Equity and Excellence
Somerville Public Schools is committed to equity and access for all students. The department works with school leaders, educators and community partners to provide professional development, workshops, and initiatives that promote equity, belonging, safety, and bravery. A key focus is fostering cross-cultural collaboration through instruction and curriculum that support students’ academic and social, emotional growth.
The department’s focus aligns with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s vision for equity by fostering a diverse workforce, implementing strong diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices, and supporting students’ equitable access to curriculum. The Department of Equity & Excellence works to ensure that the district’s goals, outcomes, and initiatives are in alignment with the priorities of the state, the City, and the School Committee.
OUR WORK
The Department of Equity & Excellence has developed several tools to shape and direct the district’s vision and mission of creating, and maintaining, equitable spaces of teaching and learning for students, caregivers, and staff.
School-Based Equity Specialists and Equity Teams
Each school’s Equity Specialist leads a team of up to eight members to foster a positive culture of respect, acceptance, and growth. Their action plans support students’ social, emotional, and academic development while building stronger, more engaging school communities. The work of these Equity Teams aligns with the district’s and Department of Equity & Excellence’s goal of equipping educators with the knowledge and tools to support students—and each other—while promoting agency, belonging, and well-being, tailored to each school’s unique needs.
Translation & Interpretation Services
Somerville Public Schools offers translation and interpretation services to improve home-school communication. The district’s four primary languages are English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole, and we make every effort to communicate with families in the appropriate target language.
Professional Development
The district provides professional development to strengthen teaching, build confidence, and support equitable, high-quality learning. New educators receive orientation on equitable practices, and second-year educators take a course on culturally responsive teaching. Staff collaborate in professional learning communities and Affinity Groups to share best practices, set goals, and work with equity teams to enhance curriculum and school culture.
Resources & Initiatives
Annual Diversity Job Fair. The fair is designed to encourage and increase the number of applicants from underrepresented communities who apply for positions at SPS. The fair also celebrates and highlights diversity and cross-collaborative work in our district.
AMSEL. The Association of Massachusetts School Equity Leaders works to share ideas and practices to help districts to improve their practice, help people to overcome challenges, and celebrate the joy of equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging work. Somerville is a proud member of AMSEL.
Somerville Public Schools Equity Policy: Adopted by the Somerville School Committee, November 2019.
Family Diversity Project: A nonprofit organization in Amherst, MA has created four award-winning traveling rental exhibits that tour communities nationwide and internationally. By educating people of all ages to recognize, support, and celebrate the full range of diversity, these traveling exhibits are designed to help reduce prejudice, stereotyping, and harassment of all people who are perceived to be “different” from the “norm.”
Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education (MPDE): The MPDE (formerly the Affirmative Action Recruitment Consortium of Eastern Massachusetts) is committed to recruiting and assisting in producing career opportunities for future educators and administrators of color, and forming collaborative relationships that will enhance staff diversity within our school districts.
International Children’s Digital Library: This site hosts a collection of online books from around the world for readers ages 3-13 so they can know and appreciate the riches of literature from the global community. The library holds more than 2,600 books in 48 languages. Free registration allows users to select their preferred language, return to the last page they were reading, and save their favorites in a personal “bookshelf.”