the other curriculum. The

Language Arts curriculum is not diverse and does not represent a diverse population. The posters

that are used with the Language Arts curriculum do represent a diverse population, but the

students are not reading multi-cultural literature.

3b. Proposed intervention plan.

The ultimate plan would be to research and find curriculum that is committed to social

justice and diversity. However, a completely new Language Arts curriculum might not be

financially attainable at this point. So, my next step would be to do research and find activities

and supplemental material that is committed to social justice and diversity to use with the current

curriculum. The administrators need to be reminded again that when there are more funds

available that the curriculum needs to be replaced.

4. Pedagogical practices are driven and informed by social justice and diversity.

I agree with this statement. This school does a great job making sure that teachers are

teaching with cooperative learning activities. They spend a significant amount of time working

with students and their social skills. This hard to help their faculty also work as a team to

collaborate on different projects.

4b. Proposed intervention plan.

I plan to continue my cooperative learning activities that I have been working into my

lesson plans. I will make sure that all students feel included in their groups and that they are

taught the social skills needed to collaborate as a team.

5. Extracurricular practices reflect a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

I strongly agree with this statement. This school offers multiple extracurricular activities

including Robotics and Martial Arts. All of these activities are open to all students of appropriate

age and appeal to diverse student backgrounds.

5b. Proposed intervention plan.

I dont decide which extracurricular activities are offered through this school, but I will

continue to promote these to my students.

6. Zero indifference, not zero tolerance.

I strongly agree with this statement. This school has a zero indifference policy. They take

every incident of bullying, violence, hazing, etc. very seriously. They create customized action

plans based on individual needs and what is most effective for the students. It is not immediate

suspension or expulsion, although those options do exist as a last resort in extreme situations.
6b. Proposed intervention plan.

I plan to support the administration in their actions with their zero indifference policies. I

believe that this is the best plan for the students.

7. Teachable moments of social justice are seized, not ignored.

I am not sure with this statement. I have not seen any teachable moments being seized

because we are removed from the majority of the school. Thats not to say that it isnt happening.

I have not personally had an opportunity to teach from any such moments. This is my first year

and I am sure as I become more comfortable and knowledgeable, I will jump at the opportunity

to use these moments to teach them.

7b. Proposed intervention plan.

I plan to look for these teachable moments and use them to help students understand

social justice. If I can be constantly watching for those opportunities, I will be able to effectively

put them into practice.

8. Students and their parents have active roles in the school.

I strongly disagree with this statement. We have tried on multiple occasions to get

parental help in our classrooms. Not one parent is willing to come in and help with the class or

any parties. We had a field trip where we had several parent volunteers and by the time the day

came, most of them had canceled. There were two of them that just didnt show. They didnt

even bother to notify us. This is extremely discouraging as teachers because it is very difficult to

plan for anything.

8b. Proposed intervention plan.

 We would love to have parents come in on a weekly basis to help out in the classroom.

We have tried sending home volunteer forms. I have also had a sign-up sheet at parent teacher

conferences. We have tried to notify parents via our newsletter. What we havent done, however,

is personally call parents. This might take a long time and might not be the most effective way to

do this, but nothing else has seemed to work. Perhaps we could text parents and also use the

school phone message system.

9. Teachers are well supported for addressing social justice issues.

I strongly agree with this statement. In the 5th/6th grade, there have been many instances

of bullying. Some of them were quite severe. I have always felt like my administration has been

there for me. They have always had our backs as a team.

9b. Proposed intervention plan.

I will continue to rely on my administration to assist in social justice issues. I will trust

that they know what they are doing and will have my back when needed.

10. Administrators seek and structure ongoing support for themselves.

I am not sure with this statement. The administrators get together on a weekly basis for

meetings where they discuss the problems and what needs to be done to fix them. They always

have the betterment of DaVincis student body in the forefront of these meetings. They also

attend conventions, conferences, trainings, and professional development to equip themselves

with the tools they need to keep the school running smoothly.

10b. Proposed intervention plan.

 I will continue to support and provide input, influence, and encouragement to my

administration as they make decisions and policies for the school.