Local leaders from Illinois and Michigan brought together teams representing school and district administrators, classroom practitioners, support personnel and union leaders to examine strategies and opportunities to advance educational equity. The National Equity Project facilitated a series of activities designed to guide participating teams to build culture, conditions and competencies needed to provide excellence and equity in our classrooms, schools and communities. Union leaders worked jointly with school and district colleagues to consider barriers and opportunities to advance educational equity in their communities. GL TURN hopes to continue supporting this work, in partnership with The National Equity Project.
In addition, participants considered opportunities to leverage ESSA policies to guide local practices that could more effectively impact student learning. There appears to be growing interest in developing community schools as an effective approach to addressing the social, emotional and academic needs of students in our communities. GL TURN will continue to reach out to learn from local associations and their school, district and community partners who have embraced a “community schools approach†to support all students.
CEC’s Co-Executive Director, Jo Anderson, was featured in GL TURN’s opening session to encourage union leaders and their school and district partners to consider a new way forward during these challenging times – organizing our work around the three frames of comprehensive unionism – traditional, professional and social justice – in ways that enable us “to live, to love to learn and to leave a legacy†to improve the lives of all students, especially those impacted by poverty and trauma.
The next Great Lakes TURN conference is scheduled for April 25 & 26, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois.