In District 54, we will promote a culture of unconditional belonging in which all students, staff and community members will be treated with dignity. We will ensure high levels of access to resources, experiences and success. In District 54, we strive to ensure that all students, staff and community members are
Safe, welcome and cared for;
Heard, validated and supported; and
Represented in curriculum and staffing.
District 54 strives to make all students and staff feel welcome, dignified, respected and heard. Fostering diversity, inclusion and equity is an integral part of our core values. We recognize that education can both enhance individuals and strengthen communities.
By supporting an environment that facilitates and encourages safe and open dialogue on diversity, and by empowering our students and staff to embrace their diversity, we are striving to ensure that our students will be equipped to succeed in our diverse world.
All staff have participated in cultural competency training over the past four years, focused on
Cultural Competency and Implicit Bias Presentation
Summer Symposium Presentations offered included:
Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies Presentation
Summer Symposium Presentations offered included:
Facilitating Conversations about Bias and Discrimination with Students Presentation
Additional Professional Learning Summer Opportunities
Equity and Inclusion Team Planning Fall, 2021
Equity and Inclusion Team Planning Winter, 2021
Equity and Inclusion Team Planning Spring, 2022
Summer Symposium Presentations offered included:
District 54 Equity and Inclusion
From February – April 2021, a 52 member District 54 Equity and Inclusion Task Force was formed with representatives from each building and community members to develop a vision for Equity in District 54 and identify initial pillars of focus.
The task force used the text Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity: The Keys to Successful Equity Implementation by Floyd Cobb and John Krownapple to engage in discussions and build common understandings.
Educational consultants Teresa Lance and Nita White supported the Task Force steering committee to help build capacity, develop a shared understanding of common language, and lead the team in data review and root cause analysis.
Equity and Inclusion Vision Statement and Pillars
Task force members were asked to identify what equity meant to them and what a positive vision for equity and inclusion would look like for students, staff and community if there was access and belonging. Common themes resonated among students, staff, and community that were used to create the vision above.
The steering committee identified three pillars as a focus for the 2021-2022 school year.