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Student Support Services » Student Supports and Interventions » Courageous Conversations and Equity

Courageous Conversations and Equity

If the structure does not permit dialogue, the structure must be changed. -Paulo Freire

Supports for Difficult Conversations & Dialogues: Based on acts of violence and terror across our nation and world, we are often in need of support systems to engage in difficult dialogues with family, friends, colleagues, and most importantly, students. This site will go through multiple iterations and changes, but it is designed to provide resources to assist educators, students, and families with difficult conversations, processing, and modalities for healing.

See information and links below for more information about how San Lorenzo Unified supports having courageous conversations to improve outcomes for all students.

 

SLZUSD Equity Mission Statement: Equity in the San Lorenzo Unified School district is acknowledging historical biases and changing the way they are addressed in terms of closing achievement and opportunity gaps. We define our approach to the work of equity as providing for each student the academic, emotional and social supports needed to increase the achievement of underserved subgroups at an accelerated rate while additionally increasing overall student performance.

The SLZUSD Anti-Bias Guiding Principles: is a document co-created by administrators and staff, and approved by the School Board. The goal of the document is to provide guidance and best practices for beginning to rectify the historical exclusion of underserved students from the education they so richly deserve.

The preamble states: We, the educators of the San Lorenzo Unified School District, are committed to working daily to interrupt, disrupt, and dismantle systems that act to replicate historical inequalities and commit to examining systemic, institutional, and individual biases that make us complicit in that replication. As a result, students will become creative, collaborative, compassionate, resilient, well-informed and socially responsible advocates for equity and social justice as a result of their education, experience, and support from educators, families and the community.

The document can be found HERE

 

 
Courageous Conversations: San Lorenzo Unified has been working with Glenn Singleton and Courageous Conversations since the 2018-19 school year. This work trains staff in a protocol to support the work of self reflection and participation in dialogues about race. The protocol includes 3 components: The agreements, the compass, and the 6 conditions, which can be found HERE.
 
Articles and Resources for Conversational Supports & Healing:

2017-2018

 

2016-2017

Videos:

Conversational Support Contacts

Dr. Ammar Saheli

[email protected]

(510) 317-4774

Amani Dunham
[email protected]

(510) 317-4764