In addressing Courageous Conversations about race and gender inclusion, SPPS educators:

• use the Courageous Conversation Protocol to engage, sustain and deepen conversations about race with colleagues, students, families, and community
• respect all students’ gender identity and gender expression by honoring the right of students to be identified and addressed by their preferred name and pronoun
• avoid separating students based upon gender within academic programming, unless it serves as a compelling instructional tool.

To build relationships with students and families, SPPS educators:

• recognize that positive, supportive relationships are central to successful teaching and learning, and that building respectful relationships includes examining the impact of our personal racial beliefs on student learning
• advocate for a growth mindset, understanding that all students can learn and that talent and ability are not fixed but can be developed through dedication and hard work
• believe that teachers, students, families, and administrators have a shared commitment to success
• create emotional and physical safety for all students
• welcome students and families into the school community
• work collaboratively to link home and school communities.

SPPS uses co-teaching:

• between general education, special education and EL educators to provide all learners with access to the core curriculum
• to plan, instruct, differentiate and assess students in a shared space within a core content area.

To maximize professional learning, SPPS educators:

• engage in continuous improvement, seeking to deepen knowledge and expand their portfolio of skills and practices, and striving to increase each student’s performance
• use the SPPS Standards of Effective Teaching along with informal feedback to reflect and guide personal growth
• participate in professional learning communities (PLCs), collaborative inquiry and learning that enhance individual and collective performance
• align their own learning with standards, consider a variety of data, and apply research on human learning as key elements of professional learning for long-term change.

SPPS educators use digital technology to:

• personalize learning through technology at all levels of the SAMR framework
• enhance their own technology skills to establish routines, manage information, and create engaging content
• practice and teach responsible digital citizenship.