Woodland Hills School District faculty gathered on Friday, February 14 for the district’s first JEDI Conference, a specially designed initiative developed by a team of district educators through the Equity Leadership Initiative sponsored by TeachPlus.
JEDI stands for Joy, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and the conference was created to aid the district in its ongoing efforts to erase racial disparities in its schools, classrooms, and educational activities.
The district’s Equity Leadership Initiative team, led by elementary teacher Ms. Desiree White-Price, created a professional development program that featured presentations by Pittsburgh author Damon Young, whose memoir “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker” won the Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2020; Michael Jones, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Cultural Impact at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit; and Dr. Aaron Johnson, Pennsylvania Program Director for TeachPlus. The program was hosted by Dr. Eddie Willson, Assistant to the Superintendent for Curriculum for the Woodland Hills School District.
Olivia Davidson, a junior at the high school, moderated a conversation with Mr. Young and a question-and-answers session with all three guests as they shared their collective and individual experiences with equity, inclusion, and the challenges they see in confronting racial disparities and inequity in education.
The second portion of the day contained breakout sessions hosted by Woodland Hills administrators and faculty, as well as several local educators and special guests. Topics in the breakout sessions included transforming school discipline for equity and inclusion, discovering ways to be culturally responsive and aware in classrooms, the concepts and misconceptions of allyship, navigating implicit biases in education, replacing punishment with restorative solutions, building bridges through community engagement, critically and creative inclusion, and more.
Along with Mr. Young and Mr. Jones, some of the additional guest educators included Dr. Shallegra Moye from the University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Cynthia Wallace of The Oasis Project; Homewood Children’s Village President and CEO Walter Lewis; Dr. Licia Lentz, Program Director of the AIU’s Alternative Education Program; and Ms. Cathy Welsh, founder of H.O.O.P.
The day closed with a powerful panel discussion featuring three members of the Woodland Hills High School Black Student Union. Juniors Olivia Davidson and Sonny Davis and senior SaNaya Lee fielded questions from Mr. Young and shared their perspectives on misconceptions about their generation, the positive impact of being seen and heard by their teachers, the critical role representation plays in education, and more. The students’ candid responses were warmly received by the faculty.
The Equity Leadership Initiative will continue to work with district administration and their peers to develop additional ways to ensure all students and staff enjoy a welcoming and inclusive environment inside Woodland Hills’ schools.