How We Embrace Diversity

In July 2006, former Chief Administrator Dr. Maxine Kilcrease established the agency’s formal commitment to cultural competence and led the Agency on an exciting journey. Her objective was to create an environment in which the diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives of all employees could be used to better serve our districts. Since then, we have continuously worked to implement our equity plan, and we continually strive to make diversity a key component of our culture.

Milestones of 2008-2009: 

Lunch and Learn Events

• LGBT Awareness
• Parents Serving in the Military
• Homeless Youth
• Incarcerated Iowans
• Students and Gangs
• Bureau of Refugees
• Drug Affected Students
• Mental Health Issues

Lunch & Learn DVDs became available to all staff
Increased Lunch & Learn attendance in all offices
705 staff participated agency-wide in Lunch & Learns

Professional Development for PLLCs

• Disseminated cultural competence kits
• Shared tools related to supporting students living in poverty

Professional Development for Johnston Office Staff

• Developed generational diversity presentation for internal use
• Delivered to 140 staff members

Poverty Simulations

• West Des Moines (Phenix Elementary and High School)
• Johnston (District-wide)
• Urbandale (District-wide)

Piloted Short Version of Simulation

• Twin Cedars (District-wide)
• Carlisle (Middle School)
• Internally at office meetings and professional development catalog classes

Note: One simulation kit was provided in each branch office's cultural competence kit

Piloted Donna Beegle’s Class Continuum Simulation

• Urbandale (District-wide)
• Twin Cedars (District-wide)

Supporting Under-Resourced Learners Course Written and Piloted with Internal and External Participants

• Attended by 75 area educators
• Course was offered twice this summer for internal and external participants

Teacher Quality Cultural Competence Poverty Course

• Developed and offered a cultural competence course for internal staff as part of the Teacher Quality initiative
• Attended by 19 certified staff members

Poverty In-Services

• Johnston (District-wide)
• Urbandale (District-wide)
• Twin Cedars (District-wide)
• Carlisle (Middle School Staff)
• Indianola (District-wide)
• Des Moines (Several schools)

Cultural Competence Presentations

• IRIS Visitors from Georgia – Des Moines
• Simpson College – Indianola
• Iowa Architects Consortium – Des Moines
• Indian Hills Diversity Conference – Ottumwa
• Drake University – Des Moines
• Iowa State Education Association – Storm Lake

Involved with Planning and Implementation

• Mosaic Diversity Conference
• Iowa Culture and Language Conference
• Immigration Forum
• Poverty Simulation Train-the-Trainer

Sponsored

• Mosaic Diversity Conference
• Iowa Culture and Language Conference
• Immigration Forum

Attended

• First Lady’s Poverty Summit
• Immigration Forum at DMACC
• LGBT Conference at Drake University
• Iowa Human Rights Commission Conference
• Indian Hills Diversity Conference
• Iowa Mosaic Diversity Conference
• Iowa Culture and Language Conference
• World Food Prize Hunger Summit
• Immigration Summit at Plymouth by IIEC

Community Service

• Family Directions of Iowa
• Urban Dreams
• Meals From the Heartland
• ChildServe
• Domestic Violence Shelter
• Bureau of Refugee Services
• Reggie’s Sleep-Out

New Partnerships

• Emerge
• Urban Dreams
• Iowa Homeless Youth Shelter
• Family Directions of Iowa
• Iowa Immigration Education Coalition
• Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• The Greater Des Moines Partnership
• Iowa Commission of Human Rights

Additional Highlights

• Cultural Competence & Diversity Council members met with a group of 12 diverse students to learn about their needs
• Featured monthly cultural competence column in HeartBeat staff newsletter
• Shared of Our Kids DVD with several organizations such as UNI, William Penn University, Veridian Credit Union, Pella Corporation
• Created adoptive children DVD with board member Dr. Steve Rose
• Added items to cultural competence kits in each office
• Held Diversity Day celebrations in each office
• Add religious and cultural observances calendar to agency’s Web site
• Finalist for Governor’s One Iowa Award