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Wyomissing educators describe year of Penn State human-rights training, invite board to April 23 showcase
Summary
Three district educators described cross-building collaboration and teacher-driven inquiry after participating in the Penn State Human Rights Education Initiative; the district will host a public showcase of cohort projects April 23 and plans a recruiting video to expand participation.
A staff member introduced three members of the district's first Penn State University Human Rights Education Initiative cohort and said the group of 17 educators spans kindergarten through 12th grade. The staff member told the board the program was designed to be job-embedded and cross-disciplinary, not targeted to a single content area.
A presenter who spoke about classroom impact said the cohort provided regular time to compare practice with colleagues from other buildings and to bring in outside facilitators who "have pretty much no skin in the game" and can listen and guide reflection. "That has really, really been a wonderful asset to these conversations," the presenter said, describing monthly meetings combined with online modules and shared documents to collect reflections.
The presenters described how the cohort framed a classroom problem as an inquiry, collected data across grade levels and with families, and used that evidence to test modest changes in instruction and support. One presenter said the work created new "wonderings" — follow-up questions that can drive future professional projects — and another described planning an SEL (social-emotional learning) discovery room at the WEC for fall implementation.
District staff said the partnership with Penn State University, and with local facilitators, produced a mix of in-person collaboration and self-paced online modules. The staff member said the district plans to create a short recruiting video from recorded sessions and invited board members to a public celebration of cohort projects on April 23 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Junior/Senior High School library.
The presenters asked the board to consider expanding administrative support and professional learning (including 45 Act 45 hours for certain administrators) so the model can scale beyond the initial cohort. The staff member said the district paid for the cohort with existing professional learning funds and is exploring ways to grow the work while keeping sessions convenient for teachers.
The board thanked the presenters for their time and encouraged members to attend the April 23 event. No formal action or vote was taken during this portion of the meeting.
