Watertown highlights student voice, restorative practices and caregiver engagement in quarterly equity update

Watertown Public Schools presented a quarterly equity update on April 7 that highlighted three district focus areas — stakeholder engagement, student voice and restorative practices — and outlined recent activities including caregiver gatherings, a caregiver talk series, Upstander training for upper elementary students and school-based residencies by equity facilitators.

Why it matters: district officials said the work is intended to build inclusive school climates, give students leadership opportunities and create consistent restorative practices across buildings.

Dr. Daley (equity lead) described recent activities: 12 identity-based caregiver gatherings in fall, a caregiver-created three-part series on screen use launched in March, and expanded school-based residencies where equity staff work in buildings monthly. The district also noted celebrations including World Down Syndrome Day, multicultural fairs, Ramadan events and a middle-school drumming circle.

Student voice: The WPS Student Leadership Academy and student representatives were singled out. Student Evelyn Follett said the Upstander training “was just like the little voice in my head throughout middle school” and credited the training with helping her act when peers are in need. Student Ariana Boyajan said peer-tutoring and teacher supports make rigorous coursework achievable for motivated students.

Restorative practices: The district described routine implementation at the middle school — mindful-Monday sessions, professional learning communities for adults, and restorative responses led by administrators — and said it plans to expand consistent practices to other buildings next year.

Questions from committee members led to a discussion of measurement. Administrators said they gather evaluation feedback from caregivers and students, use student surveys and collect anecdotal reports from school leaders; the district pledged to present outcomes in June.

The presentation also connected to larger work: the district said it is exploring ways to align service-hour requirements with meaningful leadership opportunities and to reduce barriers so students can complete community-service requirements while gaining leadership experience.

Next steps: the administration will return to the committee in June with a full year’s outcome data on equity initiatives and student voice programs.