Nivedita Mukerjee
Education consultancy for parents and schools
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #225, 29th October 2024
Let us together uncover any systemic disparities or inequities in our school’s policies, practices, and outcomes for different student populations in our school. Here are some guiding questions to reflect upon:
- What is the racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and disability composition of the student body? and, how does this compare to the overall demographics of the community the school serves?
- How are financial, instructional, and extracurricular resources distributed across different student groups on our campus? and, are there any disparities in funding, class sizes, course offerings, technology access, etc. between different student demographics on the campus?
- What are the academic achievement gaps between different student groups (e.g. race, socioeconomic status, disability status) and, how do graduation rates, college enrollment, and other long-term outcomes vary across these student demographics?
- Are there disproportionate rates of suspension, expulsion, or other disciplinary actions for particular student groups? and, what support systems (counseling, tutoring, mentoring, etc.) are available to support students from underserved backgrounds?
- Does the curriculum and instructional materials reflect the diversity of the student body and community? and, do teachers receive training on culturally responsive teaching and avoiding implicit biases?
- How accessible and inclusive are the school’s communication and engagement efforts for families of diverse backgrounds? and, are there opportunities for meaningful partnerships with community organizations serving underrepresented groups?
- What is the school/district’s stated commitment to educational equity? and, how are school leaders held accountable for advancing equity goals and outcomes?
This is a free newsletter. If you like my content, please subscribe by entering your email ID here.
Three images of the week
Two Thoughts of the Week
We are all creative, but by the time we are three of four years old, someone has knocked the creativity out of
us. Some people shut up the kids who start to tell stories. Kids dance in their cribs, but someone will insist they
sit still. By the time the creative people are ten or twelve, they want to be like everyone else. –Maya Angelou
The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but reveal to them their own. –
Benjamin Disraeli
The single largest variable that predicts SAT scores is family income. If you want higher SAT scores, you need
to get your kids born into wealthier families. You know, it’s great to tell kids to pull themselves up by their own
boot straps, but you better put boots on them first. –Paul Houston
One Video of the Week
2019 National Teacher of the Year, Rodney Robinson, uses stories from his years teaching in the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center to show the need for teachers of color. Rodney Robinson is a 19-year teaching veteran. He became a teacher to honor his mother, who struggled to receive an education after being denied an education as a child due to segregation and poverty in rural Virginia. In 2015, Robinson started teaching at Virgie Binford Education Center, a school inside the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center, in an effort to better understand the school-to-prison pipeline. Robinson uses the whole child approach to education to help the students who are most vulnerable. His classroom is a collaborative partnership between himself and his students and is anchored in him providing a civic centered education that promotes social-emotional growth. Robinson uses the knowledge he has gained from his students to develop alternative programs to prevent students from entering the school-to-prison pipeline.
And Finally…
From the archives – issue #001
Many of you have been asking for the earlier editions of this news letter, am very happy to note that you are enjoying the content served here. So, I with every new issue I am putting out a news letter from the archives here, starting from the very first one. Enjoy and subscribe.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms Niv
Nivedita Mukerjee 
This topic that you have chosen for the week is a very important one….so many schools are struggling with understanding what kind of support they can offer, the kind of challenges they are able to support and how to fill the remaining gap!
With schools being confused, the parents are left in a bigger quandary.
And with both schools and parents battling it out, the students get most neglected.
Wish we could all sit at a table and layout the cards and find the best combinations that would work for the students. After all, it is their education that is the centre of the focus!
LikeLiked by 1 person