Dear Colleagues,
Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in the National Indian Education Association Conference in Oklahoma City. There, I joined staff from our American Indian Education Program in a presentation about the smudging policy that our Board of Education approved in August, making SPPS one of the only districts in the country to have such a policy in place.
It was incredibly rewarding to share the story of how our Indian Education leaders and community members researched, informed stakeholders, advocated, and educated the SPPS community about smudging. Sharing our SPPS Achieves strategic plan, our objective of creating inclusive school and district cultures, and our long-term student outcome to decrease disparities based on race, ethnicity, culture and identity made me proud to see our actions matching our words.
As many districts around the country are grappling with criticism around critical race theory and the so-called culture wars, I am reminded of the opportunity our SPPS community has granted us to make equity, inclusion, culturally responsive instruction and diversity key pieces of our identity. SPPS is a place where all are welcome, where everyone is celebrated, and where every student can be proud of who they are and where they come from.
Another example of this is the new Hmong Language and Culture Middle School that opened this year as part of Envision SPPS. As you can see in this WCCO TV segment that aired last week, this is a place where students are celebrated for who they are, something many of the school’s own staff didn’t get to experience when they were students.
Our shared vision as a district is that every child, no matter what school, what classroom or who their educators are, sees themselves reflected in multiple ways. This may be through the curriculum, through adults who look like them, in the discussions they have or the books in the library. Please take note of the upcoming professional development opportunity in this newsletter that’s required for all licensed staff on integrating culturally responsive instruction into blended learning and instructional design.
As educators, we must understand, value and embrace the unique differences in the cultures and backgrounds of our students, including their race. It is important to learn and share history as a lens to unlock the generational lived experiences of our students and families. Thank you for your commitment to doing this work in your classrooms and beyond.
In Partnership,
Joe Gothard, Superintendent
