Tag: Core Values

Honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Over the past year, many amazing national and local activists, thinkers, and leaders have shared their knowledge, strength, and experiences. We have been introduced to new leaders, learned from experienced social justice leaders, and laid to rest leaders and community members who left us charged to do more and to keep working towards a better, more equitable today and tomorrow. 

This year, to honor the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, West Wind is highlighting a few youth activists, entrepreneurs, and scholars who have committed themselves to equity-focused causes within their communities. We have so much to learn from these young activists and the strategies they are using to create positive change.  Continue reading “Honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Our Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Our Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

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The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way we work, think, and educate. 

Throughout this time, West Wind has been busy supporting our partners and clients to keep our work focused on equity and safety. Like many crises, this pandemic has further shown the great racial disparities in the U.S. with regard to living conditions, patterns of employment, work circumstances, underlying health conditions, and access to responsive health care. We will continue to prioritize safety and equity. We are honored to spend time talking with, supporting, and learning from our colleagues as we all navigate through the response to the pandemic.   

To read more about the issues we are working on around equity and responses to the pandemic, please visit our blog at the Educational Equity Resources Portal titled Racial Equity, COVID-19, and Our Schools.  

In the coming months, we will share several of our guidance documents free of charge; jump into our Educational Equity Resources Portal and filter.

Working with Educators to Address Implicit Bias

Working with Educators to Address Implicit Bias

Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

Implicit Bias is more than just a hot topic that surfaced during the 2016 presidential campaign. Implicit bias is real and it negatively impacts the lives of marginalized individuals every day across our country. The Kirwan Institute at The Ohio State University defines implicit bias as ”[T]he attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control.”[i]  Some of the key characteristics of implicit bias include that everyone has them; they are generally not an indication of our beliefs or our values; and they are malleable. Continue reading “Working with Educators to Address Implicit Bias”

Equity in Personalized Learning

Equity in Personalized Learning

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This summer the International Association for Online Learning (iNACOL) and CompetencyWorks invited me to the 2017 National Summit on K-12 Competency-based Education to explore personalized learning and CBE. The Summit brought together experts and leaders from across the country to focus on 4 key areas: 1) quality, 2) equity, 3) meeting students where they are, and 4) systems and policies. Continue reading “Equity in Personalized Learning”

Check out the Dream Center’s Summer Leadership Camp

Check out the Dream Center’s Summer Leadership Camp

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DreamCenterlogoCheck out the awesome work of our partners at the Dream Center during their Summer Leadership Camp 2017. Congratulations to the team and nice job to the participants!

Enjoy their video HERE.

To learn more about the Dream Center visit them online HERE or on Facebook.

Note: this post was updated in May 2020 to correctly link to the Dream Center’s new pages, Dream City IA.

Why Personalized Learning?  A Parent’s Perspective

Why Personalized Learning? A Parent’s Perspective

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Personalized Learning 300This is the first in a series of blogs to explore personalized learning.  In the first installment, I share my own journey as a parent to understand why personalized learning should be a goal of PK-12 systems and how I came to believe that.  The “evidence” for my parental belief is almost purely anecdotal and formed from supporting my own children in school.  The next blogs will focus more on the evidence and data that convince me as a professional working in education policy that this shift is necessary.  In subsequent blogs I plan to explore several education initiatives and programs aimed at personalized learning, such as Genius Hour, competency-based education practices, and project-based learning practices. Continue reading “Why Personalized Learning? A Parent’s Perspective”

A MLK Day to Remember

A MLK Day to Remember

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I hope you had a meaningful MLK Day yesterday!  We are proud that our very own Alecia Brooks was honored yesterday at the 1st Annual Stride Toward Progress Bell Ringing and Awards Ceremony here in Iowa City.  Royceann Porter, 2014-15 African American Achievement Award Recipient, took it upon herself to publicly acknowledge the hard work and spirit of service among black leaders in Iowa City.  She identified over 150 community members to honor!  We prepared certificates of acknowledgement and gratitude and Royceann worked with a local vendor to get T-shirts for all of the award recipients.  It was inspiring to meet so many committed Iowa Citians! Continue reading “A MLK Day to Remember”

2015 Martin Luther King Day of Service

2015 Martin Luther King Day of Service

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MLK_2015 “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding  will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”

              — Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail

This Monday communities will come together to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to take part in service to others in the name of justice and equality.  This past year we have continued to see prejudice and injustice spur fear and divide our communities.  We have also seen strong black leadership across the country and in our own communities speak out to guide us toward justice. Continue reading “2015 Martin Luther King Day of Service”

Learning to Celebrate

Learning to Celebrate

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Celebrate (2)My children’s elementary school recently celebrated our 60th birthday.  We gathered at the school, listened to alumni who are now junior high and high school students play orchestral music, ate cookies, picked a few remaining vegetables from the school garden, and spent time with our friends and neighbors.  Retired teachers, staff, principals, and alumni returned to share their memories.  We heard story after story about how the school changed lives and how teachers, staff, and principals impacted generations.  It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon – and it was a celebration of our community, our students, our school, and an acknowledgement that education matters deeply to us. Continue reading “Learning to Celebrate”

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