Equity and Inclusion

To truly serve all students, we must actively prioritize and welcome the voices of families from historically underrepresented and underserved communities. Understanding the specific barriers our students face is crucial, especially as they navigate systemic inequities and a challenging broader societal climate. While children are incredibly resilient, they should not have to face intolerance alone. Public schools exist to bring diverse backgrounds together and foster shared empathy. While school leadership decisions are complex and rarely satisfy everyone, our district benefits by ensuring our decision-making processes are deeply rooted in diverse, inclusive community input.

As a gay woman born in the 50s, I have experienced being part of a marginalized group. The feeling of not fitting societal and family expectations is burdensome. While this type of difference is easier to conceal than race or visible differences, hiding it can result in feeling alone and lacking a support group. I can't know how it feels to be subject to daily racial discrimination. I do know that being marginalized is hurtful and counterproductive to learning and working environments. Our society loses valuable contributions and fails to live up to equal opportunity for all.

Throughout my career as an educator and administrator, my core mission has been dismantling tracking systems and fostering inclusive, high-achievement environments. 

• At Community High School in Ann Arbor, I helped pioneer the elimination of remedial math tracks—which disproportionately funneled Black and Brown students into low-expectation environments—replacing them with heterogeneous algebra classes supported by targeted intervention. This shift drastically reduced failure rates and propelled more diverse students into advanced math and calculus. 
• I carried this philosophy to Pioneer High School as Assistant Principal, challenging rigid notions of student ability and successfully working with the department to reduce tracking levels. 
• Moving into executive leadership as a High School Principal in South Redford, I navigated rapid demographic shifts by empowering a student diversity committee. Partnering with the National Conference for Community and Justice, we implemented school-wide, student-led dialogue that directly resulted in a significant reduction in campus conflict. 
• Later, as a Math Consultant for Wayne RESA, I co-directed a five-year, multi-million dollar NSF Math-Science grant serving Highland Park and Hamtramck. By designing a rigorous, cross-district professional development and coaching model, we bridged cultural divides among staff and achieved statistically significant growth in student math achievement, a framework we later scaled across Wayne County.