PCSD Renews Equity Contract with National Expert Consultant Natalie McGee
Natalie McGee serves as a lead cultural proficiency consultant helping school districts and organizations respond in healthy ways to diversity by developing inclusive policies and practices. She specializes in facilitating professional learning and organizational development focused on equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice. She prides herself in combining research-based strategies and practical applications, working with school districts to customize professional learning based on the unique needs of the organization.
Natalie worked with PCSD last school year from July – March. She provided valuable professional development to our school community surrounding cultural proficiency while assessing our current practices and culture in order to help shape this year’s equity work.
Beginning this month, Natalie will spend three sessions with our board of education and central office administrators with a focus on:
Leading our district leaders in collaborative planning conversations to discuss current and next equity steps for sustainable growth. Planning conversations will enable shifts in the cross-cultural engagement to directly impact the learning environment. Collaborative conversations will explore racial/ethnic gaps, social and emotional learning gaps, and means to effectively foster the cultural environment shaped by diversity. This allows for schools to close achievement gaps for minority students, increase student engagement in the classroom, improve attendance and student discipline, and enhance student achievement for all.
Next, Natalie will spend four sessions with elementary and secondary administrators and staff. Building off knowledge from last year’s training sessions, Natalie will assist with aligning building level Equity Action Planning with the district’s equity and inclusivity initiative in a way that is actionable and sustainable.
Pending the pandemic, Natalie will then conduct “equity learning walks” through all five of our elementary schools to obtain evidence of equitable practices. Equity walks consist of a comprehensive look at the school to assess that the school environment is one that lends itself to equal opportunities for all students and parents. The purpose of the walk is to look at the school environment, examine data (achievement, suspensions, referrals), and visit classrooms to determine if the environment is one that is conducive to the success of all students. Discipline policies, communication to parents (language translation), and school procedures are also reviewed for consistency, inclusivity, and equity. This also involves parent, student and staff focus groups. This process will conclude with a comprehensive report of her findings and recommendations for continuous improvement to building principals.