Diversity committee releases action plan
June 22, 2010 3:58 PM
An 18-month study of how the Corvallis School District could create a more welcoming and safe school environment for its students and their families has concluded with the release of a diversity action plan.
The plan offers several recommendations related to the physical appearance, or "climate," of schools, communication issues with non-English speaking families and dealing with incidences of bullying and harassment.
The original committee of 30 staff and community representatives began work in the fall of 2008 to review the results of surveys taken by students, staff and parents; study student achievement data, behavior data, demographics and other relevant data; and conduct climate inventories at each school and at the district office. The committee also hosted a number of focus groups.
The new action plan will be reviewed and implemented by Superintendent Dawn Tarzian in consultation with a new Diversity Action Plan Advisory Council to be appointed in the fall. Staff members have already started to identify priority areas for next year including exploring bullying, harassment and teasing issues, developing better and more consistent translation services and addressing the data regarding disproportionate behavior referrals for some student groups.
"Student learning is at the heart of this work. Every child deserves an education free of barriers and respectful of their unique backgrounds and beliefs," reported Jeanne Holmes, co-chair of the diversity committee. "We have learned so much about ourselves as a district through this process. As soon as we began the work, I saw changes occurring both at the district level and at schools as a result of our research and discussions."
During the June 21 presentation of the plan before the school board, co-chair Terryl Ross, director for Community and Diversity at Oregon State University, explained that the impetus for the committee's work came from the district's community visioning process three years ago. Of the 17 priorities identified in the Corvallis Community Vision for Education document, five were related to issues of diversity and inclusion.
For a complete summary of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee's work, including a copy of the action plan, click here.
