Kent ISD Diversity Vision

Kent ISD will be a place where all persons feel welcomed, have a right to be treated equitably and without prejudice, and have a responsibility to treat others the same way.
~ Resolution adopted by Kent ISD Board on December 14, 2009

Working Together

Kent County school districts are building systems that Understand, Respect, and Embrace Cultural Differences by:

• Providing curriculum and instructional programs that are culturally inclusive.
• Fostering staff and students who have the will and ability to build relationships across differences.
• Promoting the healing of racism and other forms of intolerance.

2012 Year of Interfaith Understanding

The 2012 Year of Interfaith Understanding is a year-long effort to cultivate community interest and engagement of all faith traditions in West Michigan.  Religion should never be the cause or support for violence. While we differ in our faith commitments, this is an opportunity for dialogue and understanding, not coercion or force. As worldwide issues bombard us in the daily news, we must also bring these issues to our local community in a spirit of understanding and respect.

Click here to see the calendar of community events for 2012 Year of Interfaith Understanding.

Click here to join them on facebook.

8th Annual Diversity Kick-off

Children's book illustrator E.B. Lewis speaks at Kent County school diversity initiative

The Initiative Leadership Team lead a brief celebration of the work and share the goals for the 2011-2012 school year.  E.B. Lewis and Vincent York was our featured keynote speakers.  The keynotes provide participants with different dimensions of diversity.  Lewis shared how pop culture presents a battle for educators to promote an intellectual model for today's youth.  York explained his own introduction to jazz and the ability of the Arts to motivate student learning.

Participants stayed for a variety of professional development sessions:

• Jazzistry : The History Lesson that Swings with Vincent York
• Process to Product, Strategies to positively impact our children with E.B. Lewis
• No Place for Hate : An ADL Initiative, Betsy Kellman, ADL
• Becoming an Ally: Responding to Bullying/Cyberbullying with Harry Weaver, ADL
• Planning Events with Creativity and Integrity with Kathy Larson, EGRPS
• Culturally Responsive Strategies for Hispanic Student Success with Stacy Stout, Hispanic Center of West Michigan
• Cultural Orientation (Refugee Outreach) with Naly Nguyen and My Uyen Tran, Bethany Services
• Creating Change - One Issue at a Time: A Discussion of LGBT Youth with Anna Fisk, Arbor Circle
• Supporting Homeless Students with Casey Gordon, Kent ISD (Second Session Only)
  

Please contact Julie Mushing, juliemushing@kentisd.org or 301-8847, with any questions.

Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Diversity is not about how we differ, it’s about embracing one another's uniqueness. The success of the Diversity and Healing Racism effort directly relates to the leadership involved, and you are a critical component of that leadership. 

Michael Fowlin Visited Area Schools

All kids want to feel safe, accepted, and included at school. That’s why Student Diversity Clubs at Forest Hills Northern, Comstock Park, Grandville, Northview and Rockford Public Schools worked together to receive a $19,000 grant from Grand Rapids Community Foundation and Kent ISD’s Diversity Initiative for diversity and tolerance programs. The students chose to bring Dr. Michael Fowlin, nationally known actor and diversity presenter, to their schools. 

Fowlin performed twice for each district beginning November 29 through December 3. A free public performance was held on Wednesday, December 1,  at the Grandville High School Auditorium. 

Diversity initiatives at Cedar Springs and Sparta High Schools hosted school assemblies with Michael Fowlin on January 25 and 26, 2011.  They also received grant funding from the Grand Rapids Community Foundation.

Please see what other schools are doing to promote diversity, watch the videos at the Kent ISD High School Diversity Connections website.  

7th Annual Diversity Kick-off Event

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Host:  Kentwood Public Schools
Location: East Kentwood Fine Arts Center

Morning Program featured:
Keynote speaker:  Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch
2010-2011 Diversity Initiative Goals

Professional Development Sessions:
•    Family Leadership Institute – Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch - PowerPoint

•    Engaging ELL Parents – Casey Gordon, Kent ISD - PowerPoint
     English Language Learners Webite Resources
     Interpretation and Translation Services List

•    Multicultural Competencies: Tools for Schools – Tasha Lebow, Programs for Educational Opportunity

•    Working with Refugee Youth and families – Bethany Services - PowerPoint

•    A Framework for Understanding Poverty – Linda Gordon- PowerPoint - Handouts

•    McKinney Vento and Beyond (GRPS Homeless program) – NaTasha Anderson and Dr. Mattie Hampton- MDE Homeless Resources Website - Powerpoint  

•    United Way Community Resources – United Way Panel
     Schools of Hope program - Fritz Crabb- Director
     Family Literacy program
     2-1-1 program - Robert McKown- Director
     Kent County Tax Credit Coalition- Brenda Brame

Afternoon Workshop::
Diversity? Inclusion? Cultural Competency?
Planning a District Diversity Initiative
Ana Ramirez-Saenz- President, La Fuente Consulting, phone 616-874-3194

An interactive seminar using a case study as a guide in designing and planning your diversity initiative from concept, to drafting a plan, to its implementation. She will cover the dos and challenges of getting your initiative off the blocks the right way!  It will be a great way to get your district’s diversity initiative off to a great start!
PowerPoint Presentation- Handouts

Empowering Youth through Student Diversity Initiative

Background:  These mini-grants are made possible through a grant from the Grand Rapids Community Foundation.  The grant:

• is intended to empower students to implement their school diversity action plans created during the Word UP! Word OUT! diversity training.
• is intended to support projects that will enhance diversity, inclusion and improve school culture. 
• application must be submitted by a school’s student Diversity Committee or Student Government Committee. 
• application will be evaluated by the KISA/KLC/Kent ISD Diversity Initiative Leadership Team’s Student Diversity Grant Committee.

Guidelines:

• Only available to Kent ISD Districts High Schools
• No stipends or salaries for teachers or students may be funded with mini-grant funds.
• Grant funds may not be used to take the place of funds supporting a program or activity already in place.
• Each proposal must address one or more of the following dimensions of diversity: age, socio-economic status, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, national orientation, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
• Applications that include collaboration with other schools or districts will be given priority for funding.
• Post-Event data collection for Grand Rapids Community Foundation regarding discrimination (sees questions on next page and contact Julie Mushing for details).
• A final report of outcomes will be due in May, including final budget with copies of receipts and a media presentation.
• Award recipients will be required to issue a press release to local media outlets (copy to be included in final report).  Press release must indicate grant was made possible by the Grand Rapids Community Foundation and Kent ISD Diversity Initiative.

9th Grade Diversity Initiative - Word Up Word Out

Click here to listen to Student Comments(MP3 audio file)

In 2001, the Kent Intermediate Superintendents Association adopted Diversity/Healing Racism as one of its county-wide initiatives. The Diversity Initiative’s overall goal is to focus the Kent Intermediate School District and its constituent districts on diversity and healing racism to improve student achievement.

The 2006-2007 Strategic Plan for the Diversity Initiative identifies a need for educational opportunities for area youth on diversity. Educational experiences that provide opportunities for dialogue and engagement can help youth begin to develop a strong sense of personal identity, responsibility, caring, compassion, and respect.

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation has awarded a two year grant for 2007-08 and 2008-09 to provide diversity training and follow-up activities for ninth grade students in Kent ISD’s public, private and parochial school districts. Kent ISD has partnered with the Bob and Aleicia Woodrick Diversity Learning Center at Grand Rapids Community College to offer this diversity training, called Word Up! Word Out!.  The training will provide learning experiences that will give students specific skills and tools they can use to become “agents of change” within their schools and community. 

This training program will give us the opportunity to educate the youth of our community about the benefits of inclusion, respect for others, and cultural competency.  They will leave with an understanding of and a commitment to facilitating dialogue, mediating conflict, and helping to create an environment where people are held accountable for their words and actions.  By providing participants with the skills of cultural competency, they will also be empowered to assist their schools in fulfilling the mission of providing high quality education for all students.