White Supremacy Culture by Elsy Estevez-Hicks

Green, Harrell, Anjos, Torelli

2020-12-14 19:25:38 UTC

1. WSC @ Kale:
-Sense of urgency in the teaching profession
--Antidote: Different priorities need different timelines (evaluating what in our workload needs to be prioritized)
-One way doesn't fit all families; they aren't treated as individuals and it doesn't send a message of support
-Expectation of overworking
-Competition in charter networks, instead of learning from each other (prioritizing numbers and data)
--Antidote: rethinking how we praise staff, team and how we communicate during PD or email

2. Strengths at Kale:
-We are straying from only one right way. We've embraced the challenge of virtual teaching to give more choice/influence/power to teachers to do what their class needs
-Not being defensive and owning mistakes, misunderstandings
-Keeping anti-racist work as a consistent focus
-Representation among leadership and curiosity about how to support the team
-There is no neutral, but people who have different identities and world views can come together and share/learn

Brandon, Patricia, Ann, Sophia, Wilson

2020-12-14 19:25:51 UTC

1. At PD or huddle or any type of meeting and when someone says something we are not comfortable with we do not say something in the moment but rather wait until EH or another AP says something/ addresses it/ mentions it. Not calling people in when they say something in the moment. The idea of perfectionism- something so pervasive in culture- the data that Elsy sent in grade level notes a couple weeks ago with data represented in a way many people had not seen before. Many people wanted to go in and see who needed help/ who was not meeting but actually all students have different needs. We as a school do a lot of work as teachers to become anti racist but also all teachers are on different paths with readiness therefore all classrooms are in different places of presenting information to our students. There is more work to be done when it comes to infiltrating anti racism into our curriculum. When there is a staff member that is problematic, KIPP needs to do something as opposed to just acknowledging that this is not working and letting people go. This is about the students- you know when a teacher is being real vs. not and not doing the work. If teachers are not willing to do the work then KIPP should not keep them. Also- curriculum is still reading, math, writing. We are starting to include more culturally relevant curriculum and lessons but it is not completely embedded in all that we do yet and we can definitely do better to ensure that this is the forefront of what we are teaching.
2. Strengths- trying to be community not an individual- asking for feedback for leadership and school, when there is feedback to be given there is a place to give it- some of the feedback is acted on- time to process, breathe, etc. KIPP has made a clear commitment to being anti racist when it comes to PD and teachers learning and unlearning- this is evident in the staff. Often staff are sharing stories and their personal beliefs instead of having it be staff and leadership sharing first- we could/ should hire outside people to come in as facilitators for these discussions and developments- someone completely removed from KIPP to give others a chance to grow and learn and be part of the discussions.

White, Pendergast, Biennestin, Allienello, Hur, Herzog

2020-12-14 19:25:51 UTC

WSC exist at KIPP/KALE through overworking and a sense of urgency with perfectionism, comfort with predominantly white leadership. Solutions would be collaboration , share ideas, and have more mixed spaces. In addition, continue on working internally and challenging ourselves in a communal setting to check ourselves.

Some of our strengths at KALE to counter WSC is how much we strive to be pushed with a growth mindset, such as having conversations in affinity spaces to systems and complexity thinking. KALE seeks discomfort, all staff members. In addition, our alignment with our teachings and our definitions as a team helps to counter WSC. Everyone's vulnerability helps us all. Another strength is having majority of leadership are BIPOC.

Canavan, Fajardo, Mullen, Wicks, Rosario

2020-12-14 19:25:56 UTC

1. Perfectionism - balance of being vulnerable but also upholding KIPP's expectations, KIPPs slogan of going to college, but not every student fits that mold. Transactional relationships/Individualism - in our virtual world, there is less collaboration across grade levels, sometimes even within our own grade levels. There is a tug of war within KIPP where we are expected to work as a collective team, but also make it our own as an individual classroom (not equitable because some teachers choose to teach lessons as they are written and some choose to use that as a baseline and do something more individualized for their classroom. What can we do - more collaborating, more ideas being shared across grade levels
2. Strengths differentiate between in person to virtual learning. Transformational relationships - interactions with families, self care. Direct and constructive feedback. When community collaboration is a priority KALE is successful when they bring all brains together and are solutions oriented

West, H, Williams, Liriano, Kozoh

2020-12-14 19:26:00 UTC

Right to Comfort hurting us in picking and choosing what we address (ignoring things we should address because we're uncomfortable or it's "not the time")
Possible solution - circling back to at a different moment? (not the BEST solution, but better than not addressing)

Strength - The fact that we have these conversations regularly

One Right Way especially for new to KALE staff, harmful in recognizing other perspectives/strengths, "your voice comes AFTER you learn it our way"

White Mediocrity/Overworking as the Norm harmful because it asks a lot, especially for BIPOC staff
Solution - Self-care events, challenges, reminders, flexibility of deadlines so that self-care can happen!, being given priorities (Must Dos vs. Nice to Dos), self-care as a response because "this has been a crazy week" (only happening as a "reward" for exceptionally stressful weeks)

Representation - Group teachers/1:1 predominantly BIPOC, leads predominantly white

Transactional Relationships - detached conversations, not checking in with the person, only responding to the need (i.e. Huddle, but also our KIDS ON ZOOM)

Caridad, Ny, Maher, Harris, Blanco, Hector, P.

2020-12-14 19:26:02 UTC

1.) In the past (You were wrong, this is the right way.)
In the past, Sense of Urgency --> met, made a decision and acted on it.
Only one right way (curriculum)
Quantity over quality (KIPP MA struggle-more this more that)
Thinking about what should be prioritized.
2.) At KALE we do a good job at normalizing mistakes and seeking feedback from all voices. (Collaboration-building relationship with families, staff, and kids.)
Combating the fear of open conflict. (Role plays, scenario, norming on verbiage)
Room for open dialogue and conversation amongst all.
Diversity within leadership.

Haar, Riggie, Ago, Calvillo, Johnson

2020-12-14 19:26:06 UTC

1. Characteristic of WSC: Still have a fear of conflict - both fear of confronting someone and fear of being confronted. Calling someone in virtually makes it more difficult and more formal; harder because we haven't been able to build the relationships that we have built when in the building together.
Solution: When coaches are giving feedback, it should be culturally and individually responsive. Knowing what a teacher's comfort level is, who they are as a person (confrontational or not).
Characteristic of WSC: Not being active parts of decision making, asking for feedback at the last minute. Feel as though we are constantly waiting on information. Building trust with leadership that our questions are heard and will be answered.
Solution: Building trust, asking for feedback along the way instead of at the end as an afterthought. Giving feedback doesn't need to always be so formal and rigid(O3 or Whetstone) it can/should be given more often in the moment. Feedback shouldn't be more work or a huge task it should be more of an ongoing conversation.

2. Strengths/What should we keep doing?:
-Normalizing Race as a topic of conversation and not shying away from it
-KALE normalizes calling each other in when necessary
-BIPOC presence in leadership

Althea, Emily H, Chyna, Marcello, Vanessa S., Laura H.

2020-12-14 19:26:09 UTC

1. How do the characteristics of WSC exist at KIPP/KALE? How are they hurting us, if they are? What solutions could the antidotes offer us?

Idea of progress is bigger or more and also narrow value of intelligence or performance. We demand this a lot of our kids and our teachers, we often times look for kids and teachers to produce more and are valued more then the sustainability of the workload of teachers and kids.
Deanslist data and data in general- we prioritize as opposed to valuing the work that teachers and students do each day
Perfectionism and competition live and breathe in our everyday lives and work- ties into the sense of WSC as we expect people to be uniform, think a certain way, operate a certain way and anything less feels like failure
It is great to push kids to be their best but it pushes the idea that if you are black you are required to work harder and push beyond what others are doing
People of color held to much higher standards but are also under the spotlight feeling like they cannot make any wrong decisions or moves
Antidotes: putting reflection back on some of the policies and procedures that we have at KALE and thinking what are some of the things that are logical, placing more trust on the teachers, implementing more sense of joy in our school letting kids be kids.

2. What are some of our strengths at KALE? What should we keep doing that counters WSC?

We are having these conversations as a whole is a strength, having a voice and allow teachers to interact and engage in these conversations
Bringing relevant discussions into the curriculum for kids (even though there is a lot of work to be done having kids have these conversations is impactful)

Coach, Garcia, Gobiel, Ward, King

cking169 — 2020-12-14 19:26:19 UTC

1. Characteristics: sense of urgency which hurts us by prioritizing results over allyship; perfectionism which hurts us by prioritizing one way to teach or utilizing "best practices" which may not be reflective of the strengths of our teachers and by working with sense of urgency to prioritize goals and perfect achievement of those goals; individualism; there's only one right way/ either or thinking/ fear of open conflict especially around race and how the ways in which we talk about race sometimes shy away from the complexities of identities and shy away from the real discussions especially if those discussions might include open conflict.

2. Strengths: collaboration with feedback and reflection

Herrera, Miller, H.Collins, O'Hara, Larkin

2020-12-14 19:26:26 UTC

Exist: Individualism (Grade levels, getting it done, not taking ideas from others), Right way to do things; This hurts yourself, hurts out students, hurts co-teachers. Transactional relationships - no relationships building virtual and things feel very detached; Investing more in out relationships; Sense of urgency - especially virtually things feel rushed - lessons are rushed, PD feels rushed we need to get to the next thing; How can voices matter is we are rushing?; Worship of the written word - things need to be documented (thinking about communication especially), Weekly paychecks (middle school) to pay for field trip if you didn't get points you weren't a "good" student; Progress is bigger - building a new virtual school; One right way (lesson plans - one lesson plan; one way to teach blocks)

Strengths: Having time to talk together in affinity and mixed spaces, Support system to call people in and feel supported in that

Graybill, Duarte, M. Collins, Boddie, Mai

kmai_kippma — 2020-12-14 19:42:49 UTC

1.
- When we expect 100%, we can be upholding perfectionism and a belief in "only one right way" <-- Antidotes: continue to hold students to high expectations while seeking to understand, normalizing mistakes, growth mindset, naming the "why" behind actions, providing multiple options
- Overworking as an unstated norm, giving "time-off" while still expecting a lot, expectation to do whatever you need to finish what needs to be done, work-life balance is hard working virtually: can cause burn-out among staff and lack of clarity, diminishes quality of our time with students, makes working at KIPP feel unsustainable <-- Give clear expectations of what needs to be done, make more reasonable demands

2.
- Culture of Feedback & Practicing Crucial Conversations, Seeking productive times to provide feedback. This helps to combat a fear of open conflictt (as well as perfectionism)
- Sense of community in our C.O.P. of "It Takes A Village" helps to combat individualism.
- Appreciation in Shout Outs and starting with positives (what's going well) helps to build a positive mindset --> can help to combat perfectionism
- Flexibility and willingness to pivot to be student-focused helps to avoid "only one right way" and helps views students as whole individuals.