Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD At Your Service, 4 Jun 2018

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From YouTube: June 2018 At Your Service

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Maisha Gillins, Ph.D. Executive Director, Equity & Accelerated Student Achievement talks about the AACPS programs that assist students.

A

Today, I'm at your service, we will learn how Anne Arundel County Public Schools is supporting students, schools and families in a positive and proactive approach which fosters high levels of academic achievement. Welcome to the show today. So can you introduce yourself? This is your special guest today and we just want the audience to know a little bit about you sure.

B

I am my Gillan's I'm, the executive director for equity and accelerated student achievement. I started working in an Toronto County Public Schools in 1997, where I was a middle school math teacher at wiley, H, Bates middle school loved it during my tenure since I've, been here in Anne Arundel County, Public Schools I have been an assistant principal at Annapolis middle school I served time as the coordinator for Title one I taught evening.

B

High school summer, school I was a principal at two middle schools in Anne, Arundel County I was at Phi was five years at Brooklyn Park middle in two years. At seven river meadow I then became the director of school performance, so I worked with 18 schools in the Old Mill in Northeast clusters as again the director of school performance, and so this is my first year in my current position. Oh that's.

C

Great, so you definitely have a good cross-sectional of rasta County. So what is your role now in Anne, Arundel County? Certainly.

B

So in my role as the executive director for equity and accelerating student achievement, we have two offices in my department. We have the office of equity and it's about 3/4 of us and the doing the work of office in the office of equity. But we also have the title one office and the title one office. We monitor funding federal funding that goes to schools who are eligible for free mills.

B

So we have schools in our district elementary schools who have high percentages of students who are eligible for free males, and so we make sure that the money is going obviously towards our students and making sure they're successful academically.

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A

Can I just ask a follow-up with the equity or for their title one office so that the you know the community understands. So what kind of with the the federal funding is there certain things you're able to purchase for those particular schools? Certainly.

B

A wide range of things we're talking personnel to assist with some non-teaching physicians, for instance. So we have schools that have what we would call a title, one reading resource teacher or title one math teacher, and so the purpose of these individuals would be to provide supports to teachers but also provide supports to students, whether it be small group teaching that occurs for students who need it the most or.

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Struggling, we also can use the money for resources so.

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Other words in title one schools: we may have schools that need Chromebooks an additional electronic devices to make sure that all students have access to electronic devices title one money definitely has to be used for parent involvement. Part of title one funding is to engage parents in their students learning. So that's definitely a component to title. One funding can.

C

You explain what class 203 and district 203 are, and how do you support? How does anyone County public school support that so.

B

Class 203 came about several years ago, so my predecessor really brought the notion of class 203. It's based on a teacher world-renowned teacher named Erin Gruwell. She taught in an urban school in California and there were certain tenets or certain attributes that she showed in really meeting the heart to reach student, for instance, making sure that she knew every single student story. So knowing the stories of our students is really important because establishing relationship. We know that when students feel as if they have a caring adult, there will work for you right also engaging instruction.

B

So it's not only that I know my learner I know how to reach my learner, but providing instruction. That's engaging and exciting to encourage students to want to come to school every single day. Another um tenant that we learned from Erin Gruwell story is a growth mindset. Not all of our sins. Are there yet or even.

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Adults, we may not be very yet, but it's about giving the tools and that language and our own thinking that I may not be there yet. But let me set goals so I can get myself there. So what we did was we took some tenants as to how she was successful and then brought it to Anne Arundel County Public Schools. So we highlighted different classrooms, those teachers who really were reaching students who were furthest away from meeting standards. And then we say you know what. Why are we focusing on just individual teachers?

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We need to go school-wide and now we're.

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A

So with your district two or three, what does that? Look like from your office I know that you talked a little bit about principals meetings, but what else does that comprise.

B

Yes, in my office they've conducted trainings, we know it's door to door, it's curb to curb service, so.

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B

Thing our students see our bus drivers if they're a bus ride if they're, if they're their transport to school via bus. So my office they've offered professional development to bus drivers in our district, and it's really about that greeting. When you first see a student when they first board your bus good morning, we're gonna have a great day and it makes a difference right. It starts off a young person's day in a very positive manner. We've done my office they've trained behavior specialists, so certain schools.

B

They have staff members who are assigned to schools to really to motivate students who are challenged. Behaviorally we've done curriculum and professional development around district two or three in curriculum and instruction, and so we know we have folks in our district who write curriculum, but then our teachers have to implement it. So how do we implement it through the lens of district 203? Again those tenets of growth mindset be nice is another tenant. We have in our district how we treat one another. You know fostering relationships, so a lot of training in different workgroups.

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As far as unit of employees, we do offer that we've have offered that we.

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How's the feedback been so far with that.

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I think the feedback has been very positive as far as principal meetings. We do have surveys to help to give us feedback to improve move upon the profession development that we offer. I know that when my team they've done bus drivers or human resources, they've gotten verbal feedback come back. We love you. We love the burnout you're doing my team. They bring a level of very high energy to the training which I think helps ya with when you're delivering training for a group, yeah.

C

I mean that's so important. You have to be excited about something that you're going to be starting to really embrace.

A

So we had the office of equity, you know present to the school counselors and trained the school counselors as well. You know last year and I know that continual partnership, and it really does make a difference and I know I, don't know if this, the the community understands the idea of equity liaisons. Yes,.

B

Good question so to advance the work around equity or district 203. Each school assigns an individual, whether it be a classroom, teacher or a school counselor, but a school based person to deliver or I call advance the work of equity or district 203. And again it's one thing for at the central office level to provide professional development for principals and obviously they go back to their schools, but to have that other support in the building the principal, along with the equity Azon so again to advance the work for teachers so make sure teachers get it.

B

But we also have early dismissal days built into our calendar and for those for early dismissal days. It is focused around the work of eliminating the achievement gap and to do that, we talk about district 203 and building equity.

A

Fantastic, so when you think about the principals and the equity liaisons, are they looking at certain things, because I would think at every school their data or their community would be a little bit different, because we know how you know diverse our system.

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So is that something part of the training? Yes,.

B

So, thank you very much because when we think of diversity, it isn't just by race. When we talk about diversity in our school system, it's such a wide range of things that we come to the table with whether.

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Be varying learning stuff where.

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Beef, our family dynamic, is different, so you're, absolutely right so school, really. They need to know their student population and how they're, how its diverse and to celebrate it right. But we definitely look at our data. We look at our data by student groups and our student groups definitely would be by race for sure and gender right right. Students who receive special education services. So that's definitely a specific student group students who are eligible for free and reduced meals. That will be another student group. So again it isn't just narrow to just race.

B

There are a lot of different factors that make us very different in diverse and it's the role of the principal and Ecko liaison is to make sure that we're addressing the needs of all our our students right exactly.

C

Yeah, definitely um can you explain to the audience about why your office hasn't embraced. The book, building, equity and I see that you have.

B

This book building equity is the basis of our work, and so the reason we have embraced this, the book building equity. It really gives us a road map for us to follow, which is really nice, we're not um pulling for straws or searching furs for something this is research-based. So the arthurs of this book, they've done the work and they're practitioners they're currently in a building right, doing the work. So it isn't a theory, it's its theory in practice right.

B

So the equity strategies in this book are strategies that are tried and true and continue to be tried and true again at this particular school, where the authors are coming from and they're built on what we call taxonomy, and so there are different layers to it. It's looking at physical integration, social, emotional engagement, so again just talking about those two taxonomy, it isn't just about race when.

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To building equity there, it's it's so complex and again we embrace the book because it really gives us a blueprint and a practical way to approach this conversation around equity. So it won't feel so overwhelming yeah.

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Again, just that practical approach to it, yeah.

A

I found that was interesting when I read the book just pieces like social, emotional learning. Yes, just in the realm of school counseling and you know, Christy was the school counselor as well, and just that's the work that we do. So it's really wonderful to see that alignment with instruction and curriculum in the office of school performance. It's almost like everything is finally kind of being integrated and building.

A

So you know just to support students and families and having that that building that safe and supportive culture, because it really comes down to the culture of your buildings and.

B

I appreciate you mentioning that or how your observation of especially a taxonomy to social-emotional engagement when it was time for my office to present to principals, we came to your department, mm-hmm.

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But we're not the.

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Of the work- and it is a partnership it is, it isn't just one office, that's responsible for the work of equity. It really is a partnership, and thank you for student services, student, supportive services, you guys were all on it, saying yeah they're, like yeah.

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Gonna partner here and it was, it- was great- the principal's really enjoyed seeing the partnership. They didn't see us in different silos. It's all the the offices are working together, a gig at the end of the day, we're here for students, and so it does we're all we're better together when we do work together. Well,.

C

I know I've been very pleased seeing a lot of these books are.

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Starting to get spread.

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Around to the different.

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Departments, so that's a very good sign that we're all in the same page and.

A

It was nice when you came to leadership so you're at the school level, but you're also at our leadership meetings where we're discussing the book and so that everybody is on the same page, because it's really that common language and those tenets of that taxonomy right. And it's really seeing how people are trying to have that integration to help students and families and where do all fit in all.

B

Right, some departments may feel it fit in two out of the eight taxonomy yeah they're, one and out of the eight, but there's a place for everyone for sure. Yeah now.

C

We're gonna take a quick break, but we'll be back soon. Okay, thank.

D

You hi I'm Jeannie, Porter, Anne, Arundel, County, Public, Schools Department of Transportation is raising the level of awareness for the state d of your children as we transport them to and from school.

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When a school bus stops to load students as a driver, this is what you will see at a hundred and fifty feet. The bus will activate hazard lights at a hundred feet. The bus driver will activate the amber lights. They will start slowing down at ten feet before the bus stops. They will turn on the red bus lights. There stop sign will come out and students will begin to load once all students are on board safely. The bus driver will turn off red lights and move forward at this time.

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It is safe for the motorist to resume movement.

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The new kindergarten, first and second grade curriculums are designed to engage students in a variety of learning opportunities that involve cooperation and problem-solving student discourse and structure play developed social foundations through peer interactions. This learning bloc promotes curiosity, imaginative thought and responsiveness. The primary focus is on the work of young children play the use of tools and materials. Allow students to share, take, turns and develop the confidence to make effective decisions in school and in life. Ask your child how they interacted with their friends today, while engaging in structured play.

C

Hello, we are returning from break with dr. Killins from our equity office and Ramona County Public Schools, and if you would, please talk a little bit about the two components that you're going to be more applying to Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Just elaborate on that. If you would please certainly.

B

So definitely the rollout for building equity, the taxonomy, it's a process with the week. There's we're not able to it's not realistic to roll out all five at one time, because we want to do it well, so slow.

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Out is the right way to do it so.

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We have definitely focused on the first two taxonomy x', which would be physical integration and social, emotional engagement, and so the book suggests for physical integration. It is critical for teachers to know how diverse their student body is again, as we spoke about earlier. Diversity takes on different characteristics, whether I'm at their verse and how I learn I, want to learn more kinesthetic, hands-on, etc. Visual auditory or my interests may be very different than my peers, and so we really focus on for teachers getting a good handle on.

B

How are my students diverse, but while we're diverse, there are lots of similarities as well to really bring us together where we may have students who have definitely lots of interests that they did not know, and that may bridge some gaps with some relationships among students. So we really look at diversity in two different ways.

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What do we have in common, because once we find it, we have some things in common that may Ford some relationships that weren't there at first my students and then ago and of course in in Reverse, to really celebrate how we are very different and it's okay to have those differences. So that's the physical integration and focusing also on when you enter a school building or the Board of Education. Does it embrace diversity? Do you?

B

Can you see yourself in any facility in Anne, Arundel, County, Public Schools, and does it reflect diversity at large, not necessarily to diversity, if you're thinking of what you see for sure, but definitely our our diverse society at large, when you walk into a building, does it feel very welcoming, there's a scream? You know you belong here in this building, so really do focus on that. We also have focused on social, emotional engagement, and this is why I say: we've partnered up with student services, where we talked about trauma-informed practices.

B

We have students who come to us under great trauma and then how do we equip teachers to a identify? It.

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Knowing that impact trauma has we talked about so many instances of a student encounters trauma their likelihood to succeed. Unfortunately, it's very scary, and so again, how do we create that environment to try to reverse some of it right or to meet a student where they are to a identify, the signs and what are some strategies to redirect or to health, to counsel students who are under great deal of trauma so that that's something else, we've definitely discussed and those supports again from student services.

B

As we continue the work around Africa, we certainly will focus on opportunity to learn.

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Also means that students have an opportunity to be in an Advanced Placement class to be in an honors class, even though I may be a student that may be squirmy or I may not be the popular kid among my teachers, but academically I'm very much capable of doing.

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So those are the opportunities we don't want to close the door on students. We really want to look at their gifts with what they can bring to the table. We're going to be talking about instructional, excellent, again. Equity is about having a high quality teacher for every single student.

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Again, those are the things we're gonna work through and we do have structures in place. We have a teaching and learning cycle which it sets the expectation of what quality, teaching and learning ought to look like and again, providing and supporting teachers and making sure that we're building their capacity to make sure that again, every student, our district, has a high quality teacher and that's how you close those achievement, gaps, mm-hmm and then engage inspired, learnings learners for that taxonomy.

B

It's really important for students to come to us really inspire to not only learn and maximize their experience with us, but when they leave us to be engaged and inspired to do more, we have a philosophy where some schools have what they call kids at home and they talk about destination and for students to really see beyond their day today and their youngsters. We know that a lot of students I was middle school, so they could just date them. They knew what they're gonna do at lunchtime right. That's all right.

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But it's our jobs as adults and caring educators to make sure that students see even beyond us what their future is. Gonna look like there is a future for them, and so that's kind of the taxonomy. All the taxonomy is in a nutshell and again we're going. We use the term called, go slow to go fast, yeah.

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Make sure we're taking our time and.

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Do it right, yes,.

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And it makes sure we're digging really deep ly into the taxonomy. Otherwise,.

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They're not going to retain the information.

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Right, correct.

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Practice conditioning.

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At least ability to be stopped there to be part of your life correct, give that feedback opportunity that feedback loop right. So when you're trying something because it may not be perfect. The first time right right.

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Then the bottom line is for the students that what this is impacting then they in turn correct, yeah it'll be a way of life for them all right, and these adverse experiences.

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Need to be stopped right there and.

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Nurture it and feed it, so, thank you very.

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Clarifying all.

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Now it's it's a wonderful partnership that we have with your office and courage. You know currently: we've been training elementary school teachers as well on the outside, with more and more trauma-informed strategies. So it's really that integration beyond with already receiving at the schoolhouse and the principals they wanted. You know additional support services, so you know it's been a great partnership and I think something that's going to really impact their ability to learn and feel welcome.

A

You know and just how to have those little combing corners in their room, and you know just there's opportunities for students and thinking about you know changing that language and that mindset instead of you know instead of what is wrong as what is happening with students or what is happening to that staff member and because you know we work with students, but we're also people, and so we also have a faculty and a staff that we need to be welcoming and supportive with as well so I think it's a great partnership and it's going to just keep going and building that and.

B

I think that changing the face of equity yeah when people thought equity was when you hear about trauma-informed practices that you hear about. If I have a student who's under trauma versus me, going white versus.

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To know more, let me get to.

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Nice yeah what.

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Has what's happening so I'm gonna have some wraparound services I, don't think we thought we think about equity, but that is equity because I'm.

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Individual, where they are exactly I'm, trying to find out more about this individual, their lack of experience and they're, providing those supports so.

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Appreciate the conversation because it redefines what equity is when.

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It looks right and we talk about cultural identity, and so one of the activities when we had your office come in was do those cultural identity bubbles and it's just very eye-opening for the staff members to look at what their culture is and then how to share their what's important to them to the other counselors. But then, if that's happening at the school house which I know it, is it's really a learning activity for the teachers as well to see you know not everybody experiences this you do yes, and so that's a wonderful lens.

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Then they can impart with families and students. Yes, in this school.

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That's really the foundation to the work of equity or any work, because.

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Really all about how we approach our work, mm-hmm, all right.

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Department we're in right so for me, myisha gilma is I'm gonna approach it based on my lived experience, which is a different experience that your.

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Different experience than yours, and so we do, we try to start out professional development sessions. What we talk about the cultural bubble, what are these dimensions of identity, whether it be race, family structure, religion, Yeah, right? Your geography, where was I, born I, was born in Los, Angeles California, very different, mm-hmm, Annapolis, Maryland, right and so I bring all those things, and so by know my lived experience and the lens in which I see things. That's gonna help me better understand. Well. Why am I responding this way right?

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Exactly maybe I shouldn't respond this way, or maybe some implicit bias. If we're gonna speak.

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Was the lived experience influences that, and so the I truly believe if we can acknowledge and recognize those influences yeah.

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It allows us to better understand how we're interacting with the outer world correctly.

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They're for me, then, to kind of put some brakes and pauses.

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A little different that is correct.

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Back and not that's.

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So true that is so true, yeah.

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Yeah, so we had.

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A little bit of discussion and we've talked a little bit, but can you speak about how your office, you know, we think about family and community supports initiatives? What's what come is happening in that area of community supports, certainly.

B

So we do have employees that are in three of our high schools, they're called community ambassadors and I I'm, trying to remember the date. So forgive me for.

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B

Been in existence, I'm, gonna, say easily eight ten years, and so again we have in urbanites, select high school. So right now three different high schools. We have community ambassadors and they really are the liaison between the community and the school. So we do have students who, let's say, have challenges getting to school every day on time and in addition to the ppw people, personnel worker, community ambassadors are typically individuals who live in a certain community. Okay.

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To knock on someone's door to see them over the weekend, it's not a stretch right, hey, I, know.

C

You neighbor right. What's.

B

Going on with your student, how can we support your student and so again they're that liaison between the community and the school and it's a different type of relationship having had having someone in their community? So if anything is going on out over the weekend, let's say: sometimes our families aren't crises over the weekend or our students may get in conflict and.

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On over to the school that community ambassador can be the individual to be proactive in hearing about situations and either notifying the school or trying to do some mediation with you to try to avoid things, issues happening I'm in the school, because we know it will in negatively impact student learning that way. So that's the we're our intention is to expand community ambassadors, those persons, the positions, how.

C

Do you support school leaders and in leadership, growth, yeah.

B

So we've supported that I mentioned earlier professional development, my office. We do a lot of training for again principals and we have the echo liaisons. They do training several times a year as well, and we also I talked about the different offices that we have. We have done training around district 203. We do have an annual conference called unlocking our potential conference, and this has been a signature conference for many years as long as I've been in the in the district and the conference.

B

Really again, it's for principals assistant principals, each school gets a number of slots. Let's say for.

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10 place so.

B

Your teacher leaders in your building each office at central office they also get slots or number of petitions that they can invite to this conference. It's a day-long conference at Northeast high school. Again, we've been doing it for years. We have signature speakers, often whether it be in County or someone from out of County. Who really could speak to the work around and again, equity is such a larger, broader term and so I know. Susan mentioned that she's going to be presenting at.

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Your conference yay trauma.

B

Informed instruction and so again so that's another avenue that we provide professional development for our school leaders in the county. Thank.

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A

A wonderful opportunities so when, when, when you're looking for that, that's really where you're trying to grow the grassroots yeah within this school system in shaping whether its new teacher leaders, new principals, new AP, yeah and so there's a variety of offices that help support right, just some initiative. It's really interesting because I love elevating all students and eliminating all gaps. That's one of the you know the tags that we use and it really holds true. So you know dr.

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gilens I appreciate the time that you've come this this day to share what your office does, because I think it's really important that the community, the students and the families know yes,.

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Initiatives that we support, that is the foundation of student success and dealing with you know, career in college readiness and so I. Just wanted to thank the viewers today stay tuned for another at your service.

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The new kindergarten, first and second grade curriculums are designed to engage students in a variety of learning opportunities that involve collaboration, conversation and creativity.

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One learning bloc that is devoted to movement and healthy minds and bodies supports a cooperative classroom and a feeling of connectedness in move-move-move, healthy minds and bodies, activities, support oral language development and prepare the brain for new information. The use of repetition and movement offers an opportunity to review content across various learning blocks. The positive effects of physical activity on the young brain provides a focus and a readiness to learn, ready.

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Your child, how move move move help them learn today.