- Berlin Borough School District
- Equity in Education at BCS
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What is Equity in Education?
Educational Equity is about individuals, relationships and systems. A school that is educationally equitable is one in which we accept and value all individuals for who they are, and provide the structures, relationships, and resources they need to achieve their greatest potential. It is a school committed to educating globally skilled and engaged citizens who will contribute to the creation of a more just world.
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District Mission and Equity Statement:
As a district, Berlin Borough prides itself on a strong community partnership for our children's education. Successful partnerships have a dedication to human dignity and that each person has an inherent worth and something to contribute. Worth and contributions begin with embracing Diversity as a strength and understanding the district's Equity work is to reduce interpersonal bias is through meaningful relationships through open and honest dialogue.
Challenging students to strive for personal excellence and responsible citizenship involves empowering the students, staff, and parents to have uncomfortable conversations based on acts of bigotry, defamation, or harassment directed at race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, or appearance. This empowerment creates a safe space for discussion where speaking and listening both occur with empathy.
We are dedicated to fostering lifelong learning to meet the challenges of an evolving global society by understanding multiple perspectives. Meeting the challenges is not placing blame. Meeting the challenges is using thought-provoking critical literacy to allow students to value differences to eliminate prejudice and strengthen the community.
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Not Color Blind, but Color Brave:
Mellody Hobson is the person first credited with using the phrase color brave. She believes we need to openly acknowledge that the color of someone’s skin shapes their experiences in the world, and that we can only overcome systemic biases and cultural injustices when we talk honestly about race. “It’s time for us to be comfortable with the uncomfortable conversation about race. If we truly believe in equal rights and equal opportunity in America, we need to have real conversations about this issue. We can’t be color blind, we have to be color brave."