Welcome to the Central Kitsap School District Diversity Web Page!  "We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." Maya Angelou

Move Beyond Simple Tolerance to Embrace and Celebrate Diversity

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embrace and celebrate the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.

Central Kitsap School District is a lifelong learning and caring community.  Resources and energy are dedicated to the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes, and skills essential for students to be happy and successful and to contribute to a rapidly changing, culturally diverse society.  This commitment to learning and caring is the shared responsibility of parents, students, staff, and community.

District awareness and appreciation of diversity begins with a
Cultural Competency Action Plan

Our District has been working diligently toward creating and implementing a Cultural Competency Action Plan. The purpose of this action plan is to create an inclusive and instructionally powerful learning environment that values diversity and preserves the cultural dignity of students, staff and the community of Central Kitsap School District.  In school year 2005-2006 we identified key tasks that we have since completed.  These actions have laid a solid  foundation for us to build upon.

2005-2007 Action Plan Tasks:

• Establish baseline data to determine strengths and areas of growth for the cultural competence of the Central Kitsap School District
• Analyze data
• Develop an introductory professional development opportunity for leaders and staff on Diversity
• Create a Diversity Committee comprised of key stakeholders
• Define the specific strategies and measurement tools for improving cultural competency in CKSD
  

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Our Focus on Diversity Training and Staff Professional Development

Why diversity training?

Diversity includes everyone. It is not something that is simply defined by race and gender but includes all the characteristics that give life to an individual or group. To continue to improve our organization and enhance student achievement, we need to be aware of our own personal biases and beliefs about people who are different from us and then develop new behaviors to foster better communication and trust.

As stated at www.tolerance.org/hidden_bias/index.html

“If people are aware of their hidden biases, they can monitor and attempt to improve hidden attitudes before they are expressed through behavior. This compensation can include attention to language, body language and to the stigmatization felt by target  groups. Recognizing that the problem is in many others — as well as in ourselves — should motivate us all to try both to understand and to act.”

Central Kitsap School District has a commitment to valuing diversity in students, families, faculty and staff.  The purpose of our training is to increase awareness of diversity issues in the District and plan how we can address them most meaningfully to make a difference in the classroom and workplace.

We encourage all District staff to make a commitment to:

• Examine their own biases and work to overcome them
• Set a positive example for family, co-workers, and friends
• Have a specific individual action plan to achieve a value for differences in their own community and workplace
• Speak out against negativity, intolerance, and injustice—even when that is difficult

History of Diversity Planning and Training 2000-2007

Diversity and Professional Development are ongoing. Learning about diversity is a life-long pursuit of our personal growth to understand and appreciate the value of the differences. Last year approximately 1,300 CKSD staff members, out of approximately 1,600, took part in a two hour professional development and training seminar.

1999-2007 District Sponsored Trainings
Related to Cultural Competence and Diversity

2007-2008
Information about Yearly Cultural Proficiency Instructional Practices

Information about Eastside Learning Community Eastside Initiative Meeting	September 2007
New Staff Orientation (Conducted by JD Sweet and Elizabeth Blandin)	August 2007
Leader Development Diversity Training	August 2007
Secondary Curriculum Optional Day (with Keynote speaker Thelma Jackson)	August 2007

2006-2007

Leadership Council Diversity Training	June 2007
All Staff Training (conducted by Lue Rachelle Brim-Atkins)	Spring 2007
Eastside Diversity Training
Leadership Council Diversity Training	Spring 2007

2005-2006

Cultural Competency Action Plan

2004-2005

Focus on Reading, Writing, and Mathematics Instruction

    -specific strategies to help struggling learners

Focus on instructional practices: English Language Learners Reading, Adaptations Training

2003-2004

Focus on Reading, Writing, and Mathematics Instruction

    -specific strategies to help struggling learners

 

2002-2003

Nothing’s Impossible, Literature Circle

    -Using Data to Close the Achievement Gap Literature Circle

Harassment, Intimidation, Bullying: Investigation Training,  Bill Range

Harassment, Intimidation, Bullying: Prevention, Bill Range

Focus on instructional practices: College-Ed, ACHIEVE

2001-2002

District wide Assessment Study

Working with Students and Families From Poverty

2000-2001

Framework for Understanding Poverty Literature Circle

Working With Students and Families From Poverty

1999-2000

Educating Everybody’s Children District Literature Circle
    -We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know: White Teachers Multiracial School Literature Circle

Workshop:  Beyond the Holidays: Integrating Multicultural Education into the Curriculum

REACH curriculum training

Gary Howard, We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know

Conference Attendance Supported by District Dollars

• Annual Kitsap County Human Rights Conference
• Annual WSAME conference
• Africa/Black History Workshop
• EUC sponsored conferences (Voices of Culture, Cultures Celebration)
• “Teachers of Color”  WSU conference for students of color
• Lesson in American History: The Japanese American Experience for K-12 Educators
• Northwest Diversity in K-12 Education Conference
• Walking on Turtle Island
• You Can’t Teach What You Don’t Know
• Ed Trust National Conference
• Washington Alliance of Black School Educators (WABSE)

Active Involvement with

• Kitsap County Martin Luther King Celebration
• Ethnic Unity Coalition (planning events)
• Human Rights Youth Rally, CK has hosted event
• Diversity Prosperity Partnership
• BAAMA

Instructional Materials Support

• REACH curriculum
• World of Difference (training and curriculum)
• Teaching About Thanksgiving packet
• Martin Luther King Jr. instructional packet
• Black History Month newsletter
• Multicultural Kits and Resource kits available for check-out through LSC
• Curriculum update (when in existence) informational articles
• Each elementary library was provided a MLK video
• Framework for Understanding Poverty purchased for each school’s professional library
• Educating Everybody’s Children and More Strategies for Educating Everybody’s Children purchased for each school’s professional library
• Copies of Us and Them provided to High School Libraries
• Multiple copies of How to Respond to Your culturally Diverse Student Population purchased for each school’s professional library
• You Can’t Teach What You Don’t Know purchased for each building

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CKSD Diversity Initiative Plan

Student Achievement

• By June 2008, we will develop a system to identify every student at risk for not meeting standards and develop district and school interventions to support these students.

• All students will complete a rigorous high school course of study with proficiencies in core academic skills to successfully enter post-high school programs.

Recruiting, Hiring, Retention

• Recruit, develop, and retain a highly effective and diverse staff.
   

Parent & Community Engagement

Actively engage our parents and community in support of our Districts’ mission of  “All Students Learning Well.”

 

Activities/Actions

• Increase parent engagement by reaching out to involve parents/families in their children’s education, so that they can collaborate with schools and teachers to help their children succeed.
• 100% of families engage in at least one academic activity at their school each year.
• Build a network of community groups that support our students.

 

Staff Development

• Create a school community that promotes cultural awareness through staff training & curriculum development.

Diversity Committee

Central Kitsap School District has a Diversity Committee.  It is made up of certificated and classified staff, community, and parents. The mission of the Diversity Committee is to enhance and support a framework in Central Kitsap School District that fosters a culturally responsive learning environment and dignified workplace where understanding, respect, and acceptance of differences and similarities lead to a safe and respectful place for communication and interaction. The Committee acts in an advisory role to help the District develop and implement a long range diversity action plan.  

Diversity Resources

OSPI Diversity Site
National Education Association Diversity Site
Washington State School Directors Association Diversity Site
US Department of Education Diversity Site
Teaching Tolerance Diversity Site