“Unconscious Bias – Unveiling Racism” – Equity in Education – A Panel Discussion Virtual Series – Sponsored by the SECT Women's Network – Free
April 8, 2021… The Southeastern CT Women’s Network is sponsoring a virtual panel discussion on the topic of “Equity in Education” as part of the Unconscious Bias – Unveiling Racism” series - a free Zoom event on Thursday, April 8, 2021 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The panel will be moderated by Elijah Manning, Activist and CEO, Inclusive Education, LLC – a company that does anti-racism/racism awareness workshops in schools.
Members of the panel include Dr. Carrie McWilliams, a Senior Associate at The Great Schools Partnership, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit school-support organization working to redesign public education and improve learning for all students; Attallah Sheppard, Dean of College and Career Services at Achievement First Amistad High School in New Haven, CT; and Maya Sheppard, Organizational Director, Hearing Youth Voices a nonprofit youth-led, social justice organization working to create systemic change in the education system in New London, Connecticut.
Click this link to join the panel discussion:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83365019987?pwd=eWRWUVlxSHZFTm1Zc21nMnhyeVZhdz09
Free event. Our next panel in the series will be held on May 13, 2021 and focus on business and the corporate world.
PANEL BIOS:
Moderator – Elijah Manning, Activist and CEO, Inclusive Education, LLC – a company that does anti-racism/racism awareness workshops in schools.
Dr. Carrie McWilliams is a senior associate at the Great Schools Partnership, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, school-support organization working to redesign public education and improve learning for all students. Dr. McWilliams brings a wealth of experience developed during a rich and varied career in education. While serving as a transformational leader-in-residence through the Rhode Island Race to the Top grant, she led the reform efforts in two of the lowest performing high schools in Rhode Island. During this time, she worked alongside both National Academic Educational Partners, educational management organizations, and Providence Administrators to use research-based best practices to design systems and structures to reform current ineffective practices. Prior to this position, Dr. McWilliams was the Director of Professional Learning, Statistics, and Assessments for Greenville Public Schools located in the Mississippi Delta. She led the district standards-based reform movement and coordinated district–wide efforts including, developing principal leadership capacity; improving instructional strategies based on district-level data, and development of assessment procedures for improving the quality of student learning. She has served as a Dean of Students in New London, Connecticut where her reformation efforts caused a 50% reduction rate in student administrative referrals. She also co-authored the new standards-based Teacher Evaluation System and has written various curricula. Additionally, she has served as a department chair and classroom teacher. Dr. McWilliams received her undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida, earned Master’s degrees from Sacred Heart University, and completed her doctoral degree at the University of Sarasota, where she published her dissertation on Student Mobility and its effects on the 3rd Generation Connecticut Mastery Test. She was awarded the 2016 Digital Leader Award of Early Learning for Blended Learning by National Associate of Elementary School Principals and Vinci, and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is married to Kenneth, and they have two adult daughters.
Attallah Sheppard is a spoken word poet, school administrator, mother and community ‘artivist’ whose poetry explores stories of social justice to amplify social change. Ms. Sheppard is on the leadership team at Achievement First Amistad High School as the Dean of College and Career Services in New Haven. Prior to serving on the administration, she was a teacher and taught the college and career courses for 10th and 11th graders. She is a co- leader of Nasty Women Connecticut. Prior to working in New Haven, she served as an academic advisor in the Bridgeport school system through the Yale - Bridgeport Gear Up Partnership. Ms. Sheppard uses her artistry as an activism tool to facilitate youth poetry workshops, and co - leads Queen Code and Pretty Tough - two youth empowerment programs for young girls of color. The intersection of liberation, education and artistry came into Ms. Sheppard’s life at the early age of 12 when she became a youth leader and co-founding member of Writer’s Block InK, an educational arts nonprofit in New London, CT. She received a BA in Business Administration from Howard University in 2013 and also holds the 2008 Poetry Out Loud Connecticut State Champion title.
Maya Sheppard is the Organizing Director of Hearing Youth Voices, a nonprofit youth-led, social justice organization working to create systemic change in the education system in New London, Connecticut. Sheppard is a creative educator and mentor, a proud Black woman, a mother to a beautiful little boy and baby girl. In her work, she strives to change the world for the better for all children. Over the past 13 years, She has worked with hundreds of predominantly Black and Brown youth across SECT using the Arts of music, poetry and playwriting to confront and combat the adversities of the city of New London. She truly values the voices of the young people of our world and know that armed with knowledge and resources, they will be able to deconstruct the systems of oppression that people of color are faced with every day. Ms. Sheppard was a founding youth leader of Writer’s Block, InK, an educational arts nonprofit organization in New London, CT. She loves watching movies, writing music, playing with her children and spending time with her huge family.
Please join us for an engaging and powerful discussion. This panel is the fourth in a series of monthly panels focusing on Unconscious Bias. The April, 2021 panel will discuss Education. Free event. Open to the public. To join the panel discussion, go to the Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83365019987?pwd=eWRWUVlxSHZFTm1Zc21nMnhyeVZhdz09
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0EKE4VFfJc
The Network strives to create a dynamic and diverse membership, which promotes powerful, personal, and professional relationships through the advancement and education of its members.
