Meeting+Minutes

** PLC Meeting November 2, 2009 **
Leslie Blaich Ruletta Hughes Libby Kyles Keena Proctor Penny Smith John Habel, WCU representative
 * Members Present: **

Soon Libby will assign to us our passwords for the wikispace for our PLC group http://courageous-conversations.wikispaces.com/ **Reminder: Monthly meeting schedule for PLC group** Meetings will be at __3:00 pm__ December 7, 2009 January 4, 2010 February 1, 2010 March 1, 2010 March 29, 2010 May 3, 2010 Continue to work on your action plan for aversive racism and stereotyped threat (how to recognize them, what to do about them, and resources that can be used to change them) in your own classroom. Your plan should be **posted on our wiki by Nov. 23**. During the two weeks between Nov. 23 and our next meeting on Dec. 7, please look at each other’s action plans and respond to the action plans with questions, comments, suggestions, etc. **Media committee:** Leslie, Leah, Martha, and Austin Group members should send materials to Leah at lredwards1@catamount.wcu.edu. She will keep an updated list of materials and send it to group members every month. We are thinking about making two more purchases with the grant. The entire PLC group will select those who should receive mini grants. John will send a draft call proposals no later than Nov 13. The entire PLC group will select those who should attend the conference. Dickson’s Professional Development Committee, chaired by Peggy Genova, should be involved in selecting the members of the faculty and/or staff who will attend the 2010 conference (March 29-31). For more information, go to: []
 * Wikispace **
 * Action Plans **
 * Subgroups **
 * Mini grant committee **
 * Closing the Gap committee **

The committee presented the following proposals. Dickson’s Professional Development Committee, chaired by Peggy Genova, should be involved in planning and approving these proposals. 1. During a school-wide in-service meeting watch a video of Jawanza Kunjufu’s convocation address to faculty and staff of the ACS. (Ruletta will determine if this video is available.) This video would serve as the material for: 1) a structured discussion lead by members of the PLC and/or John and Tom; and 2) as an invitation to members of the faculty and staff to participate in a //voluntary// series of sessions, monthly, perhaps, (similar to the //Can we Talk about Race?// sessions last year.) to discuss one of Kunjufu’s books. Books by Kunjufu proposed as possible books our grant could purchase for interested participants: // An African Centered Response to Ruby Payne's Poverty Theory // (2007) and //Black Students, Middle Class Teachers// (2002). (For more information about Kunjufu’s books: [] 2.  During a school-wide in-service meeting watch selected excerpts from the CNN documentary series, “Black in America.” These excerpts would serve as the material for a structured discussion. 3.  During a school-wide in-service meeting hold a structured discussion of the results of Implicit Association Tests (IATs) completed by faculty and staff at Dickson.  Libby (facilitator), Austin, Leslie, Penny The committee presented the following proposals: 1.  Seek funding from the School University Teacher Education Partnership (SUTEP) in WCUs College of Education and Allied Professions to reestablish the literacy and science nights in Hillcrest and, perhaps, other selected neighborhoods the school serves. Although the SUTEP website ( [] ) has not been updated for the 2009-10 school year, information about grant opportunities for 2009-10 SUTEP partnership schools has been sent to the schools. 2. After-school Program: A parent has volunteered to raise funds for a program that would operate until 5:30 each day. Teachers at Dickson would be asked to volunteer one hour per week during approximately two weeks during the remainder of the school year. 3. Walking Bus: On Fridays after school Penny and Faye and others who are interested will walk to and around Hillcrest with students. The purpose is to provide opportunities for teachers at Dickson to learn more about the neighborhood. This will not be a formal committee. Information about what’s working in other schools will be posted on our wikispace by all PLC members.
 * Whole school activity committee:** Ruletta (facilitator), Keena, Penny, Libby, Austin, Alida
 * Community outreach committee **
 * Collecting information from other schools **

1. Update on work of the subgroups 2. Discussion of members action plans (See “Action Plans above) **PLC Meeting October 13, 2009** Libby has developed a wikispace for the PLC group [[Monthly|http://courageous-conversations.wikispaces.com/]] Meetings will be at __3:00 pm__ on: November 2, 2009 December 7, 2009 January 4, 2010 February 1, 2010 March 1, 2010 March 29, 2010 May 3, 2010  Every group member should have an action plan for aversive racism and stereotyped threat (how to recognize them, what to do about them, and resources that can be used to change them). These plans should be for each group member’s own classroom. Group members should send materials to Leah at lredwards1@catamount.wcu.edu. She will keep an updated list of materials and send it to group members every month. We are thinking about making two more purchases with the grant. W**hole school activity committee** Ruletta (facilitator), Keena, Penny, Libby, Austin, Alida. This group will select activities for the entire Dickson staff. *Take a look at SUTEP at WCU College of Education for providing materials for activities. Please have ideas for possible projects ready for the Nov. 2 meeting. *John and Tom will send out stereotype threat case for a possible activity Subgroups should have ideas for the next meeting on November 2, 2009
 * Agenda for next meeting **
 * Wikispace**
 * Monthly Meetingmeeting schedule for PLC group**
 * Action Plans**
 * John and Tom will send out power points from last summer to help with developing action plans.
 * Subgroups**
 * Media committee** Leslie, Leah, Martha, and maybe Austin if she wants
 * Mini grant committee** The entire PLC group will select those who should receive mini grants.
 * Closing the Gap committee** The entire PLC group will select those who should attend the conference.
 * Community outreach committee** Libby (facilitator), Austin, Leslie, Penny, maybe Big
 * Collecting information from other schools** This will not be a formal committee. Information about what’s working in other schools will be posted on the wikispace by all PLC members.
 * Agenda for next meeting**