WASA Community Leadership Award

The Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), Sno-Isle Region 109, held its annual awards ceremony May 15th at the Everett Golf & Country Club. The awards recognize exemplary contributions to K-12 school districts and their students, by both members of the community and educational professionals within our region. The Sno-Isle 109 region is one of eleven WASA statewide regions.

FASC was honored to be presented with the 2008 WASA Community Leadership Award for the Edmonds School District. We're pleased to have the administrators in our district and region recognize the importance of this work in providing equity of opportunity to all students. We believe this award speaks not just to the value of our work and contributions, but to the value of the students we serve.

School Board Celebrates FASC

The Edmonds School Board recognized FASC with the "School Board Celebrates..." award at the May 6th board meeting. The award may be given to "an employee who goes above and beyond, a parent who has contributed something special to our children, or a community member who has supported our children in an exceptional way."

Dr. Ellen Kahan, Assistant Superintendent, submitted the nomination for the award, citing FASC's commitment to raise awareness about issues affecting students of color.

During the meeting, the ESD/FASC Leadership teams also reported to the board on the group's history, organizational structure, accomplishments to date, and future direction. The report included supporting data regarding the disparities affecting students of color in our district, specifically in the areas of discipline, honors programs, and the achievement gap, as well as the underrepresentation of personnel of color in the district.

The board responded favorably to the report, and invited us to return with updates on the group's progress at some point next year. Community members also were very interested and supportive in our work, and we were happy to meet and connect with other district families and community members.

FASC thanks the board and the administration for their recognition of our work.

ESD/FASC Newsletter

We're very excited to announce the first issue of the ESD/FASC Newsletter. The newsletter is a joint venture between the Edmonds School District and FASC, and seeks to let the community know more about us, our work, and some of our accomplishments to date.

The newsletter will be distributed as an insert with school newsletters during April and May. For those schools that distribute their newsletters using electronic format, the ESD/FASC newsletter will be emailed along with the school newsletter as a .pdf file. All district staff will also receive a copy in their mailboxes.

The newsletter is also available as a link on the new diversity web pages on the ESD website, as well as a permanent link here on the FASC website, in the sidebar to the right, under "Our News & Shared Documents".

FASC would like to thank everyone who contributed and collaborated on this project. We're pleased to have this medium to reach out to our communities, and hope everyone enjoys reading it and getting to know us a bit more.

FASC Presents to Snohomish County NAACP

FASC was honored to be invited to give a presentation at the March 25 meeting of the Snohomish County NAACP.


The theme for the night was education. Dr Andrew Griffin, Assistant Superintendent, WA State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), was the keynote speaker. Dr. Griffin spoke on "Equity in Public Education". FASC members had the opportunity to have dinner with Dr. Griffin and several NAACP chapter officers before the meeting as well.

During the meeting, the chapter also honored their 2nd student recipient for the new Local Heroes and Minority Students of the Month program. The program, which began in February, recognizes one minority professional and one student each month and is unique to the Snohomish County NAACP chapter, according to president, Judge Eric Lucas.

Rendel Jones, a student at Everett High School, has been named the NAACP Minority Student of the Month for March. Jones is a senior at Everett High School. He was recently awarded a $1,000 scholarship for outstanding student achievement at the annual Students of Color Career Conference at Everett Community College.

Jones has been a three-sport athlete through high school, lettering in football, basketball and track. He serves as captain of the high school track team. He is a member of the school's Latin Image Club, and he maintains a 3.0 grade point average and plans to attend college.
~HeraldNet, School Life: Winners

It was wonderful to see this young man honored by the community for his accomplishments and contributions to his school. He received a standing ovation from the crowd. The award includes a $100 savings bond.

FASC's presentation focused on our history, our work and accomplishments to date, issues for students of color in our schools, and our working partnership with the Edmonds School District. We stressed the importance of school districts partnering with their communities to effectively and equitably meet the needs of all students.

Representatives from area school districts were present, including Everett, Marysville, Arlington, and Mukilteo school districts, and we were able to speak with some of them about how we are partnering with our district to do this work.

Lillian Ortiz-Self, Commissioner on the WA State Commission of Hispanic Affairs, pledged support for FASC's work, and stated that she'd like to see it used as a model at the state level.

Rep. Marko Liias, 21st Legislative District, spoke about planning and location for the UW North 4-year campus proposed for Snohomish County. Rep. Liias is a member of the House Education Committee.

After the meeting, FASC had further opportunity to connect with Dr. Griffin, who showed great interest in our work, and offered his insight and support in a continuing connection.

We appreciated the opportunity to introduce our work to our local NAACP, Dr. Griffin, and the communities and districts in our county. We look forward to furthering the connections we made that night.

Colores Unidos

Students who attended the 2008 Latino Educational Achievement Program (LEAP) conference came back inspired to put their knowledge to work. The students, from various district high schools, organized to form the group Colores Unidos.

The students developed a Statement of Purpose and Common Beliefs, outlining their desire to build connections by bringing students of different cultures and races together, and to focus on academic achievement and leadership opportunities. The group hopes to create a sense of belonging for all students within their schools.

Colores Unidos was pleased to be invited to make a presentation to district administrators. The students spoke about the purpose and goals of the group, and also asked administrators to consider how they can support Colores Unidos in their schools. Students offered the following areas as examples:

• House and encourage Latino clubs in schools
• Increase the number of teachers of color
• Include multi-racial history courses (i.e. Chicano, African American, Native, Asian, etc. histories)
• Inform students about the DREAM Act
• Pay attention to legislation affecting undocumented students
• Encourage career center personnel to welcome students of color in learning about resources available to all students
• Educate students of color about financial aid opportunites
• Encourage all students to seek post-secondary education

Many administrators responded positively; Edmonds-Woodway HS is working to bring Lillian Ortiz-Self, Hispanic Affairs Commissioner, to provide leadership training for the students. Colores Unidos looks forward to connecting, growing, and focusing on student achievement.

District Students Attend LEAP Conference

Students from the Edmonds School District were among 600+ WA state students attending the 2008 LEAP Education Conference and Legislative Day in Tacoma. The annual event was sponsored by the Latino/a Educational Achievement Program (LEAP). Parents, educators and administrators from the district also attended, rounding out the team of representatives from our schools. Attendance was supported by the Articulation Council between Edmonds Community College and the ESD, which works to facilitate the transition between high school and college.

LEAP, founded in 1998, advocates for policies and legislation that contribute to improving academic opportunites and achievement for Latino/a students in WA state.

[LEAP] addresses the serious issues of the academic achievement gap, our alarming drop out rates, and the isolation many of our Hispanic students experience in school classrooms across the state.
~Yvonne Lopez Morton, Commission on Hispanic Affairs, March, 2007

Students attended workshops on academic success, student leadership, and the path to higher education. Students also had the opportunity to meet with state legislators, see first hand how our state's government operates, and learn about the importance of civic engagement in their communities.

Students also had the chance to learn more about the DREAM Act, which would provide a path for temporary legal residency to certain undocumented students, provided they work towards permanent legal residency by completing two years of college or military service.

Our students came back informed and inspired to address the educational opportunities and achievement of Latino/a students in their home schools, and to seek out student leadership roles. We're very proud of our student participants.

Unnatural Causes on PBS

Photo with permission: "UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?”
Produced by California Newsreel with Vital Pictures.
Presented by the National Minority Consortia.

http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/ --- http://www.newsreel.org/

Unnatural Causes, a four-part documentary series focusing on health equity in the US, begins airing nationally on PBS tonight at 7pm PST for HDTV viewers, and on April 2nd at 11pm PST for analog/cable viewers. Alternate times are listed below. The documentary will be available on DVD through California Newsreel, and is

... a four-part series for PBS broadcast and DVD release, will, for the first time on television, sound the alarm about our glaring socio-economic and racial disparities in health—and seek out root causes. But those causes are not what we might expect. While we pour more and more money into drugs, dietary supplements and new medical technologies, it turns out there is much more to our health than bad habits, health care or unlucky genes. The social conditions in which we are born, live and work profoundly affect our well-being and longevity.

The companion website to the series is interactive and comprehensive. Visit to find interactive activities, video clips, quizzes, an Action Toolkit, case studies, resources and access to a panel of experts who will answer questions submitted by the public.

Educators: the site's In the Classroom page offers educational resources including curricular materials, discussion guides, handouts, facilitation questions and more. Coming soon: links enabling educators to use case studies and interactivities in the classroom.

The opening 56-minute episode, In Sickness and In Wealth, presents the series’ overarching themes. Each supporting half-hour episode, set in a different ethnic/racial community, provides a deeper exploration of how social conditions affect population health and how some communities are extending their lives by improving them.

The school district is verifying the rights to this series, and plans to have it available on DVD! This is great news, and we appreciate their efforts to have this informative series available as a resource.

The Communities of Color Coalition (C3) will be hosting two-hour facilitated community forums at local hospitals to discuss disparities in health care. The first two events will be held in Everett and Monroe after the complete series has aired. Please check back at the C3 site for further information on the forums.

Episode descriptions can be found here.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

BROADCAST INFO:
This info is for Pacific Standard Time (PST).
For other time zones, check your local TV listings here at PBS.

• HDTV episodes will air on:
  -- 4 consecutive Thursdays @ 7pm, starting March 27th, or
  -- 4 consecutive Sundays @ 1pm, starting March 30th
  
• Analog/Cable episodes will air on:
  -- 4 consecutive Wednesdays @ 11pm, starting April 2nd, or
  -- 4 consecutive Saturdays @ 1pm, starting April 5th

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Don't miss this fascinating series!

Progress Report

Time for a progress report! As FASC continues our work with the school district, we'd like to share some news, events, and general updates.

Below are some of the FASC/ESD team events or accomplishments, as well as goals we're working toward. Items are listed either under the main group or the appropriate subcommittee.


FASC/ESD Team (Main Group)

• Seattle Race Conference (Nov-07)
  FASC members, students, and 2 ESD representatives attended.
• Youth Undoing Racism workshop (Dec-07)
  FASC members and students attended in Seattle.
• Undoing Racism workshop (Jan-08) ESD assistant superintendent and Cedar Valley school principal attended at Everett Community College.
• Met with principals and some counselors in district middle/high schools.

In The Works

• Clarify long term direction, goals and measurable outcomes
• Parter with various organizations to bring Freedom School to Snohomish County (target date, Jun-08)
• Create a newsletter (expected roll out, May-08)
• District-wide gathering for high school multicultural clubs

------------------------

Personnel workgroup:

• Hosted event to connect with teachers of color in the district (Feb-08)
• Created diversity resource list to be published on ESD web site (up and running!)
• Develop & refine ESD diversity web page/site
• Recruitment and retention of diverse staff, reflective of communities
• Create recruitment video
• Training and support for existing staff
• Implement exit interviews for staff to help district identify areas for improvement

------------------------

Expectations & Programs workgroup:

• FASC booth at annual District Information Fair (Jan-08)
• Established that students of color are underrepresented in honors programs, based on district data and statistics
• District students attended LEAP Conference in Tacoma (Latino/a Educational Achievement Project, Jan-08)
• Develop Mission & Vision statements
• More effective communication with families about honors programs
• Student focus groups - gather info, hear student voice
• High school students to visit middle schools, encourage participation in honors program
• Additional honors programs in all district high schools to address demand for IB
• How to apply "strength based" approach, focusing on what students can do

---------------------

Discipline workgroup:

• Reviewed data/statistics on disciplinary actions as applied to all ethnic groups (Fall-07)
• Established disparity in number & severity of disciplinary actions involving students of color (Fall-07)
• Met with School Resource Officer representatives
• SPIRIT program pilot took place at Alderwood Middle School
• Review & revise language on disciplinary documents sent home to families
• Translate disciplinary information into other languages
  

Connecting With Teachers

FASC recently participated in meeting with diverse teachers from around the district. The event was hosted by the Edmonds Education Association, thanks to the efforts of EEA President Dan Wilson, and was wonderfully facilitated by the district's Multicultural & Family Outreach Coordinator, Arlie Neskahi.

The meeting was attended by FASC; ESD superintendent Nick Brossoit; assistant superintendents Ellen Kahan and Debby Carter; Shirley Sutton, Executive Director of Diversity Affairs for Edmonds Community College; and Emily Yim, City of Lynnwood's Director of Neighborhoods & Community Affairs.

One of FASC's earliest requests was to meet with our diverse teachers, so we were very encouraged to be able to connect in a meaningful way. We see our partnership with this group of teachers, counselors and principals as a key element of this work, and strongly value their insight and experience.

The meeting was interactive, giving people a chance to connect and learn a bit about the various cultures represented in the room. Of course, the nice spread of food and snacks was appreciated by all.

The group brainstormed on these and other areas:

• prioritizing issues
• ways to connect and support each other
• creating & maintaining an inclusive, supportive district culture
• the importance of connected communities
• recruitment and retention of diverse staff reflective of our communities
• professional development and training for increased awareness district-wide
• how to keep momentum going

As one teacher expressed, schools, parents and communities coming together is like connecting separate puzzle pieces to build the whole. We appreciate the teachers giving of their time to meet and to share with us, and are very much looking forward to working with them.

District Information Fair

FASC was pleased to be invited to participate in the Annual District Information Fair this year. The fair was held on Saturday, January 12th at Lynnwood High School.

The district set up a bannered table for FASC, where members handed out business cards and spoke with interested families about our work with the district and how it impacts their students. In addition, we had the opportunity to see the district’s efforts to welcome families and help prepare parents and children for their educational journey. Families were able “to learn more about registration, meet individuals from their neighborhood school, and learn more about district wide programs and opportunities.”

FASC genuinely appreciated being a part of this event, and plans to participate again next year. We believe that our participation was another example of how the district can reach out to our diverse community with an informed perspective on the needs and well being of our students.

Seattle Race Conference

Several FASC members attended the 2007 Seattle Race Conference, accompanied by a group of students. We were pleased to see some representation from the district as well, with one of our assistant superintendents, and the district Multicultural & Family Outreach Coordinator.

The theme of this year's conference was The Legacy of Racism in Our Neighborhoods. Here are some of the highlights*:

• Excerpts from the film, Banished: American Ethnic Cleansings, and discussion with filmmaker Marco Williams.
  
  
• Remembering Segregated Seattle and the Civil Rights Movements that Changed Our City -- Presentation by James N. Gregory, director of the Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, and UW history professor.
  


• The Road to Racial Justice - An intergenerational panel of community organizers talk about learning from our history, taking action today and imagining the future.
  


• Undoing Racism & Uniting Our Communities - A skills-building session led by Dustin Washington, John Paige, and Martin Friedman, from the People's Institute Northwest.
  


• "Hip Hop Hope Youth: Liftin' Up, Speakin' Out" - Youth from Power of Hope step up to the mic! Through rap, rhyme and poetry, the performers will address the issues of the conference with authenticity, vitality, and hope!

The sessions were powerful, informative, and inspiring. There were also breakout sessions enabling smaller groups to work and connect with others in various communities. It was very interesting to learn the history around race relations particular to the Seattle area, via Dr. Gregory's presentation. The website has extensive information and resources -- check it out!

We are looking forward to next year's conference already!

* courtesy of Seattle Race Conference website.

The Work Begins

The presentation to the district went well, followed by a very constructive meeting. The response from the district was positive, and we're pleased to report we are now officially working with the district. Since that time, we have met several times, and as a result, have formed 3 subgroups, in order to address each area most effectively. The subgroups meet to work on their particular issues, and report back to the larger group. The 3 work groups are:

1. Personnel
2. Discipline
3. Expectations & Programs

Each work group includes an assistant superintendent from the district, parent members, and community members from organizations such as the Lynnwood Diversity Commission and C3 (Communities of Color Coalition). The Expectations and Programs work group includes a student representative, and some groups have recently added other representatives from the district. We are working to increase student, parent, and community involvement.

Each of the work groups has met now independently. The first order of business was to discuss statistics provided by the district, showing trends in each of the 3 areas. The groups are now working to clarify and interpret the data.

We also went, in teams of 2, to various high schools and middle schools in the district. Each team had a parent and an assistant superintendent. We met with the principal at each school to discuss adding staff representatives to the work groups, and to brainstorm about student and staff involvement. At one high school, the team will return to meet with counselors and involve them in the work. We're especially interested in counselors' input, given the nature of their connection to students.

We're very encouraged and excited about the progress made so far, and are looking forward to continuing the work.

Upcoming Meeting With the District

Eureka! We have a meeting date. After reviewing our document, the district has agreed to meet with us, which is very positive news.

For those of you just tuning in, the group has been working very hard toward the goal of meeting with the Edmonds School District to present our concerns. Here is the basic timeline up to this point:

1. Share our stories
2. Identify the issues
3. Prioritize pinpoint the three most critical issues
4. Determine the root causes behind those three issues
5. Create a document outlining our concerns to the district
6. Ask for a meeting with the district

That's where we are now. The next steps are:

1. Create a presentation
2. Meet with the district

According to the Lynnwood Diversity Commission, the district is very much looking forward to meeting with our group, and is very interested in hearing our concerns.

Meeting Info:

Date: August 23, 2007
Time: 2:00pm
Location: Edmonds School District building, 68th Ave., between Edmonds Community College and the courthouse.

Getting to the Root of the Issues

We did it -- we'd like to share the document we've created which outlines our concerns for the school district. This document lists the issues within the three critical areas (Personnel, Discipline, Expections/Programs), and also identifies what we believe are the root causes behind these issues.

Click here to take a look: Issues & Root Causes.

Prioritizing the Issues

At the previous meeting, the group had worked to identify issues affecting students of color. At the June 23rd meeting, we took the next step, prioritizing those issues to pinpoint the three that we believe to be the most critical.

As before, this was no easy process, as all the issues affecting our students are very important.

We are very grateful for the students' input in this process, as their prioritized list was a bit different than the adults' list. Combining those lists, we were able to see the following three areas as the top issues:

1. Personnel (administration, faculty and staff)
2. Discipline
3. Expectations and Programs
   

The next step was getting to the bottom of these issues to determine the root causes behind them; again, an emotionally challenging but necessary task.

We believe we have identified the root causes that are behind many of the things our students are experiencing at school. This would not have been possible without the input of the students and families, and the support of various community members.

From there, the plan is to create a document to share our concerns with the district. I hope to be able to link to the document here, so that we can also share it with all of you.

Sharing Our Stories

The group meeting on June 2nd was a great opportunity for families to share their stories. It was not always easy, but the knowledge that we are not alone and that we share a desire to address these issues was very empowering.

In addition to the families and students, representatives from the following organizations were present to offer their support:

• Lynnwood Diversity Commission
• Communities of Color Coalition (C3)
• Washington Community Action Network (Washington CAN!)
• Washington Human Rights Commission
  

Sharing our stories was at times emotional, but the process showed that there are many similar experiences thoughout our communities. Our hope is to communicate that these are not isolated incidents, but are systemic issues affecting our students in many different ways.

We worked to identify some of these issues that our students are dealing with in school. Thanks to the Lynnwood Diversity Commission for helping to keep us on track and see past our emotions to the common issues at the core of our stories.

We used a "fishbone" structure to map out our ideas: a fish "skeleton" was drawn on the whiteboard, with each bone representing an idea or issue, such as confidentiality, low expectations, teachers, classes, cultural understanding, respect, dress & appearance, communication, accountability, security officers, training, parental involvement, discipline, and programs.

As you can see, there were a lot of ideas; it was one long fish.

The group plans to meet again on June 23rd to begin the process of prioritizing these issues and identifying the root causes behind them. We will dialogue about possible ways of working with the district to address the issues.

We thank the families, students and community members who were able to make the time to attend, and we're looking forward to the next meeting.

More news to follow!

The info for the next meeting is as follows:

Date: Saturday, June 23rd
Time: 1:00pm
Location: Lynnwood Main Fire Department, 44th Ave. & 188th St., conference room

Please Join Us! June 2nd Forum

Parents and Guardians of
Students of Color
In the Edmonds School District

If you have a child of color in an Edmonds school district high school or middle school, we are interested in hearing about your child's school experience.

We invite you and your child to attend a forum. Please join us!

When: Saturday, June 2nd at 1:30pm
Where: Lynnwood Fire Station, 18800 44th Ave. W.

For more information: edmondsfasc@yahoo.com

or call 425-273-1157 or 206-335-9319

The forum is presented by: Families Advocating for Students Of Color

Questions About the Forum

Where Can I Read the Agenda?
The forum is an informal gathering of students of color and their families to dialogue about their school experiences. There is no formal agenda.

Who Will Speak at the Forum?
The emphasis will be on hearing the students themselves speak about their experiences and perceptions. Family members may offer their comments as well. We will have a facilitator to moderate the discussion.

Is the Forum Just for Parents?
No! The forum is open to students and all family members. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, and guardians are all welcome.

I Am Not a Person of Color, but My Student Is. Should I Attend?
Absolutely! All family members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

How Long Will the Forum Be?
The forum is scheduled for 2 hours -- 1:30 to 3:30 pm. We will be available after this time for anyone who would like to exchange contact information.

What About Elementary School Students?
We are currently focusing on high school and middle school students. This may change in the future, depending on interest level and resources.