Rowe said her career as a classroom teacher helped form her as an educator. What decisions are we making? What does our day look like? What materials are we using? All of this is connected. We have to look at how we’re applying that equity lens. The best school districts provide the best education for all of our students. “We always want to racialize equity work, and that’s not where it should live and die,” she said.

The school district serves the southwest quarter of Brookfield. Roughly 11 percent of D204 students are considered low-income and 11 percent of students receive special education services. Rowe will try applying her expansive concept of equity and belonging in a school district where roughly 72 percent of students are white, 21 percent of students are Hispanic, 3 percent of students are Black, 2 percent of students are Asian and 2 percent are multiracial, according to the school’s Illinois Report Card. It’s the lens through which we look at all things.” “Equity is not something added to the plate,” she said. The breadth and totality of Rowe’s functions are aligned with how she thinks about equity. Some of those duties include working with human resources to ensure that the district’s hiring practices are equitable, working with the director of curriculum on professional development for teachers and staff, and facilitating community outreach. Waterman said she’ll work closely with other senior administrators on a range of responsibilities.

“The next step was to find a person to develop it.”Īs director of equity and belonging, Rowe has a position on the superintendent’s district-wide administrative leadership team. “In January, our board adopted an equity statement that underscored the commitment to this work,” Waterman said. (Alex Rogals/Staff Photographer)ĭistrict 204 Superintendent Brian Waterman said Rowe’s hiring is the culmination of work that’s been done by the school board in the area of equity over the last year. Jennifer Rowe (center), the director of equity and belonging for Lyons Township High School, stands for a photo outside the North Campus in La Grange with junior Noor Hassan (left) and senior Ali Guerrero on Aug.

Bid lyons township high school