Supporting Culturally Responsive Teaching
The Office of Community Engagement is pleased to sponsor this conference on diversity. Our mission is to inform, inspire and involve our broad spectrum of stakeholders in collaborative partnerships that empower students and encourage lifelong learning. We seek to create community conversations that result in collaborations through which we take action together to meet challenges facing our children and schools. It's about getting everyone to share ideas, getting everyone to help make a plan of action, and getting everyone to share responsibility for moving a plan into action.
This conference is planned to improve cultural competencies of staff with responsibilities for serving our changing diverse student population and community. We realize that professional development is absolutely necessary to address beliefs and outdated practices. Thus the attention to broadening our skills for teaching to and through the background and experiences of all our students. We believe it will decrease gaps in engagement, motivation, and academic achievement. It is also intended to increase our awareness of adult attitudinal gaps that may be perceived as barriers to learning.
Congratulations to staff who completed professional development on culturally responsive teaching this year and those completing the Culturally Responsive Teaching certification process.
This conference is planned to improve cultural competencies of staff with responsibilities for serving our changing diverse student population and community. We realize that professional development is absolutely necessary to address beliefs and outdated practices. Thus the attention to broadening our skills for teaching to and through the background and experiences of all our students. We believe it will decrease gaps in engagement, motivation, and academic achievement. It is also intended to increase our awareness of adult attitudinal gaps that may be perceived as barriers to learning.
Congratulations to staff who completed professional development on culturally responsive teaching this year and those completing the Culturally Responsive Teaching certification process.
Dr. Bernard Hairston currently serves as Executive Director of Community Engagement for Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS). He has worked in different positions including middle school teacher, middle and high school principal, adjunct professor and central office administrator. He believes that all school personnel are teachers first and should be trained as culturally responsive teachers. This includes but not limited to bus drivers, teacher assistants, custodians, office associates, teachers and administrators. We create achievement gaps and close them through our daily interactions. Our work begins by examining the face in the mirror.
He is the founding president of the African American Teaching Fellows (AATF) of Charlottesville-Albemarle and the 100 Black Men of Central Virginia. The AATF has become the leading source for recruiting African American teachers to ACPS. The 100 Black Men of Central Virginia has emerged as one the most transformational non-profit organizations in the community. Their honors include 2016 National Chapter of the Year for Leadership and Mentoring, the 2014 National Chapter of the Year for Leadership and Education and the 2013 National School Boards Magna Award for Innovative Best Practices. They collaborate with ACPS to address achievement gaps among African American males.
He is the founding president of the African American Teaching Fellows (AATF) of Charlottesville-Albemarle and the 100 Black Men of Central Virginia. The AATF has become the leading source for recruiting African American teachers to ACPS. The 100 Black Men of Central Virginia has emerged as one the most transformational non-profit organizations in the community. Their honors include 2016 National Chapter of the Year for Leadership and Mentoring, the 2014 National Chapter of the Year for Leadership and Education and the 2013 National School Boards Magna Award for Innovative Best Practices. They collaborate with ACPS to address achievement gaps among African American males.
Gloria Maria Rockhold currently serves as Manager in the Office of Community Engagement. Connecting with families and community members through the lens of cultural understanding has been a cornerstone of all program development. Equity in education and opportunities for students is a continuous motivator that challenges her to continually look at issues from diverse perspectives. A native of Asunción, Paraguay and Baton Rouge, LA, Gloria's bi-cultural roots allow her to look at issues and opportunities from different cultural intersections in order to design and implement solutions for educational settings. Gloria holds degrees in Marketing, Masters in Psychology and a Masters in Leadership and Foundations in Education at UVA. She serves as a Board Member on several community area non-profit organizations.