NCUST CONSTRUCTION ZONE
Building School-Level Systems that Engage and Empower Students of Color
Building School-Level Systems that Engage and Empower Students of Color
Step-by-step support to help school teams construct a route to equity and excellence.
Four virtual half-day conferences for your entire school leadership team.
Opportunities to engage with and learn from principals and teachers who have generated outstanding learning results for students of color.
Several personalized coaching sessions in which an NCUST Executive Coach will support your school leadership team in planning and implementing key processes.
Opportunity to be part of a cohort of up to 40 schools who share a commitment to improving the engagement and empowerment of students of color.
In too many schools across our nation, too many students have been stranded. Even though their teachers present lessons each day, these students (often students of color) are minimally engaged in academic learning, they are not achieving their academic potential, and they have come to conclude that they have limited chances for success at school or in life. They are stranded while other students are riding across bridges that will take them to outstanding opportunities to grow, learn, achieve, and make a positive difference in their lives and in their communities.
Through the NCUST Construction Zone, we want to support a few teams of committed educators who want to construct well-designed bridges that will maximize the likelihood that all their students (and especially their students of color) are fully engaged and fully empowered to pursue and achieve their dreams. We know it can be done, because we have found wonderful examples in the outstanding schools NCUST has awarded and studied over the years. We can’t construct the bridges for you, but we can offer expert support (including support from educators and leaders from schools where students of color achieve impressive learning outcomes each year). If you choose to join us, please know that construction requires action. There is no way to lead your students to equity and excellence without your deliberate, coherent, focused action. If you choose to join us, please know that success is attainable. Mortals have done this work. We look forward to helping your school team succeed in making a powerful difference for your students.
CONSTRUCTION ZONE WEBINAR
WHY?
Why is this called the “Construction Zone”?
Why is the focus on student engagement?
Why is the focus on student empowerment?
Why is it that relatively few schools have constructed environments in which students of color are engaged and empowered?
WHEN?
2021-2022 Calendar of Activity
ACTIVITY
DATES
Enroll
sign up your school team
Between now and October 19th, 2021
or until registration slots are full
Half-Day Virtual Conference 1
Taking Stock
*Wednesday, October 20, 2021
While all registrants are encouraged to attend, schools may record the sessions and share them with school team members at their discretion.
Construction Zone A: Identifying Strengths and Needs
School teams will develop and implement strategies for determining the extent to which students of color are engaged and empowered to succeed in school.
October & November, 2021
School team leaders will arrange two or three mutually convenient 90-minute virtual support meetings with their NCUST Executive Coach.
Half-Day Virtual Conference 2
Planning for Success
*Wednesday, December 8, 2021
While all registrants are encouraged to attend, schools may record the sessions and share them with school team members at their discretion.
Construction Zone B: Constructing a Coherent Plan of Action
School teams will develop a plan of action that has a high likelihood of increasing the engagement and empowerment of students of color.
December, 2021 & January, 2022
School team leaders will arrange two mutually convenient 90-minute virtual support meetings with their NCUST Executive Coach.
Half-Day Virtual Conference 3
Continuously Improving
*Wednesday, February 2, 2022
While all registrants are encouraged to attend, schools may record the sessions and share them with school team members at their discretion.
Construction Zone C: Examining Quality of Implementation and Outcomes
School teams will examine and refine quality of implementation to generate better outcomes for students of color.
February, March, & April, 2022
School team leaders will arrange two mutually convenient 90-minute virtual support meetings with their NCUST Executive Coach.
Half-Day Virtual Conference 4
Celebrating Progress While Planning for More Progress
*Wednesday, May 4, 2022
*Dates are tentative. They may be modified slightly if doing so would significantly increase the number of registered schools that could participate.
HOW MUCH?
Total Cost for the Year-long Program $9,000 per school
The Cost Includes:
- Registration for four virtual half-day conferences for your entire school leadership team
- Opportunities to engage with and learn from principals and teachers who have generated outstanding learning results for students of color
- Several personalized coaching sessions in which an NCUST Executive Coach will support your school leadership team in planning and implementing key processes
- Opportunity to be part of a cohort of up to 40 schools who share a commitment to improving the engagement and empowerment of students of color
WHAT?
WHAT IT IS
WHAT IT ISN'T
A year-long effort to help school teams build systems that increase the engagement and sense of empowerment among students of color.
A one-shot workshop that is soon forgotten.
The active engagement of your school leadership team in constructing systems, processes, and routines designed to ensure the success of students of color at your school.
An opportunity for school personnel to listen passively to good ideas about school improvement.
A proven approach based on the successes of schools that achieve outstanding results for all students, including students of color.
A scholar’s theoretical guess about what might work in a theoretical school somewhere.
Tailored support from an experienced executive coach who will spend time getting to know your school and working with your leadership team.
Generalized suggestions without consideration of the unique strengths and needs of your school.
A data-based, equity-focused year-long improvement initiative.
Another well-intentioned idea with little attention to real data about real issues of educational equity.
WHICH SCHOOLS SHOULD PARTICIPATE?
- Schools where educators believe students of color can excel academically if systems are structured to promote their success.
- Schools where educators are willing to challenge their traditional approaches and design new approaches based upon the strengths and needs of their students, especially their students of color.
- Schools where educators are willing to consider ways to reduce the number of initiatives or better align initiatives to create more of a sense of coherence.
- Schools where educators are willing to reflect upon their practices openly with their colleagues and support each other in developing new practices that will promote the engagement and success of students of color.
- Schools where educators acknowledge that while this effort will require time and effort, they would rather spend time in ways that improve the outcomes student generate than to continue wasting time on ineffective practices.
- Schools where educators recognize that even though restarting school after a pandemic is a daunting task for a thousand reasons, it would be tragic to miss the opportunity to consider how to re-start in a way that maximizes the success of students who historically have not been served well.
