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Prolific author and activist bell hooks describes “a homeplace as a place where black folx truly matter to each other, where souls are nurtured, comforted, and fed” (hooks as cited in Love, 2020, p.63).

Bettina Love, an award-winning author and professor, argues that classrooms must be created in parallel with communities that facilitate interactions where people matter to each other, a homeplace that represents the hopes and dreams of Black and Brown children. (Love, 2020)

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Text: "Our mission is through a caring culture of equity, trust, and collaboration, every student will graduate ready for college, career, and life."

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Harvard fights back as Trump administration freezes funding

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A group of Harvard professors sued the Trump administration to block the withholding of billions of dollars in funding, which could impact research. The freeze came after the school rejected White House demands to control parts of its curriculum, along with the school’s admission process and who it chooses to hire.

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Social Practice: GSU presents itself as an organization that is inclusive to all. Identity and Placemaking, as one of its four pillars, places value on how much diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of the university.

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Text: "The identity of the university and our student body should be shared nationwide. We are leading as a model for inclusive excellence, and we must continue to build equity and recognition for faculty, staff and students. We will continue to inform our communities about what we’ve done, where we’re going and what we can do to advance the institution in diversity, equity and inclusion."

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Discursive Practice: The messaging delivers a sense of belonging for a diverse body of students. The language is goal-oriented, as it suggests that diversity, equity, and inclusion promote excellence and that GSU intends to be a leader in this space. The messaging extends to both students and faculty.

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Social Practice: The messaging provided in the mission statement gives way to the importance of equity, trust, and collaboration amongst its students. The district positions all students to succeed in the present and future.

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Discursive Practice: The APS mission statement promotes equity for all its students. There is a sense of belonging and encouragement for students to reach their academic, career, and life goals.

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Social Practice: The erasure of language regarding the district's stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion is blaringly obvious and dismissive of the student body they serve.

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Discursive Practice: Simple in structure. Omission of words generates more questions that address Who, When, and How, for example.

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Text: The mission statement on the Cobb County School District website.

"Our mission is One Team, One Goal: Student Success."

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Social Practice: The language prohibits schools or educational agencies from supporting programs or activities that advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The language within the Senate Bill feels direct, mandated, and without opportunities for amendments or flexibility in the demands, preventing DEI.

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Discursive Practice: The tone is authoritative. The language is prohibitive in nature.

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Text:

19: (b) No local education agency or postsecondary institution shall promote, support, or

20: Maintain any programs or activities that advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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Georgia Senate passes ban on DEI in schools and colleges as 2025 session winds down • Georgia Recorder

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Lawmakers in the Senate concluded the 39th legislative day of the 2025 session in the early hours of Thursday morning by advancing a bill that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs or policies from all state public schools and universities. The bill, which effectively hollowed out legislation originally aimed at increasing sick days and […]

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Georgia House Bill 127-Research Assignment.pdf

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Building the Bridge from Empathy to Excellence

When we reach and teach all children as if they had our last name, and when we know each and every student by name, by face, by individual strength and need, and when we lead and support each and every student, staff member, and family with empathy (i.e., to the extent possible-knowing what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes), with equity (i.e., addressing individual needs as they arise), with effectiveness (i.e., the ability to produce a desired result), and with excellence (i.e., achieving improved and noteworthy social, emotional, academic, and cognitive performance) and when we wear the same jersey while doing so, we will be a high-performing team that continues to thrive... Team GCPS! - Dr. Calvin J. Watts, Superintendent

In 2021, the Gwinnett County Board of Education appointed a new superintendent for the Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) after twenty-five years of leadership that built the district's reputation as a world-class organization recognized across the state and nation. In July 2022, the Board of Education adopted the strategic plan to be implemented from 2022-2027. In June 2024, Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts and executive leadership provided recommended updates and changes to this strategic plan, the changes outlined in Appendix F address changes made due to data availability, state and federal law changes, as well as language and grammar updates. GCPS has a legacy of performance and innovation that has prevailed for more than two decades and directly contributed to the county's economic growth over that time. Since 2000, Gwinnett has become one of the most diverse counties in the United States, while the school system has grown to be the largest in the state of Georgia and the 11th largest in the country. The diversity of the larger community is also reflected in the school system.

With an enrollment of over 180,000 students, GCPS includes families that speak over 100 different languages and dialects, with 24% of our students considered Multilingual Learners. Over 80% of our students identify as part of communities of color, including Black, Hispanic, Asian Pacific Islander, and Native American. This diversity is a fact and a strength. Gwinnett County and GCPS truly reflect the demographic shifts experienced across the country, and, therefore, we have a unique opportunity to become a national model of a high-performing district serving an incredibly diverse student population.
Figure 1: Strategic Plan Input

Blueprint Development

To sustain the legacy of the past in this exciting context, GCPS has developed a strategic plan - Our Blueprint for the Future. This Blueprint defines the transformational work of the next five years, incorporating feedback from the community gathered during Dr. Watts' Look, Listen, and Learn tour, the Transition and Planning Team, and the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council. This strategic plan also incorporates feedback from the Teacher Advisory Council, Business Advisory Council, Local School Councils, Local School Administrators Association, Advocacy Groups, and school and district leaders.

The Blueprint synthesizes the findings and recommendations from prior continuous improvement and strategic planning efforts. These include recent Cross-Functional Action Teams (XFATs) regarding cultural competence, resource allocation, whole learner supports, and social emotional learning. The district formed Educational Equity Teams of more than 100 district and local school staff members to make recommendations in six areas - student support, educational opportunities and expectations, teaching and learning, community engagement and partnerships, human resources and leadership, and facilities and resources. To complement these internal efforts, GCPS partnered with external organizations to review and provide feedback on our work, including:

The Blueprint incorporates some components of the drivers that are still relevant and applicable from the Strategic Direction for 2020-2030 framework. Specifically, school climate and communication are areas that require even greater focus as we commit to improving outcomes for each and every student. The district will continue its pursuit of excellence in all academic and operational areas.

MGT Consulting, GCPS Organization Effectiveness Review - March 2022

National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), GCPS Communication Audit Report - January 2022

Cognia, GCPS Special Review Report - June 2021

Georgia State University Department of Educational Policy Studies, Gwinnett County Public Schools Principal Pipeline Equity-Centered Leadership Project - February 2021

University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership, GCPS Equity-Centered School Leadership Summary of Findings - December 2020

Education Resource Strategies (ERS), Education Resource Equity in Gwinnett County - November 2020

Cognia (AdvancED), Accreditation Report of the External Review Team for GCPS -June 2017

The Blueprint incorporates some components of the drivers that are still relevant and applicable from the Strategic
Direction for 2020-2030 framework. Specifically, school climate and communication are areas that require even greater focus as we commit to improving outcomes for each and every student. The district will continue its pursuit of excellence in all academic and operational areas.

As part of theLearning 2025 network, GCPS is one of 125 demonstration districts seeking to redesign public education. GCPS will shift its culture to one that is whole learner-focused, where each and every child is known by name, by face, by individual strength, and by need. The district will ensure that no learner is marginalized by creating school climates where students and staff feel valued and accepted no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, native language, disability, or religion. GCPS students live in a world where diversity is a fact - as evidenced by Gwinnett County's status as one of the most diverse counties in the United States. Our efforts to be future-driven must include preparing our children to live and work with people who may be quite different from themselves.

Towards this end, GCPS launched a community-wide effort to create our shared vision for student success - Portrait of a Graduate. The Portrait includes the skills, competencies, and attitudes our community believes are vital for students to possess when they graduate from GCPS. The Portrait serves as the "north star" of this strategic plan.

The Blueprint is designed to ensure our Portrait of a Graduate becomes a reality. The Blueprint will also drive the intentional culture shifts that reflect the guiding vision of the Learning 2025 community of practice. Our Blueprint for the Future defines our strategic priorities in four areas: empathy, equity, effectiveness, and excellence. We know that empathy is key to our understanding of others and to creating a powerful sense of belonging in our GCPS culture. Empathy is a gateway to equity - ensuring that every child has what they need to reach their full potential. Effectiveness is our ability to achieve the results we desire. Equity and effectiveness form the bridge from empathy to excellence. Our district will demonstrate excellence in our work - that notable standard to which we should all aspire, behaviorally, academically, and operationally.
Figure 2: Our Blueprint for the Future Strategic Priorities

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Our Blueprint for the Future - Gwinnett County Public Schools

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Our Blueprint for the Future - Gwinnett County Public Schools

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Four Pillars - Georgia State M. Brian Blake, Georgia State University President

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For 25 years, Georgia State has ranked among the top research universities and has been distinguished by the tremendous expansion of its innovative research enterprise. For the past four years we have been the highest-ranked university without an engineering, medical or agricultural school.

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Welcome to Atlanta Public Schools (APS). Our mission is through a caring culture of equity, trust, and collaboration, every student will graduate ready for college, career, and life. Our vision is one of a high-performing school district where students love to learn, educators inspire, families engage and the community trusts the system.

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Research Interest/Topic:

Liberatory Pedagogy (Freire and hooks)|Homeplace (hooks)|

I am interested in researching liberatory pedagogy (hooks and Freire) and how the tenets of [STEAM instruction] can lead to the cultivation of Homeplace (hooks) within the classroom for Black and Brown learners.

DA Question: What are the implications for cultivating Homeplace due to recent legislation barring schools from programming that underscores diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)?

Approach to Discourse Analysis: Use of Fairclough's 3-dimensional approach to CDA-a deep look at the text, discursive practice, and social practice.

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Text: "This letter explains and reiterates existing legal requirements under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (2) the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution, and other relevant authorities." (3)

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Discursive Practice: Authoritative in tone and messaging. Historical references in referencing former laws. Use of litigious terminology, yet vague in "other relevant authorities". The document footnote is further vague and comes from the Office of Management and Budget’s Final Bulletin for Agency Good Guidance Practices.

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Social Practice: The messaging feels legally binding, and almost accusatory as the words explain and reiterates the existing...as if to suggest the reader should already be aware they could be in potential violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution, all of this within the first paragraph of the document.