By Diana Whittle
In an increasingly complex and diverse society, the Kyrene School District aims for a curriculum that balances both the academic acumen, so students are prepared for jobs of the future, with social proficiency so they can embrace the diversity of cultures and people they’ll interact with once they exit the educational setting and enter the workforce.
To meet these goals, a day-long workshop, Kyrene’s Summer 2016 Equity Institute, offered a presentation to teachers and staff, as well as to parents and community members, to explore how a culturally sensitive learning environment leads to student achievement, and the best methods to develop a curriculum in order to engage diverse learners.
The program, titled “Courageous Conversations about the Achievement Gap,” was multi-directional and multi-purposed, according to Kyrene’s curriculum director, Jim Verrill.
“The Kyrene School District is representative of a diverse global community, with a multitude of countries, races, religions and needs represented.
“Our district is committed to ensuring that all students learn at high levels—and as a whole, our students meet or exceed state standards,” said Verrill. “Yet, there remains an achievement gap between different groups of students, where we would expect similar achievement across all groups.”
The institute was designed as a support mechanism for Kyrene teachers to meet the social, emotional, academic and cultural needs of students to ensure success for all, Verrill added.
Kyrene educators are challenged each year to adapt their teaching approaches in the classroom to meet the varying needs of a diverse student body, Verrill noted, and the Equity Institute is a place to get new ideas and share experiences.
By providing oversight for curriculum and learning, Verrill’s department strives to provide teachers with opportunities to reflect about the students who are in their classrooms, identify those students’ needs and provide them with tools and strategies to set high expectations.
“While developing curriculum, our staff reviews resources that represent the diversity of our community,” said Verrill. “Our team works to find literature and resources so that it’s meaningful to students.”
He said he believes that Kyrene’s professional-development opportunities help teachers become not only aware of their students’ cultural identity but of their own racial identity and unintentional biases, which he believes helps to build positive student-teacher relationships.
“We believe teaching and serving a diverse community is a positive aspect of our work and not a negative issue.
“We celebrate the unique perspectives that a diverse student body adds to our schools and seek ways to celebrate the strengths of all of our students,” said Verrill.
Spencer Fallgatter, principal of Kyrene de la Mariposa Elementary School in Tempe, said he attended the workshop to gain insight on meeting the needs of children in each classroom.
“Every year, Mariposa teachers begin the year with approximately 25 students, who arrive with different life experiences, varying levels of academic preparation, an array of cultural differences and much more.
“As educators, we have to build trust and promote a sense of belonging. Our focus needs to be on learning rather than just teaching. We need to embrace an inclusive environment versus one of individualism and competition.
“At Mariposa, we celebrate diversity through our annual World Fair, as well as asking students from various cultures to share their specific culture, dress and vocabulary.”
He admits the greatest challenge in creating such a climate is addressing the wide range of needs, significant gaps in learning and varying exposure to life experiences.
Thus, said Fallgatter, he counsels teachers “to display a genuine interest in each student’s life, set high standards, and connect and build positive relationships with each and every student.”
