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SUBURBAN SCHOOLS: Diversity coordinators vent at round-table discussion Page 3 of 4 an issue for white folks. And now I'm in Roseville and I've got a number of elementary schools that are • over 40 percent students of color. Those teachers don't have to be convinced that there's a feeling of incompetence there. And that's why the big buzzword right now in diversity is cultural competence. A bunch of us are getting training on how to measure cultural competence. There's a new assessment tool out there. So, for one thing, I feel like when there is a number of students of color present in the classroom, the teachers are more than willing. My goal is to be an amoeba in the district and whether it's staff development or a curriculum, you name it, I'm there. And I'm always saying: what's the diversity twist on this? We are about teaching and learning. Really. Everything we do in our districts. What's the diversity twist on this? So I always go in and say: I'm a resource for you. I'm not going to add anything to your plate but what's the diversity twist on this? And I really feel like they're really receptive. In your diversity plan, did you all earmark money for substitute teachers? So, teachers can actually do training? Johanna Eager: Yeah. I'm all over the place. For example, we're working on our social studies curriculum. We're looking at models of how do you really have a truly integrated curriculum where the norm isn't a white history and white faces and what would a curriculum look like if it were truly integrated? Well, obviously, there would be no norm in the curriculum that dictates history. It would be the history of all people. So, I'm working in that area. Would it ever come to this point where you could look at a set of data - a teacher where the pertormance of students of color is dramatically lower than the white students or the rate of discipline is dramatically higher for students for color than it is for white students -and you go up to that teacher and say something's wrong here, you have to do something. • Hamilton Bell: You have to open up lines of communication, and now 10 years of being there, I've opened up lines of communication with parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, whatever and people come and talk to me about a lot of different things and this year, I've been put into a diversity and administrative role so students are approaching me about a lot of different things, but the trust factor has to be there. You have to understand the community you're dealing with. I understood Inver Grove Heights - I'm from Minnesota. So, I just understand the dynamics of Minnesota and how to deal with certain individuals. And yes, that Minnesota nice, does that get in the way? You bet is does. But it all goes back to one thing. Dr. King said the content of your character above culture, race and gender is what you have to demonstrate when you are in these positions. If you don't demonstrate that every day you come to work, you shouldn't be in this profession. Dan Forrest: Most of us have been in this job for a year or less and to go back to what Hamilton was saying, I don't think we have the trust of the staff to do that. It is the principal's job. A lot of your positions are new. What has the community's response? Tania: I just wanted to say that it's all about the trust. You don't go in and be the diversity police because you're going to find yourself at a desk job listening to yourself typing things up. I think that community members are supportive. I think there are a lot of questions surrounding the funding and that element is misunderstood, especially since Gov. Ventura pretty much put public schools in a hard situation and we're coming back to our voters with local levies and referendum issues. ]oy Mueller: Does everybody understand it in our community? No. So I think you need to have that communication so they understand but you also need to bring every stakeholder in to be a part of that • planning or they're not going to understand it. What about the larger group of parents? http://www.t~,incities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/education/4330425.htm?template=co... 10/21/2002