Mamaroneck Schools
Equity in Education
Mission
"The thoughtful, intentional and strategic work of the Equity Team has been so impressive and will positively impact everyone in our district. We look forward to engaging all stakeholders in the process of meeting the community's demand for change and acting on measurable goals to ensure equity and access for all students."
- Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps
Goals and Key Priorities
- Developing inclusive and antiracist curriculum, instruction, and assessment K-12
- Strengthening and creating opportunities, access, and educational quality for all students in our diverse community
- Prioritizing student and community input to dismantle inequitable policies and reframe for equity
Equity Team Members
The Mamaroneck Equity in Education Leaders (MEELs) will work collaboratively with the District Equity Team (DET) to ensure equitable access, inclusion, and treatment of all students by helping to develop an equitable environment within their school. MEEL representatives will serve as equity leaders within their school community for staff, students, and families supporting opportunities for growth and development for all stakeholders.
Mamaroneck Equity in Education Leaders
Top Row Left to Right: Lorraine Magee, Keila Reyes-Nuňez, Leon Whyte, Kimberly Omoloju, and Mary Feighery; Bottom Row Left to Right: William Vargas, Jennifer Solomon, Sarah Silverman, and Bonnie Sloofman. Read more about our MEELs reps here.
Current Work
Taking On Anti-Racist Work
It is not just enough for one to say he/she is not racist. Our actions must show that we are elevating historically marginalized voices and empowering all students as agents of change. Building on the District’s racial literacy work conducted with students and staff in recent years, the District is committed to doing more — making equity and access a top priority during the 2020-2021 academic year and beyond.
Previous Work
2020-2021
Equity Team Met in Summer, 2020, to Develop Strategic Plan
The District Equity Team (DET) met in mid-July, 2020, for the first of three virtual workshops to reconnect with the NYSED Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Framework and collaborate in smaller subcommittee groups for deeper analysis. As one DET member described it, discussion revolved around “making bold moves and taking action” related to the District’s anti-racism work. An advisory committee and subcommittees were formed, and the strategic plan was developed. See timeline for the Team’s work here and PowerPoint from the group’s professional learning and strategic planning work here.
SPOTLIGHT ON EQUITY:
Special February, 2021 Edition of Tiger Tracks
A series of virtual Community Forums were held inf Fall, 2020 on the District's Multi-Year Strategic Equity Plan goals and outcomes. More info here.
2019-2020
Identifying, Acknowledging and Dismantling Racism
- Identify the ways in which Black and Brown students in our district experience inequities in education
- Acknowledge the voices of students and/or parents who have shared their experiences with racism in our district
- Formulate strategies and take action to address racial issues, disparities and system barriers
Prior to 2019
Read about initiatives across the decade
The Mamaroneck School District sees its diverse student body as one of its greatest assets. The partnerships we have formed with outside organizations over the past 10 years, many of them involving professional development (some on Superintendent’s Conference Days), have had a profound influence on our curriculum. Several key initiatives to confront racism and bias have created impact, including:
Co-op Summer Enrichment: Co-Op is a Mamaroneck School District summer slide intervention program that works to provide equal access to summer learning for all children. MUFSD is dedicated to providing learning opportunities that help reduce the achievement gap between low income students and higher income students. Co-Op serves 72% Hispanic campers, 5% Black, 5% White and 5% Multi-Racial/Other and 13% undeclared. Led by the STEM Alliance with a strong focus on hands-on STEM education, Co-Op does not take a deficit approach to the needs of the campers. Rather, the program offers highly enriching project-based learning to ensure that all Mamaroneck students have the opportunity to participate in high quality summer programming.
Facing History and Ourselves
The Mamaroneck School District has had a 15-year relationship with Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO), an international non-profit organization that for 40 years has “empowered young people to confront bigotry and antisemitism”. Watch video about the partnership between MUFSD and FHAO and its mission to use teaching as a vehicle for making the world a better place, for helping students gain more voice, and assisting them in being better members of their community. The work with FHAO led to a 9th grade Mamaroneck High School four-week curriculum in English and Social Studies classes focused on identity, bias, the danger of a single story and discrimination. This curriculum infused many concepts of FHAO and culminated with a visit by contemporary civil rights activist and playwright, Spirit Trickey (daughter of Minnijean Brown Trickey, member of the Little Rock Nine).
Library Audits
Audits have been conducted in classroom libraries and curricula; we have continually infused new titles to ensure all students have access to high-quality texts that reflect authors and characters of diverse genders, races, ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, abilities.
Courageous Conversations
The District engaged 80+ administrators, faculty members, and parents in a two-day Beyond Diversity seminar with Courageous Conversation, an organization founded by Glen Singleton.
