Upcoming Training Program to Address Equity in Schools
WAKEFIELD — As a nationwide dialog regarding racism and inequity has been sparked following tragic events including the death of George Floyd last week at the hands of Minneapolis police, the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) wishes to reaffirm its commitment to promoting the health and safety of all students.
“The tragic, deeply disturbing murder of George Floyd serves as a stark reminder of the work to be done, and we join in the worldwide devastation over systemic racism and hate,” said MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels. “The very mission of MPY is to promote the health and safety of all students. We have been and will continue to organize and host professional development and training opportunities that focus on equity, diversity and inclusion. It is our hope that these training programs offer the support, guidance and resources educators need to create and uphold curriculum, policies and school environments which reflect diversity, equity and empathy.”
MPY will be holding a remote webinar titled “(Re)focusing on Educational Equity During the Economic Crisis post-COVID-19” next week on Tuesday, June 9 at 10 a.m.
The webinar will feature University of North Carolina-Charlotte Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, Racial Equity Consultant and Author Tracey Benson, who will discuss how COVID-19 has exposed racial inequalities in education, healthcare and employment and how school leaders can better understand and address the post-pandemic realities of disenfranchised communities. The webinar will also discuss how educators can dedicate various resources to pursue equity in their districts.
To learn more about the upcoming webinar, click here.
MPY began offering remote webinars to educators statewide, free of charge, this March after the nonprofit was forced to cancel its planned conferences for the remainder of the spring due to COVID-19 and social distancing efforts. The remotely held trainings have addressed challenges educators are navigating as a direct result of COVID-19, including ensuring equity during the unprecedented and unforeseen closing of school facilities.
Benson led one such webinar titled “Ensuring Equitable Virtual Learning Plans During the COVID-19 Pandemic” on May 11, reaching 665 educators.
On May 19, a webinar titled “Equity and Access During and After COVID-19: Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Policy Responses” was led by Matt Gonzales, director of the New York University Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools’ Integration and Innovation Initiative (i3). Hundreds of educators took part in Gonzales’s training.
Additionally, MPY hosted a webinar reaching hundreds of educators titled “Defining an Equity Leadership Agenda in the Midst of COVID-19” on May 29 featuring CEO of EJT Consulting LLC Erica Jordan-Thomas, who is also a doctoral candidate in education leadership at Harvard’s graduate school of education.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501.c(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration, and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. Member organizations include more than 140 public school districts, charter schools, private schools, special education schools, educational collaboratives, and youth community service organizations in the Commonwealth. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth.
The nonprofit is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission.
To learn more, visit www.mpyinc.org.
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