Creating Culture to Support Excellence for All
Creating Culture to Support Excellence for All
Illinois Democracy Schools demonstrate a committment to preparing ALL students for civic life with K-12 learning experiences that provide mirrors for students to see themselves, windows to learn about others, and sliding doors to step out and see themselves as valued members of “we the people” charged to make a “more perfect union.”
| IDS Values | Educator Actions | School Leadership Action | Student Engagement | School Engagement with Families & Community | ||||
| Equity for All | 1TAa. COMMUNICATE, with clear expectations, support and care, that all students can and will become fully prepared citizens of this world through both in school and extracurricular activities.
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1SLAa. BUILD systems that consider the diversity of learners and develop clear expectations of success for all students both in and out of the classroom and extra curricular activities. | 1SEa. RECOGNIZE the possibilities for all people in the United States to participate in American constitutional democracy. | 1EFCa. CREATE an inclusive mission statement that recognizes the importance of civic learning to ALL students for college, career and civic engagement. | ||||
| Growth Mindset | 1TAb. INTEGRATE and MODEL activities to cultivate student motivations in order to improve and develop a growth mindset in students. | 1SLAb. ADOPT a mindset that ALL certified and non certified staff model a growth mindset related to citizenship and civic responsibility through student interactions, policies and practices.
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1SEb. PRACTICE a growth mindset by taking ownership and responsibility for learning, connecting content and extra curricular goals with relevant experiences. | 1EFCb. opportunities for community and family members to learn about growth mindset and how it works in your school (in both the classroom and extracurricular activities) through parent academies, webinars, community newsletters and other venues. | ||||
| Diverse Voices and Experiences | 1TAc. BUILD relationships with and among students by showing interest in learning more about students and their families and communities. | 1SLAc. LEVERAGE the diversity and lived experiences of all staff (certified and non-certified) to serve as civic role models for students through daily interactions, organizational structures, polices and practices.
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1SEc.COLLABORATE with diverse perspectives outside of their own lived experiences to understand others’ place in “We the People” and understanding of “a More Perfect Union.” | 1EFCc. REACH OUT to neighborhoods and communities whose voices are underrepresented in schools’ process for designing events and programs for the community to promote excellence for all, mindful of diverse family structures and consideration. | ||||
| Capacity and Opportunity Building | 1TAd. ADVOCATE for broader systems changes that promote civics integration throughout school experiences, policies and practices (in and out of school) to support student leadership and civic excellence for all. | 1SLAd. IMPLEMENT leadership and opportunities for all staff (certified and non-certified) collaboration through mechanisms like a faculty senate, instructional leadership teams, subcommittees, and unions in order to develop skills needed to create an environment for school wide civic learning
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1SEd. LEARN AND USE strategies for persisting and overcoming learning struggles and leverage assets. | 1EFCd. HELP TO BUILD capacity to identify and solve family and community challenges among caregivers and community members by offering workshops where they can learn about pertinent issues for healthy family and community life | ||||
| Positive School Climate | 1TAe. CREATE a climate that facilitates civil dialogue, empathy for multiple viewpoints, and student processing of emotionally difficult events. | 1SLAe. USE Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) tools and practices into school disciplinary policies to support students social and emotional development. | 1SEe.EXPLORE how their identities, interests and assets place them in “We the People” and advocate for the support needed to achieve excellence. | 1EFCe.SHARE INFORMATION, in accessible formats and languages, with all families and community stakeholders about civic and community-engaged learning plans. |