The Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) has a clear objective: Each student will develop a personalized learning plan that will prepare them for college and career, with the interpersonal skills they need for life success. One of the strategies in the district’s strategic plan to meet this objective is “We will relentlessly create a fully unified, equitable and inclusive culture.” The implementation of this strategy impacts the work of every district staff member, and every child. It began with contracted support from external trainers, and over the past four years has transitioned to on-going, internally-supported work.
The 2021-22 school year marked the completion of a robust three-year professional development endeavor to bring Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) training to all district employees. The current focus relies on sustaining an internal model which includes administrators and building DEIB teams working collaboratively with certified Equity Practitioners and SMSD’s DEIB Coordinator in support of ongoing professional learning.
Equity Practitioners serve as “trainers of trainers,” with 31 staff members trained and certified to deliver future content, guidance, and support. Dedicated professional development time is set for DEIB building teams each semester, where they are provided time to plan for and implement professional learning within their respective schools. Equity Practitioners regularly communicate and collaborate to support continued development and growth. The Equity Practitioner team led New Team Member DEIB training as part of the New Team Member Academy in August, and continues to provide professional growth opportunities throughout the year in partnership with the Directors of Human Resource and Professional Learning.
Youth Equity Stewardship (YES!) was introduced in the Spring of 2022 as an opt-in opportunity for students from all Shawnee Mission high schools. Adult sponsors from each school also participate. The focus of the YES! program is to provide opportunities for student leaders to develop and engage in building and district level leadership activities and include their voices in decision-making processes that directly impact students. YES! is a program focused on engaging youth and adults as advocates for building inspired and inclusive learning environments in every classroom in the SMSD.
To date, YES! students and staff have completed eight sessions of training. Currently 73 students across all high schools and 15 adult sponsors have experienced the training with more students joining in the future.
In addition to a focus on professional development for adults, the district strategic plan also prioritizes recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce. As a result, SMSD Recruit was launched to provide an internal stakeholder team of educators who plan for and support recruitment of diverse candidates as well as work to support retention of staff. Employee resource groups/affinity groups have also formed as a means to increase connections between diverse staff members and allow for additional support for employees.
Student affinity spaces have also grown in the district. In April, the district hosted the first Black Student Union Summit in collaboration with Kansas State University. This event provided connection and leadership support for more than 100 student leaders across Shawnee Mission middle and high schools.
In March, 2023, Dr. Tyrone Bates, the district’s first DEIB coordinator, announced he was resigning at the end of the year, in order to establish a consulting business. At the Monday, April 10 Board of Education meeting, Ms. Kaitlin Lugo Shulman was hired to assume this role. She is currently the Facilitator of Recruitment and Retention in the Lawrence School District and has a strong background in education as an elementary educator. She will begin her work in SMSD in July, 2023.
The work of establishing schools where every student feels a sense of belonging and receives the support they need to achieve their personal best, is never done. Every day, across the district, students and staff come together to create One Shawnee Mission!
