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Consultant outlines districtwide 'mattering' work to Lawrence Township Board
Summary
Alicia DiLorenzo told the Lawrence Township Board of Education her equity-focused “mattering” initiative seeks to raise student motivation and well‑being by helping students feel seen, heard and valued; the plan centers equity coaches, faculty discovery sessions and community conversations to scale local practices.
Alicia DiLorenzo, an education consultant who works with the Lawrence Township Public School District, told the board on Monday that the district is beginning a yearlong initiative to help students and staff feel they “matter” at school.
DiLorenzo said the approach distinguishes belonging (fit and connection) from mattering (significance) and centers three ingredients that research and her district work identify as key: being seen, being heard and being valued. “When people check in on students beyond academics and genuinely listen, they begin to feel they have a role and offer value,” she said.
DiLorenzo described a “positive disruption” model that surfaces effective local practices rather than imposing top-down solutions. She cited an international example and said the district will start by building a common language with teachers, training equity coaches and conducting five faculty discovery meetings this year; the first was held the preceding Monday, she said. The process will then expand to school‑level and community conversations to identify and scale “pockets of wisdom” already present in Lawrence Township schools.
The consultant outlined practical next steps: equity coaches will host discovery dialogues with staff, the district will collect meeting and district data to inform responsive strategies, and community conversations will invite families and students to name practices that make young people feel they matter. DiLorenzo said the work is designed to be durable beyond any single administration and intended to inform related goals such as wellness, discipline practices and instructional supports.
Administrators and board members asked procedural questions about timing and measurement. DiLorenzo recommended routine progress reports and said the methodology emphasizes listening, documenting successful local practices and piloting ways to scale them over time. Superintendent Robin Klim framed the work as connected to larger facility and planning efforts, including an upcoming bond referendum that she said will be the focus of community outreach in the coming months.
The presentation concluded with board members thanking DiLorenzo for the overview and with the district planning follow-up community conversations and internal check‑ins to track progress.
