Diversifying & Including

Strategies

The district will provide professional development opportunities for staff to identify their cultural lens and understand different perspectives. The C.O.R.E. team has coordinated professional development opportunities to support staff who choose to build more knowledge, skills, and empathy to effectively engage with a diverse world. 

Task Force Members

Administrators, teachers, and support staff members from across the district participate on this task force. The group is led by C.O.R.E. team members Jocelyn Weeda and Matt Moyer.

Related Efforts

• Members of the C.O.R.E. team have participated in building staff meetings so they are informed of current district trends and can provide consultation from a culturally-responsive perspective.
• 200 teachers attended a 2023 session with Colin Seale, founder and CEO of ThinkLaw and author of Tangible Equity, to share practical instructional strategies that boost students’ critical thinking skills.
• In 2022, 350 staff members participated in a book study of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain to better understand how students process information for learning.
• Each building has held meetings to provide time for staff to reflect on and build their understanding of others.
• In 2021, the district partnered with Think Tank to host the "Cost of Poverty Experience," a simulation that explores the lived experience of poverty firsthand through the eyes of real families.
• Staff and community members could choose to participate in the district-hosted event, "Courageous Conversations about Race."

Strategies

Centerville Schools will provide intentional and nontraditional outreach opportunities to connect with all families, as well as find ways to measure the level of family engagement. The district will also be intentional about diverse representation across all areas of the organization, including staff and family committees.

Task Force Members

Administrators, teachers, and support staff members from across the district participate on this task force. The group is led by C.O.R.E. team member Megan LeMaster.

Related Efforts

• A team of classroom teachers established the district’s essential practices for family engagement.
• Feedback is gathered through focus groups, listening sessions, and surveys.
• "Elks Connect: Black & Gold Conversations for a Stronger School Community," which are informal opportunities to talk with members of the district leadership team, began in 2024.
• The district has hosted community-wide events, such as the "We Are Centerville" event in 2019, to celebrate the diversity of families within Centerville-Washington Township.
• Relationship building between immigrant families and local families is encouraged through the "Connect Centerville" program, led by the district's English Learner coach.
• Family advocacy groups have collaborated with the C.O.R.E. team as needed to offer a better understanding of their children’s unique needs.
• The "Elks Express" mobile learning station launched in May 2022. This classroom on wheels includes Chromebook laptops, WiFi hotspots, books, math games, and other educational tools chosen by the district's Curriculum Department.
• Since its launch, the Elks Express mobile learning station participated in more than 40 events to connect with families in their neighborhoods.
• A grant from Think Tank funded an AmeriCorps VISTA during the 2021-22 school year to do outreach and support teachers in implementing best practices for partnering with economically disadvantaged families.

Strategies

Centerville Schools will be intentional about diverse representation across all areas of the organization, including staff and family committees. Members of the C.O.R.E. team are involved in recruitment fairs and in the selection and hiring process. The district will continue to develop and enhance an interest in the teaching profession through mentoring programs with local universities. The C.O.R.E. team will also maintain a forum of collaboration with all staff.

Task Force Members

Administrators, teachers, and support staff members from across the district participate on this task force. The group is led by C.O.R.E. team members Cedric Tolbert and Georgeanna Wright.

Related Efforts

• Annual surveys evaluate school climate for all staff.
• The Diverse Staff Alliance was formed to create a safe space for all staff.
• Staff participation in recruitment fairs increased, and the C.O.R.E. team collaborated to create a recruitment flyer in 2020.
• Two grants supported efforts to expand the pool of teaching candidates, which included mentoring students in the education programs at Wright State University, Central State University, and the University of Dayton.
• Ten education majors from Central State University were mentored by Centerville teachers during the 2023-24 school year, thanks to a grant awarded to CSU.
• As another way to help with expanding staff recruitment efforts, the district is a participating member of the Diversity Recruitment Education Association for Miami Valley (DREAM) with the goal of reaching high-quality candidates that represent the diversity of our communities and our students.
• The district employs a Mentor Committee that facilitates the state-mandated Resident Educator Program. This is a four-year, comprehensive mentoring program for all new teachers that provides support, guidance, and resources for staff new to the district.
• The C.O.R.E. team started a Teacher Supply Closet to equip new teachers with supplies and gift cards that were donated by veteran teachers.

Strategies

Centerville Schools values the unique gifts and experiences of each individual. The district will provide opportunities to listen to students' perspectives of their educational experiences.

Related Efforts

• The Equal Opportunity Schools initiative increased participation in AP programs for all students at CHS and includes a student mentoring program. Over the past five years, CHS has seen a 28% increase in the number of students enrolled in AP courses and a 32% increase in the number of AP exams administered.
• Community members collaborated to provide Heritage Month resources for teachers.
• Grant money from the Heren Foundation assisted elementary staff in purchasing picture books with diverse representation. Building teams researched and selected books that best met their building needs with the purpose of increasing representation of all students' ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.
• Centerville Schools joined more than 1,800 other schools across the nation to be designated as "No Place for Hate" in 2022. This framework encourages students, administrators, and teachers to work collaboratively to develop an inclusive school community.
• More than 80 clubs are offered at Centerville High School, helping students build connections based on their academic and social interests.
• Centerville became the ninth school district in the state to field a wheelchair basketball team. This adaptive sport includes students with and without physical disabilities. Centerville was recognized as the District of the Year during the team’s inaugural season in 2023-24.