Staying Ahead of DE&I Conversations in Your Community
December 2, 2020 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ETVIRTUAL EVENTÂ SERIES
"Are you setting the climate, or responding to the climate?"
Education leaders in the social media era know that whether they’re a part of the conversation or not, it’s happening. And when you’re committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in your district, you need to have strategies in place to manage the conversation so it doesn’t take on a life of its own.
Come share your team’s DE&I successes and challenges with education leaders from around the continent at this interactive virtual event hosted by Dr. Dennis Carpenter. We’ll look at how to plan, sustain, and deepen diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations and initiatives in your district – and what great leaders do to stay connected to their communities.
Host
Dr. Dennis L. Carpenter has worked in the education field for more than two decades, most recently as a superintendent. Some of his many accomplishments include achieving Missouri’s highest annual performance score for improvement in underserved student performance, as well as spearheading the implementation of the equity-focused "Innovation Track Program" which enabled students to earn low or no cost college credits in partnership with the local community college. He has also worked to create a free full day pre-K program, expanded before and after school programs, improved teacher salaries and tripled fundraising efforts for student scholarships and teacher grants. Carpenter is a #TripleEagle, earning his bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, educational specialist and educational doctorate in educational leadership from Georgia Southern, as well as a master’s degree in educational leadership from Augusta State University. Some of his awards include the Georgia Southern Minority Leadership award and the Phi Beta Sigma Educator of the Year award. Dr. Carpenter is married to Dr. LaQuanda Carpenter and they have two young children, Landen Drake and Layla Dee. The family lives in North Augusta, South Carolina.
Speakers
Dr. Teresa A. Lance currently serves as Assistant Superintendent of Equity and Innovation in a suburban school district outside Chicago, Illinois. Prior to her current role, Dr. Lance served as the Superintendent in a suburban school district also outside Chicago, IL. As Superintendent, Dr. Lance led with an equity lens. Her approach is evident by the significant decrease in the disproportionate number of out of school suspensions and expulsions for Black and Brown children. Additionally, under Dr. Lance’s leadership, the number of advanced placement course offerings doubled. For the first time in the school district’s history, 9th graders were allowed to enroll in advanced placement courses securing both opportunity and access for our often-marginalized students. Dr. Lance was also a School Leadership Officer in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In her role as a School Leadership Officer, Dr. Lance was responsible for more than 11,000-students in 21 schools. While in Colorado, Dr. Lance oversaw multiple programs including: Gifted and Talented, Special Education, Emergent English Learners, and Professional Development. Dr. Lance’s career, however, began in Baltimore City, Maryland as a health and physical education teacher. It is in Baltimore City where Dr. Lance credits much of her growth; moving from teacher to assistant principal and eventually principal of both a middle and high school.
In her quest for learning and to create better outcomes for the students she serves, Dr. Lance has received training in various parts of the country, including three stints of professional learning at Harvard University’s Professional Education programs. Dr. Lance earned her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and defended her dissertation titled, The Contributions of a Ninth-Grade Academy on African American Males’ Promotion to Tenth Grade: A Single-Case Study. Additionally, Dr. Lance co-authored a chapter entitled, Leading Boldly in Challenges to Integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs in Organizations.
Dr. Lance has presented at several professional conferences, including The American Educational Research Association (AERA) and American Association of School Administrators (AASA). More recently, Dr. Lance was appointed and proudly serves on the Advisory Board of the Region 9 Comprehensive Center, which services Iowa and Illinois.
Art McCoy, Ph.D., is an inspiring, internationally recognized educator and champion of children. Dr. McCoy has served on over 30 executive boards and councils over his esteemed career, including as a current member of the Governor’s COVID-19 Council, advising other education leaders and officials for school reopening nationally and internationally.
In December 2010 at age 33, Dr. McCoy became the youngest and first African-American Superintendent/C.E.O. of Ferguson-Florissant School District and a leader for Harvard’s Pathways to Prosperity. From 2014 to 2016, he served as the Superintendent-in-Residence/Chief Academic Officer of the MIND Research Institute and the Center for Education Innovation/Base 11 in Irvine, CA. In February of 2016, he became Superintendent in Jennings School District in St. Louis, MO, a district with over 90% of students on free meals. Under Dr. McCoy’s leadership, not only did multiple graduating classes achieve 100% graduation, career, and college placement, but in 2019, Jennings students made history by performing at the “Accredited with Distinction” range, achieving over 90% on the Missouri A.P.R./accreditation. Jennings was the only district in all of St. Louis to resume in-person schooling in July 2020 during COVID-19 successfully, with zero cases of student transmission to date.
Under his leadership, Jennings is the only school district in the state of Missouri to create and operate:
- Two school-based clinics for all medical and mental health student needs
- Two homeless shelters to reduce homelessness called Hope House I & II
- Two grocery store food hubs -- the J Town Market and Fairview Food Hub
- Centers for Healing Engagement and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, and more