The 2023 cohort of Equity Champions were honored at a special reception on November 30, 2023. Photo: Atlanta Public Schools ©
For the third year, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) shined a light on everyday heroes who have dedicated their work to bringing about change and shaping the lives of today’s youth through their Equity Champions recognition.
Out of 100 nominations from their peers across the 89 learning sites and administrative offices within the APS district, 13 recipients were chosen as leaders at the forefront of equity and honored at a special reception.
APS Interim Superintendent Dr. Danielle Battle attended the celebration to provide her congratulations to the honorees.
“I’m extremely excited to celebrate our equity champions,” said Dr. Battle. “Recognizing APS employees from our departments and schools that have exemplified equity in our system is important because it shines a light on the care we are intentional about showing our scholars every day. These champions are the frontrunners in their field. They make us proud.”
The criteria for selecting this year’s cohort was measured against 5 Equity Dispositions, which include the tenets for championing a culture of belonging and inclusion at APS.
Each recipient has been recognized as an advocate for APS students, families, and the surrounding community, and will serve a one-year term as an ambassador for equity across the district through facilitating professional learning opportunities for district staff, as well as advising the APS Office of Equity and Social Justice on key districtwide equity initiatives. Additionally, they received an award and micro-grants of up to $5000 to support equity-focused professional learning.
Executive Director for the Office of Equity and Social Justice Shateena Love spoke about the micro-grants and the support they will lend to the honorees and their colleagues to enhance the overall quality of equity within APS.
“We utilize our Title II funding to support professional learning opportunities that are based in the schools,” said Love. “The Equity Champions can select professional learning development for themselves personally that they can then bring back to their schools or they can leverage those funds to bring in professional development directly to the teams at their school.”
Crystal Stroud, currently a 5th-grade teacher at Virginia Highland Elementary, was recognized as an Equity Champion last year and attended this year’s celebration to share her experience and the gains her then school Morningside Elementary experienced as a result of a six-hour training she commissioned from the STEM Equity Initiative and funded utilizing her micro-grant.
“We had some tears, it made us really analyze ourselves as a staff and how we felt in our cluster, in our school, and how we felt valued,” said Stroud. “It was an uncomfortable conversation and took a couple of hours of digging deep. But what I love is that it shifted over to the children and how we can empathize with them and see how it feels to be different and to not feel comfortable in a space, and then how to use that and create opportunities through STEM.”
In the coming year, the current Equity Champions will add their initiatives to the growing number of opportunities created by past Champions, furthering the important work they are doing and increasing the positive impact APS is making surrounding diversity, inclusion and equity among its 5,000 student population.
Thirteen recipients received the 2023 Atlanta Public Schools Equity Champions award for their remarkable efforts toward equity, diversity and inclusion. Photo: Atlanta Public Schools ©
Please join us in saluting this year’s cohort of Equity Champions:
Chef Larry Alford | Washington High School
Chef Larry has had a significant impact on the students of Washington High School through his outreach efforts. He organizes food drives that support families and teachers throughout the year and he established the LGBTQ+ club for students to help them feel like they belong and encourage other students to become allies who understand and support their fellow students.
Rashad Brown | Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies, Maynard Holbrook Jackson High School
Brown is one of only 6 people in the United States teaching AP African American Studies. He is a passionate educator and activist who is recognized for his dedication to having brave conversations about issues of social justice and change with his students. He has represented Atlanta Public Schools in numerous news stories locally and nationally and recently formulated a nonprofit named the African American Studies Guru that is developing an online African American studies course that will be accessible to students globally and society at large.
Dr. Veneschia Bryant| Coordinator of Social Emotional Learning, Teaching and Learning, Atlanta Public Schools
Dr. Bryant consistently creates and leads professional learning opportunities that promote critical self-reflection and self-examination and works collaboratively with various departments across the district to produce more equitable systems.
Andra Burns | Counselor, Westside Atlanta Charter School
The work that Burns has spearheaded at Westside Atlanta Charter School is rooted in her experience with anti-racist affinity groups centered on equitable education for all students. She is committed to doing the work to dismantle a system of oppression and inspires her students and fellow colleagues to do the same.
Dr. Erica Clark | Counselor, Washington High School
Dr. Clark created the Civic Education Leadership Academy program, an initiative created through collaborations with community partners. After recognizing a gap in her students’ knowledge regarding important issues that were affecting both their school and community experiences, she lead the charge to create a program that is culturally responsive and inclusive, and representative of diverse student voices.
Valerie English | ESOL Teacher, Springdale Park Elementary School
English is credited for building meaningful relationships with her students, taking the time to get know each one and their cultural backgrounds. She believes in promoting a sense of belonging and encourages her students to take risks in their language learning.
Keith Glass | Community Affairs Manager, Board of Education
Glass is a frontrunner in providing support and creating opportunities for student leadership and consistently encourages the district to be accountable in the advocacy and leadership of students. He served as a valuable member of the Alumni Month Core Team and continues to be instrumental in investing in the lives of both past and future APS alumni.
Dr. Kala Goodwine | Associate Superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools
Dr. Goodwine created a robust professional learning plan for her school leaders that includes monthly sessions that challenge them to reflect on their personal assumptions and beliefs. She took an active part in the development of the inaugural “Amp Up APS” districtwide equity survey and she works diligently to ensure that she and the principals she leads remain equity-guided and data-informed.
Catrina Smith-Reid | School Secretary, Fickett Elementary School
Smith-Reed has served as Fickett Elementary’s school secretary for a decade and is credited for creating a communication system for new students that ensures there is no red tape getting them a speedy admittance. She has cultivated a safe space where students feel free to voice their needs and she is steadfast to do all she can to meet them.
Juanice Woodall | Assistant Principal, Maynard Holbrook Jackson High School
Woodall was a key component to the swift and caring response of a race-related issue that impacted the Jackson High School community. She was a part of the team that gathered student groups and organizations to identify and address the root cause issues, making the school more inclusive. She assisted in the creation of an equity task force, and works diligently to ensure students, staff, and families who identify as LGBTQ + feel welcomed and valued.
Corretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA) | School Award for Equity Change
CSKYWLA is a STEM school that prioritizes equitable education and believes in nurturing the whole child. Their intimate class sizes afford them the opportunity to give special attention to the diverse needs of their students. Their leadership team is passionate about ensuring all students have exposure to different cultures and unique learning experiences. In addition, the school’s parent and family outreach is intentional with providing assistance and support to their students and families who face food insecurity by hosting monthly food drives.
Teaching & Learning Department, Atlanta Public Schools | Department Award for Equity Change
The Teaching and Learning team worked in tandem with the Office of Equity and Social Justice this past year to deliver culturally and linguistically responsive curriculum and instruction to the students of APS. The team co-led the launch of the “Leading Equitable Schools” pilot program which spotlights the tenants of culturally and linguistically responsive practices at three schools. In addition, they assisted in performing a comprehensive assessment of the math curriculum to ensure its responsiveness to culturally, linguistically, and learning diverse students.
Operations Division, Atlanta Public Schools | Division Award for Equity Change
As a part of the Operations Division, the Nutrition team performed in-depth work in improving the quality of food and meal offerings in the district. Through the nutrition feasibility study, they enlisted the equity decision-making tool and the equity impact assessment to uncover opportunities for improvement, specifically involving decision-making with food choices. In addition, the Operations Division conducted a SWOT and a root cause analysis and collaborated with various stakeholder groups to form a process that will guide our operations and resource allocation moving forward.
Enjoy the below slideshow and video of the 2023 Equity Champions Reception.