Culturally Responsive Teaching & Equity

The second goal of our newly developed strategic plan is:

Implement culturally responsive teaching practices and social-emotional learning (SEL) to develop the whole child.

As we have shared before, the diversity of our community is our most remarkable strength.  Each day, our East Prairie community learns from, with, and alongside one another, which we view as an incredible gift - and one that benefits both children and adults.  These opportunities are also complex and laden with challenge.  This strategic goal strives to cultivate the mindsets, practices, and policies to ensure we are supporting EVERY child in reaching their fullest potential.  Our school, like every public institution, has a responsibility to ensure we meet the needs of every child and every family - ensuring access and opportunity to the highest-quality educational experiences in an environment that is safe, caring, and inclusive.

This goal reflects our community’s priority of actualizing terms like “equity,” “culturally responsive practices,” and “social-emotional learning” into real, meaningful, and sustained action.  It reflects our focus for making changes that have a real impact, make a difference, and endure to improve not only our school and community, but the broader world as well.  This goal is a promise towards openly, earnestly, and collaboratively addressing the very real challenges and issues facing our school and community.  We know that despite our best intentions, and perhaps because of them, ensuring educational equity for every one of our students is a daily endeavor, requiring constant care and attention.  

As with all of our strategic goals, it is the time, attention, and collective effort behind them that will drive success.  We look forward to sharing more on our efforts to achieve this, and our other goals, in the weeks, months, and years ahead.