Introduction

The ongoing discussion about how to address race and equity issues in the urban educational setting will determine the school's level of success. This is one of the cornerstones of successful school culture in urban education. As urban schools become more diverse a greater emphasis must be placed on how adults engage and interact with students and how students interact and engage with each other. The formation of meaningful relationships with people who may be from different cultural backgrounds is critical. Every student must feel a sense of value, affirmation and comfort in order to be successful in the educational environment. I work hard to promote the importance of cultural expression in a way that affirms individual difference. West is a school of 2100 students from 110 countries from throughout the world. We have many active student organizations such as the Diversity Alliance that plans the school wide event All Nations Day and international Dance., We have the Black Student Union, Strong Young Latinas, Asian Club to name a few. As a staff we have an Equity and Diversity team that monthly looks at topics around race, diversity and equity. There are ongoing opportunities for faculty and staff training on cultural competence, discussions around race and equity and the role it plays in our young people's education. We have conducted book talks, classes and workshops for credit around this important issue. The following news clips, artcles, and other artfacts outline how I have worked to create a climate that recognizes and honors the significance and beauty of the cultural diversity found at West.

All faculty and staff are part of staff development around race equity and diversity. We have a 20 member school based Equity Team that is the leadership and planning group around race, equity and diversity issues at West. The school wide staff development began with defining the key terms and self assessment on race, we then moved to building trust and having courageous conversations, we have done some work on cultural competence and are now in the action phase of our plan. We are looking at how to get the job done in terms of developing an overall philosophy that addresses teaching and learning, and engagement and relationships. We are always asking ourselves, "what can we do to close the achievement and show students we value and affirm them at West High School."