Appleton’s (ongoing) Journey Toward Cultural Competency Appleton Area School District Appleton, WI Presenters: Nick Ivory – African American Cultural Support Liaison Ben Vogel – Co-chair of Achievement, Community, Equity Committee (ACE)

Demographics  Appleton Population: Approximately 75,000  District Size/Number of Schools: 38 schools at 27 school sites  Enrollment: 16,212 students  Race/Ethnicity counts: 73% white, 11% Asian, 8% Hispanic, 6% African American, 2% Native American  Free/reduced lunch: 40%

Ongoing Journey Toward Culturally Responsive Practices  Minority Achievement Task Force  Achievement, Community, Equity (ACE) Committee  District Continuous School Improvement Process (CSIP) Support Team –

Focus Areas…  Fostering Multiple Partnerships: Business/Community/Parent/Professional Partnerships (examples include FVTC, African Heritage Inc., Great Lakes Equity Center)  Redefining our work…and how we work together: Academic, Behavior and Culture/Equity Committees working together in unison  Providing Meaningful/Regular Community/School Events to highlight partnerships and student excellence across our District  Creating a District-wide culture of care and trust How do we meet each student’s unique needs? How do form trusting relationships with our parents? How do we show our commitment to equity and cultural responsiveness on a daily basis?

Fostering Relationships/Partnerships  Partnerships have been used to create important relationships with others who are committed to increasing cultural competency in our Appleton Area School District staff members. Some examples include:  Fox Valley Technical College – Cultural Support Specialists (Hmong, African American, Hispanic and Native American (Goodwill)  African Heritage Inc. – Worked to put on the first annual African American Emerging Student Leader Institute this past year. Over 200 students from across the area took part.  Great Lakes Equity Center – Partnership for the past three years in which GLEC has provided resources, training and personnel to assist AASD in our Equity Plan and ongoing equity work.  Wisconsin RtI Center/PBIS Network – Culturally Responsive Classroom Practices Training – Two teams of eight took part in this training during the school year.

Redefining our Work… and How We Work Together  Our District Continuous School Improvement Process (CSIP) Support Team has been recently created to maximize the strength of our key teams that support District academics, behavior and culture/equity.  PBIS, RtI and ACE had been working in a vacuum and in many ways duplicating work.  Bringing together key members from each group has allowed all AASD staff members to better understand how these areas are interrelated.  School teams feel supported by the District CSIP Support Team but also feel empowered to take ownership over how they will implement culturally competencies into their building and school-based CSIP plan.

Overall CSIP Support Structure

 Our ACE Committee takes the lead in working with our schools and our partners in determining how we can best support all of our students from a culturally responsive lens. ACE Committee meets regularly and is made up of community members, teachers, staff members, administrators and students. Ongoing Professional Development Opportunities African American Emerging Leaders Institute Ron Dunlap Student Success Awards Program Students serving on diverse student panels to educate staff members on what they need to be successful learners Town Hall Meetings Community Plunges Providing Meaningful/Regular Community/School Events/Opportunities to educate and highlight student excellence across our District

BLACK EXPERIENCES IN THE FOX CITIES Sponsored by: Appleton Area School District City of Appleton African Heritage, Inc. Channel 5 History Museum at the Castle

Do you want to be part of a group of African American families and AASD staff working together for the success of our Black Children? Do you want to discuss with community members and AASD staff about your child’s experiences in school? Do you want to meet with many African American families and discuss your children’s success within the AASD Schools? Is this SOUL FOOD town hall meeting for you? Yes! We Need You!  May 21st 5:00 p.m.  Wilson Middle School  225 N Badger Avenue Appleton Conversations with Black Families and AASD Officials

1. Please tell us if you have any children/grandchildren in the AASD. If so, what grades are they in and what schools do they attend? 2. What are some of the successes that your children have achieved while attending school in the Appleton Area School District? 3. What are some of the challenges that your children have faced while attending school in the Appleton Area School District? 4. We appreciate and want to hear your thoughts on how we can continue to improve. What suggestions do you have for us as we continue our work to support all of our young people in the Appleton Area School District? Table Time

Ron Dunlap Student Success Award

LA Gay Men’s Choir “Bullied” Jamie Nabozny Professional Development Opportunities for Staff It Gets Better… Events

 Building trust – How do we do that? Professional Development for staff Working with our parents and students Providing positive venues to communicate and collaborate Becoming part of the community Creating a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment Having a system in place to answer questions/concerns when they arise Creating a District-wide Culture of Care and Trust

 Diversity Circles: Courageous Conversations  Promoting Excellence for All - Promoting Excellence for All: Superintendent’s Task Force on Wisconsin’s Achievement Gap  CRP Resources  Validate, Affirm, Build, and Bridge: How to use CRP in your school  Journeys, Privilege Exercise  Utilizing Native American Culture to Develop Strategies to Address the Achievement Gap  Latino Culture – Immigrants are Makers, Not Takers  African American Culture – Building Stronger Student/Staff Relationships  Hmong Culture Culturally Responsive Practices for AASD Staff

Next Steps Non-negotiables for each level of organization PLC’s Building CSIP Teams District CSIP Support Team Determine baseline data for each of three areas (Academic, Behavioral, Cultural Competencies) Formulate clear goals for each of three areas and a process to track progress and report back to Board and community

Questions to Guide Our Ongoing Work  How do we meet each student’s unique needs?  How do we form trusting relationships with our parents?  How do we show our commitment to equity and cultural responsiveness on a daily basis?