Equity Matters! Newsletters
EquityMatters! is a newsletter produced by the MCPS Equity Initiatives Unit. It provides resources and stories to help MCPS staff use an equity and antiracist lens in all decisions, practices, and policies. Click here to find past issues.
MCPS Antiracist Audit
MCPS is engaged in a comprehensive Antiracist Audit. Click the button to get updated information about the audit.
The Counter Story
The Counter Story features the voices of our students, families, and staff who are often marginalized in the media, curriculum, and our classrooms. Counterstories help us to interrupt our explicit and implicit biases.
Equity Resources Padlet
This padlet provides updated tools, modules, and other resources for staff and leaders. Keep checking back for the latest materials.
Equity Initiatives Unit
WE BELIEVE...Race and culture exert a powerful influence on policies, practices and interactions in every aspect of Montgomery County Public Schools and can lead to the racial predictability of achievement and success.
- This racial predictability is not simply a factor of individual beliefs and actions, but is institutionalized.
- To eliminate this racial predictability we must remove institutional barriers and demonstrate culturally proficient policies, practices and behaviors.
Our Mission
We will advance racial justice and cultural proficiency by interrupting systems of bias (implicit and explicit), oppression, and inequity in our policies, practices and procedures by challenging every MCPS employee to be courageous, persistent and effective in confronting and resolving racial and cultural issues that impact everyone but disproportionately impact the academic and social emotional success of students of color.
Contact Us
850 Hungerford Drive, Suite 200
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: 240-740-4070
Tweets by @mcpsequityteam
Leadership Team/Professional Learning
Support to school and office leadership teams to develop relationships and structures to lead for equity.
- The Equity Initiatives Unit helps school and office leadership teams develop relationships, communication and structures needed to lead for equity. Click here for more information
- Contact the Equity Initiatives Unit for support in implementing Attachment D (Equity) in your School Improvement Plans
Hate/Bias
Consultation and coaching to address and prevent hate and bias incidences.
- Contact the Equity Initiatives Unit for support.
- Policy -- Nondiscrimination, Equity, and Cultural Proficiency
No Place for Hate: ADL’s school climate improvement initiative that provides PreK-12 schools with an organizing framework for combating bias, bullying and hatred, leading to long-term solutions for creating and maintaining a positive change.
Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current Events: Discussion guides that help parents and family members engage their families in conversations about important news stories and other timely discussions about societal and world events.
Lesson Plans: A collection of individual lessons and multi-grade units that assist educators in teaching current event news topics and helping students think critically about past and current issues of the day.
Books Matter: Bibliography of recommended children’s books. Includes Book of the Month and educator/family discussion guides with vocabulary, discussion questions and extension activities.
Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate: A guide for educators and families to help discuss incidents of hate. (Note: we can do a training for how to use this resource).
Professional Learning
Multiple opportunities for professional learning.
- We have a great set of Equity Modules coming up for second semester.Sign up here.
- Contact the Equity Initiatives Unit for professional learning personalized for your school or office.
Study Circles
Facilitators and structures for schools and offices to develop relationships, awareness, and skills necessary to engage in productive dialogue around challenging issues
- Learn about the different formats to engage leaders, parents, students and staff
- Fact Sheet on how schools are using Study Circles to develop their leadership teams and PLCs.
- Video of High School Students Addressing a Contentious Issues
- Video of Middle School students talking about their Study Circle experience
- Article about the different ways schools have used Study Circles
- Facilitator Training for Students and Staff
Resources
Resources and materials to meet your equity needs. Contact the Equity Initiatives Unit if you can not find what you need.
- Calendar and resources for religious and cultural holidays
- Essays from MCPS Students and Staff -- A series of short essays written by Montgomery County students and staff about their identity. These are great conversation starters to engage colleagues or students.
- Resources to Talk to Your Children about Race and Culture
- EIU recommendations for books, TV shows and movies
- Culturally Responsive Family Engagement -- Tools for creating more effective parent engagement strategies and events
- Understanding LGBTQ+
- Change the Discourse: Tools for leading and addressing challenging conversations in class and meetings
- Dr. Joan’s Gems simple, specific resources (articles, strategies, videos, techniques, activators) that can be used at meetings, in planning, and in the classroom
- "I’ve Got a Podcast for That" -- Each month we highlight different podcasts to help bring a different lens to our understanding of equity.
- Leading for Equity
- Immigration -- Resources to understand the changing immigration policies and the impact on MCPS families. Also resources to support families.