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.