Norwood Schools Complete Cultural Proficiency Training

NORWOOD, MA — Norwood Schools announced that the district administration participated in and completed anti-racist pedagogy training led by Malika Ali of the Highlander Institute. The training began in November and was a six-part series that concluded in February.

Throughout the training series, administrators learned about race and culture and what it means to be anti-racist, the impact of race and culture on education and in schools, an educator's role in combatting racism and more.

The Highlander Institute focused on the "Theory of Change," which explains how educators can provide tools, resources and support that ensure all students can succeed at high levels. The theory says that students will perform better and improve cognitive skills if educators are aware of and work to understand systemic racism and inequities that translate into education, as well as build trust and nurture students' academic mindsets by establishing high expectations and supports for productive struggle.

The student competence and engagement will translate to leading and teaching in the communities, according to the theory.

A goal of the training is for educators to learn teaching methods and strategies that will help students become independent learners. Rather than teaching through "compliance" strategies where teachers share information and give directions, "engagement" teaching strategies involve students in their own learning by engaging their values, interests and priorities and helping to develop cognitive skills.

The training also aims to help educators understand the differences in the way kids learn. It noted that many minority students learn in "collectivist" ways, which focuses on learning collaboratively and with group interaction, versus "individualist" learning which focuses on self-reliance and individual achievement and often results in a more competitive environment.

"I'd like to thank Malika Ali and the Highlander Institute for providing this training, which was an excellent and valuable professional development experience for our administrators," Superintendent Thomson said. "We look forward to continuing discussions on how we can expand and implement these important methods, strategies and tools in classrooms across the district."