PCG Manager Co-Facilitated an Education Webinar About Building and Sustaining Racial Equity
On February 2, 2021, PCG Manager Sophia Thwaites co-facilitated the webinar, Conversations with District Leaders: Building and Sustaining Racial Equity with Luis Versalles, Director of Pre K-12 District Partnerships at Courageous Conversation. Sophia and Luis were joined by Instructional Facilitators Cassandra Davis, EdD, and Amelia D’Costa, from the Equity and Diversity Department at Broward County Public Schools. Raquel Wilson, EdD, Equity and Directions Program Director for Glenbard Township High School District 87 was also a panelist. (Click here to register and access the webinar recording.)
Courageous Conversations in Broward County Public Schools and Glenbard Township High School District 87
The webinar session focused on how Broward County Public Schools (Broward County) in Florida and Glenbard Township High School District 87 (Glenbard) in Illinois developed programs for building and sustaining racial equity leadership by using PCG’s Courageous Conversations About Race online program co-developed by the Pacific Educational Group (PEG). It uses renowned equity expert Glenn E. Singleton’s Courageous Conversations About Race protocol (Courageous Conversations™). This professional development program provides a framework for schools and districts to understand and identify how race impacts their schools and classrooms and then apply that knowledge to engage in systemic equity transformation.
Key webinar topics included: each district’s racial equity goals and objectives; how Courageous Conversations supports equity leadership development; how the districts are keeping the momentum going during the COVID-19 pandemic; and next steps for racial equity leadership.
Regarding the districts’ racial equity goals and objectives, Dr. Wilson discussed how Glenbard has been working to build the capacity of educators and other school staff in their personal and professional racial equity journey. Ms. D’Costa focused on how Broward County’s larger goal of closing the racial achievement and opportunity gaps across all areas has continued to be refined, as they have implemented the Courageous Conversations About Race online program over several years.
Courageous Conversations supports equity leadership development by providing staff with a transformational space to identify how their understanding of race impacts and shapes their practice as educators. It also provides tools and strategies for a wider school community to enact systemic change.
Broward County and Glenbard are keeping the momentum going during the COVID-19 pandemic by intentionally allowing a wider number of educators and support staff to engage in the Courageous Conversations About Race online program. Dr. Wilson discussed how Glenbard has been able to build capacity among staff to continue their personal and professional racial equity journey that has since expanded to include leveraging student voices. Dr. Davis shared how Broward County “painfully and purposefully kept the momentum going” during the civic unrest triggered by the murder of George Floyd to increase and even scale the equity professional development program across the entire district.
Next steps for racial equity leadership in these districts include increasing accountability, continuing to build capacity, and raising up student leaders so that the programs and initiatives created to dismantle racial inequity can be scaled and sustained over time to enact wider systemic transformation.
PCG’s Courageous Conversations About Race Online Learning Program
As PCG has partnered with the PEG to bring Glenn Singleton’s award-winning Courageous Conversation protocol online, we are ready to support school systems and other educational organizations, as they use this essential strategy to address racial disparities through safe, authentic, compassionate, and effective cross-racial dialogue. The program includes a virtual coach, videos, interviews with leading education experts, toolkits and resources, discussions with peers, and more.
Find out how PCG’s Courageous Conversations About Race online program can be implemented in your school district. Contact us today!
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