INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS ARE ANTI-RACIST SCHOOLS: EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION OF RACE AND DISABILITY IN DC CHARTERS
The Co-op hosts an annual conference for staff at member schools during National Inclusive Schools Week to highlight best practices for serving students with disabilities in DC Public Charter schools.
This year's conference will be a series of conversations with school leaders, teachers, parents, and community members focused on the intersection of race and disability and what it means to be an inclusive school today and into the future.
Thursday, December 9 8:00am - 4:00 pm EST
Hosted via crowdcast.io
WELCOME FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the DC Special Education Cooperative’s annual ELEVATE conference. Since this is an unusual year, we decided to do things differently. Instead of traditional presentations, we’ve invited our community to participate in a series of conversations all centered around the intersection of race and disability.
Over 90% of students with disabilities in DC’s charter schools are Black and only 8% of students with disabilities have been deemed “career and college ready” by our PARCC assessment. This is a crisis. It is our sincere hope that by engaging in conversation with teachers, leaders, and community members who are doing the work, we can begin to shift outcomes for our students.
Thank you so much for being with us today. It will take all of us to unravel and rebuild systems that have not served students with disabilities. We look forward to doing that work together. Read our Call to Action to learn more.
With gratitude,
Julie Camerata, Executive Director DC Special Education Cooperative
2021 ELEVATE CONFERENCE AGENDA www.crowdcast.io/e/elevateconference2021
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ABOUT THE CO-OP The Co-op fills a unique community need in DC by acting as a hub for charter school leaders, teachers, and staff seeking to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities. Our vision is that all students with disabilities in the District of Columbia deserve to receive a rigorous, individualized, and inclusive education that prepares them for post-secondary success.
WE CULTIVATE
WE COLLABORATE
WE INNOVATE
programs and professionals committed to the best outcomes for students with disabilities.
by bringing together schools and community members to share ideas, leverage resources, and build capacity.
by offering programs and services that move schools from compliance to quality.
2021 ELEVATE CONFERENCE AGENDA www.crowdcast.io/e/elevateconference2021
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MEET THE CO-OP TEAM
Meagan Alderton Program Quality Specialist
David Fridie
James Eric Call School-Based Medicaid Program Specialist
Rebecca Foster, Ed.D. Director of Secondary Transition
Cotora Holland
Reu Johnson
Community Engagement Coordinator
Secondary Transition Specialist
Communications Associate
Amita Lathigra
Monica Lesperance
Laura Lorenzen
Program Quality Specialist
Deputy Director
Program Quality Specialist
2021 ELEVATE CONFERENCE AGENDA www.crowdcast.io/e/elevateconference2021
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CONFERENCE AGENDA 8:00 - 8:45 AM
Trap Yoga with Khepera Wellness
9:00 - 9:45 AM
Generations at the Intersection: One Man’s Journey to Howard University School of Medicine
10:00 - 10:45 AM
Dismantling Systems of Oppression in Schools
11:00 - 11:45 AM
Parent Partnerships
12:00 - 12:45 PM
Equitable Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
1:00 - 1:45 PM
Suspension & Students of Color
1:45 - 3:30 PM
BREAK
3:30 - 4:00 PM
Virtual Meditation with La Sarmiento
2021 ELEVATE CONFERENCE AGENDA www.crowdcast.io/e/elevateconference2021
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WELLNESS WORKSHOPS
Trap Yoga with Khepera Wellness Thursday, December 9 8:00am - 8:45am
Highlights Brandon Copeland Founder Khepera Wellness
This inclusive style of practice incorporates fastpaced traditional asana practice with hip-hop music. The idea is to make yoga more relatable to black populations that may have been underserved by their previous wellness experiences.
Virtual Meditation Thursday, December 9 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Highlights As educators, the work is often focused on
La Sarmiento Founder
supporting others, which can often lead to overwhelm, exhaustion, and burnout. In this meditation session, participants will be guided to settle into themselves, to release areas of tension in their bodies, to remember the support that always surrounds them, and to offer themselves compassion.
2021 ELEVATE CONFERENCE AGENDA www.crowdcast.io/e/elevateconference2021
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Demarrius Young Jr.
Generations at the Intersection: One Man’s Journey to Howard University School of Medicine Thursday, December 9 9:00 am - 9:30 am Demarrius Lamont Young Jr (he/him) is a proud Black man with a disability, born with albinism of the skin, hair, and eyes. Mr. Young was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, where he developed a keen interest in science and service, leading him to pursue a career in medicine. He recently graduated from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences degree. Mr.Young is currently a laboratory technician in the Outcomes Lab of the Neuro-Oncology Branch (NOB) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). As of Fall 2021, he is enrolled as a first-year medical student at Howard University School of Medicine.
2021 ELEVATE CONFERENCE AGENDA www.crowdcast.io/e/elevateconference2021
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CONFERENCE SESSIONS Dismantling Systems of Oppression in Schools 10:00 - 10:45 am
Inclusive schools are anti-racist schools. Join school and community leaders as they share how they are dismantling codified structures in schools to become more inclusive. Martrice Gandy, Founder and Executive Director of Mindworks Collaborative; Melissa Boston, Co-Founder and Director of Programs at Mindworks Collaborative; Melody Maitland, Chief of Staff at DC International PCS; Chris Nace, Principal at DC International PCS; Monica Green, Founder and Head of School at Capital Village PCS; Michale Lindon, Director of Special Education at Capital Village PCS
Parent Partnerships 11:00 - 11:45 am
Inclusive school communities that closely partner with families are hard to find. Join Advocates for Justice & Education (AJE) in this talk with parents about what schools are doing to create a welcoming space for families to be true partners in their child’s learning. Yolanda Corbett, Parent Organizer at Advocates for Justice & Education; Debra Jennings, Former Executive Co-Director of the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN); LaJoy Johnson-Law, Parent Support Specialist at Advocates for Justice & Education (AJE)
Equitable Multi-Tiered Systems of Support 12:00 - 12:45 pm
Schools need to reexamine their Tier 1 supports to ensure all students receive the interventions they need preventatively and based on data. Join us for this talk, where representatives from schools discuss how they are digging into MTSS and making sure it is equitable in the service of students. Peter Anderson, Head of School at Washington Latin PCS; Jessica Hiltabidel, Director of Equity, Access, and Culture at Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS; Laura Lorenzen, Program Quality Specialist at the DC Special Education Co-op.
Suspension & Students of Color 1:00 - 1:45 pm
Students of color are suspended at twice the rate of their white peers. Join SchoolTalk to hear how DC schools are actively working to reduce this discipline gap to zero. Yazid Jackson, Restorative Justice Program Manager at SchoolTalk; Raymond Weeden, Executive Director at Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS
2021 ELEVATE CONFERENCE AGENDA www.crowdcast.io/e/elevateconference2021
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OUR SPEAKERS
Peter Anderson Head of School Washington Latin PCS
Monica Green Founder & Head of School Capital Village PCS
LaJoy Johnson-Law Parent Support Specialist Advocates for Justice & Education (AJE)
Melissa Boston Co-Founder & Director of Programs Mindworks Collaborative
Jessica Hiltabidel Director of Equity, Access, and Culture Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS
Laura Lorenzen Program Quality Specialist DC Special Education Co-op
Christopher Nace Interim Principal at DC International PCS
Yolanda Corbett
Martrice Gandy
Parent Organizer Advocates for Justice & Education
Founder & Executive Director Mindworks Collaborative
Yazid Jackson
Debra Jennings
Restorative Justice Program Manager SchoolTalk
Michale Lindon Director of Student Support at Capital Village PCS
Former Executive Co-Director Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN)
Melody Maitland Chief of Staff DC International PCS
Raymond Weeden Executive Director Thurgood Marshall Academy PCS
2021 ELEVATE CONFERENCE AGENDA www.crowdcast.io/e/elevateconference2021
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NFP IS A LEADING INSURANCE BROKER AND CONSULTANT THAT PROVIDES EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, PROPERTY AND CASUALTY, RETIREMENT, AND INDIVIDUAL PRIVATE CLIENT SOLUTIONS THROUGH OUR LICENSED SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES.
WITH MORE THAN 6,000 EMPLOYEES AND GLOBAL CAPABILITIES, OUR EXPERTISE IS MATCHED BY OUR COMMITMENT TO EACH CLIENT'S GOALS AND IS ENHANCED BY OUR INVESTMENTS IN INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN THE INSURANCE BROKERAGE AND CONSULTING SPACE.
NFP IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE DC SPECIAL EDUCATION COOPERATIVE.
2021 ELEVATE CONFERENCE AGENDA www.crowdcast.io/e/elevateconference2021
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