Equity Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Newton Schools Foundation

Futuring: Developing the Next Strategic Plan for the Newton Public Schools

After a 4-part session to develop a Profile of a Newton Graduate, the district and stakeholder groups will work to develop a 3-5 year strategic plan for the district. The entire school community would be affected and enhanced by a new strategic plan, but we aspire to 50 community members participating in the stakenolder engagement part of strategic planning.

Applicant: Anna Nolin

Schools: District Wide

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $16,800

No Red Ink: Personalized Grammar Instruction

No Red Ink is an engaging and pedagogically valuable tool for Grade 8 grammar instruction. It allows for differentiated grammar instruction and evaluation. We have seen its utility first hand for the past six months, and want to renew the license. Students' English grammar skills are widely varied, and with historically large class sizes in this year's 8th grade, providing targeted instruction for all students is quite a challenge, even for our veteran ELA team. Some families afford tutors to boost skills, and/or have native English family members at home, while others rely solely upon our instruction. No Red Ink allows us to tailor grammar instruction, which helps with engagement and skills growth overall.

Applicant: Becky Cohen

Schools: Brown

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $3,500

Professional Development and Alignment in Anti-Biased, Culturally Responsive Assessment for Psychologists

Book study of Systemic Racism and Educational Measurement Confronting Injustice in Testing, Assessment, and Beyond, by Dr. Michael Russell, culminating in meeting with the author in the spring and application of what is learned in future years. Over the course of the spring of 2024 and the 2024-25 school year, the psychologists will read Dr. Russell’s book, participate in book groups designed to apply the learning to their own work, and will discuss as a department additional measures, statements, and methods to be added or changed in order to reduce the inherent systemic and build-in bias in assessment. The department will invite Dr. Russell to join for some part of the discussion.

Applicant: Laurie Paul, Jordanna L’Esperance, Toni-Marie Kelly

Schools: District Wide

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $4,037

Social Emotional Learning & Promoting Equity

SEL implementation through teaching specific strategies and tools to facilitate equity of learning. Utilizing the different trainings I have received, I am developing new models to implement SEL. In 30 minute daily lessons, I will teach the Zones of Regulation paired with a book and a calming tool. Each student will develop an individual toolbox to identify their feelings and strategies that have been model in lessons/books. This will help maintain regulation and increase resilience. When all students persevere through academic challenges this creates equity among students.

Applicant: Jennifer Mead

Schools: Peirce

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $550

Fine Arts for All

In 2021 we applied for and were approve for a grant that allowed us to expand our inventory of adapted musical equipment to be used at NECP. We want to expand on that project by …

Fine Arts for All

In 2021 we applied for and were approve for a grant that allowed us to expand our inventory of adapted musical equipment to be used at NECP. We want to expand on that project by acquiring accessible art materials to ensure access for all learners. In preschool, the bulk of curriculum is delivered through art and music. For students with limited motor movement, they often lack the ability to participate independently in curriculum activities because of the lack of adaptive equipment. By acquiring adapted art and music equipment, students with significant disabilities will have the opportunity to be able to participate independently with their peers, ensuring social-emotional wellbeing, educational equity, and academic excellence.

Applicant: Ashley Raven, Emily Nunes, and Kayla McAlister

Schools: NECP

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $2,487.40

Tier 1 SEL Take a Break Spaces, SEL Reboot Part 2

The project aims to obtain materials to create “Take a Break” spaces. This structure provides students with a developmentally appropriate space in the classroom where they can learn to recognize and react to emotions in a healthy & productive way. In order for students to be engaged in learning, self-regulation, a sense of belonging and safety is crucial. “Take a Break” spaces are designated areas in classrooms that help facilitate a safe learning environment for all students. This Tier 1 classroom structure is part of the puzzle that promotes belonging and connectedness for all students. Having an organized binder and bin of materials & explicitly teaching how to use this calming, regulating space is key to its effectiveness.

Applicant: Lisa LaCava

Schools: Mason Rice

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $ 780.92

Tier 2 & 3 Intervention & Progress Monitoring for Students in the ACHIEVE program

We want to purchase 17 licenses for Freckle Math & Read Live so that students in our ACHIEVE program (students with dyslexia) have access to rigorous, research-based, scaffolded reading & math intervention that also provides actionable progress data. Read Naturally is used in NPS for reading assessment & fluency intervention. Read Live is the online extension of Read Naturally. Read Live is particularly helpful for students who have reading disabilities because it reads content to students and provides actionable progress data for teachers. Freckle Math provides scaffolded standards-based math intervention to students, with problems read aloud if needed for students with dyslexia, and provides actionable progress data to teachers.

Applicant: Suzanne Griffin & Orla Higgins Averill

Schools: Angier

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $760.75

Consultant on Anti-Ableism Work

Bring on regional expert to support w. engagement w. the district to leverage work of developing anti-ableist lens across district. Betsy Johnson would engage with the district in developing a critical lens through which to examine our current practices for evidence of ableism. Once we can root ableism, we can work to dismantle it so we eliminate/minimize impact of unintended discrimination caused by implicit biases. This would lead to more equitable educational experiences for all students.

Applicant: Casey Ngo-Miller

Schools: District Wide

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $1,170

Teachers As Scholars

Teachers participate in small, 2 day seminars led by university staff in the arts, humanities, math, and science, and are thus reconnected to the world of scholarship. Participants will explore a niche area of content …

Teachers As Scholars

Applicant: Dani Johnson

Schools: NNHS

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $3,375

SEL Tools for Lincoln Eliot

This project aims to obtain materials to support “Take a Break” spaces and to provide students with sensory tools to help them self-regulate to better be able to attend to classroom lessons and work. Though many classroom teachers are open to implementing SEL tools, there has never been a budget for these materials. Many teachers have not been trained in tools that may help students exhibiting certain behaviors. Implementing tools to help students self-regulate is both a recent innovation in education, as well as an avenue to promote equity in that all students will have access to what they need to help them do their best learning.

Applicant: Jen Terrazzino

Schools: Lincoln Eliot

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $693

Classroom Take a Break Spaces

The project aims to obtain materials to create “Take a Break” spaces. This structure provides students w/ a developmentally appropriate space w/in their classroom where they can learn to recognize/react to emotions in a healthy and productive way. In order for students to be highly engaged in academic content and instruction in their classrooms, self-regulation and a sense of belonging and safety is crucial. “Take a Break” spaces are a small, designated area in classrooms that help to facilitate a safe learning environment for all students. This tier one classroom structure is part of the puzzle that promotes strong belonging and connectedness for all students in our elementary classrooms.

Applicant: Michelle Ellis

Schools: Angier

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $293

The L

The L is a system of subway lines, markers, and signage. Designed to be developmentally appropriate for students and ADA compliant, this UDL supports the science of wayfinding which increases independence, reduces anxiety, and improves library usage. As part of my professional goal, I’m to visit public and school libraries to learn about the impact of wayfinding. A design for The L has been made and supplies must be ordered. Collaboration with NNHS Ed Tech program and Graphics Department will result in signage that allows students to navigate their space, meeting the required library outcomes for research and reading for leisure in NPS. By March, the system should be in place and lessons K-5 will be taught to introduce their new environment.

Applicant: Liz Donovan

Schools: Angier

Date Approved: Fall 2023

Amount: $2,400