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Board highlights equity work, building-level cultural programs in ESJ report
Summary
Harlem UD 122's Jan. 27 meeting summarized Equity and Social Justice committee work, including bias awareness training, the "intention-action" gap, and school-level projects that incorporate student cultures and multiple languages.
At the Jan. 27 board meeting, Harlem Consolidated School District staff summarized recent Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) committee work and gave examples of building-level efforts to reflect student cultures and languages.
Presenters told the board the committee is focused on awareness of bias, identifying the gap between teachers' intentions and classroom actions, and training staff to reflect on how bias affects attention and resource allocation. The board singled out Gloria, assistant principal at Rock Cut, for a presentation on bias and its classroom effects.
Examples highlighted in the report included Parker Center's selection of toys and materials to reflect students' diverse cultures and abilities; Olsen Park's living-history "wax museum" projects; Marquette staff's incorporation of Italian, Mexican and Polish culture units in early grades; and Loves Park's music-themed lesson framing. Presenters also noted district efforts to acquire books in languages used by families; the ESJ report said the district counts roughly 44 languages among households.
District presenters referenced research underscoring the role of teacher expectations in student achievement and urged continued reflection and practices to mitigate bias. Board members praised the sustained equity work, saying long-term investment in bias-awareness and culturally responsive materials was yielding results in classrooms and attracting community partners.
The report was informational; no formal board action was taken on ESJ programming during the meeting.
