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Office of Equity and Engagement

The Office of Equity and Engagement helps ensure the success of all our students through:

  • Overseeing efforts to promote equity, including professional development and policy
  • Supporting the family-school relationship through community engagement
  • Providing workshops to families about how they can support their children’s education
  • Removing barriers to school success by connecting families to resources such as essential needs and food pantries

The Office of Equity and Engagement also oversees

  • Volunteers
  • Community Partnerships
  • Donations to our schools

Equity in Our Schools

Educational equity means that all children receive what they need to develop their full academic and social potential.

Working towards equity includes, but is not limited to:

  • Ensuring high outcomes for all participants in our educational system and removing the predictability of success or failure that may correlate with a social or cultural factor
  • Interrupting or dismantling harmful or inequitable practices and policies; examining biases; and creating a truly inclusive multicultural school environment for adults and children
  • Discovering and cultivating the unique gifts, talents and interests that every human possesses

Four Key Equity Focus Areas:

  • Equity Goal 1: Supportive Staff. Image shows teacher with 2 students working at table
  • Equity Goal 2: Experience. Image shows 3 students working together in science class
  • Equity Goal 3: Community. Image shows teacher walking with 2 students hand-in-hand
  • Equity Goal 4ː Equity Foundations. Imageː 2 graduates in regalia
  • Equity Foundations: We want to be systemic and proactive as we make positive change. Let’s follow–and establish–best practices
  • Diverse, Inclusive, and Rigorous Learning Experiences: “Define what a high-quality classroom looks like in the domains of curriculum, instruction, assessment, effective learning environment, and leading and managing a classroom, then incorporate culturally responsive attitudes and particles to each of those domains” –Carol Ann Tomlinson
  • Growing Relationships: As we help our staff and students feel connected, supported and safe, we will learn from one another for our mutual gain.
  • Supported/Supportive Staff: This includes diversifying our staff and equipping our educators to succeed and help all students succeed. 

A formalized Equity Framework and Data Dashboard are in the works and will be finalized as a part of our 2023-2029 Strategic Planning Process. 

Equity Professional Development
Our equity-centered professional learning program for staff includes several levels of commitment, from one-time opportunities all the way to a year-long Equity Certificate Program. Topics include implicit bias, asset-based instruction, accelerated learning for all, responsive classrooms, institutional bias, policy impact, decision-making, local history, community and family engagement, differentiated instruction, responsive language, and creating safe spaces.

Evolution of Equity Efforts at CCS
Browse the links below for details about how our division’s approach to equity has evolved and what positive impacts we have seen:

Family and Community Engagement (FACE)
Charlottesville City Schools believes when families, communities and schools work together, students are more successful and the entireCharlottesville City Schools Seal with FACE acronym  community benefits.

Family and community engagement enables our school division to…

  • meet families where they are
  • help identify strengths and supports both within our families and community
  • intentionally eliminate barriers to student success

Charlottesville City Schools Seal with FACE acronym

FACE Events

  • Back to School Bash
  • Family Engagement Football Tailgate
  • Community meet-and-greets
  • Workshops (a.k.a. “Family University”)
  • Community partner meetings

FACE Programs

Resource Hub for Families

Community Partnerships

Charlottesville City Schools partners with community organizations in efforts to serve our students’ diverse needs.

Major partners include:

We have many other community partnerships to support our diverse students. A few examples include:

  • Books on Bikes
  • Free Book Bus
  • STEM and health science partnerships with U.Va

Aside from our local partnerships, our efforts to promote equity are also reliant on the expertise and programs of state and national partners.

Volunteer for Our Schools

Donate to Support Our Schools

We welcome your support. Donations from valued community partners support our efforts to provide a high-quality education to students in the City of Charlottesville.

We are most in need of new items that support our instructional efforts. 

Contact the Office of Equity and Engagement

Dr. Denise Johnson, Supervisor of Equity and Inclusion
(434) 245-2593
johnsod2@charlottesvilleschools.org

Headshot of Bianca JohnsonBianca Johnson, Family Engagement Coordinator
(434) 245-2674
johnsob2@charlottesvilleschools.org