June 14th, 2021

Earlier this month, we announced the new Indigenous, Equity, and Human Rights Department. This week, we are profiling the second of three branches within the department: the Equity and Inclusion Branch.

Equity and Inclusion Branch

Equity & Inclusion Team

The Equity & Inclusion Team strives to increase educational equity by working alongside staff to identify ways to bolster strengths and mitigate barriers faced by students and staff. The aim is to foster an anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and inclusive culture at the WRDSB, where all students feel seen, heard, respected, and have all the support and resources they need to flourish.

The Equity & Inclusion Team responds to ongoing requests made through the equity request form by administrators, educators, Social Workers, Child & Youth Workers, and other support staff with evidence-informed best practices addressing inequities. These requests, in turn, help to identify the overarching gaps or themes, build and cultivate community partnerships, help inform the development of resources and tools, and drive policies and procedures to keep the system responsive.

Learn more about the Equity & Inclusion Team.

Resources and Supports

System Navigator: Anti-Black Racism Focus

The System Navigator with a focus on Anti-Black Racism strives to bridge the gap between African, Caribbean and Black identifying (ACBi) communities, students, families and the school system in order to prevent and address issues of Anti-Black racism within the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB).

Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy

Through the Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy (CRRP) approach, educators in the WRDSB work to increase educational equity by building and refining their own equity lens. Culturally Responsive and Relevant educators share a particular set of dispositions and skills that allow them to support all students in diverse settings.

Policies, Initiatives, and Celebrations

The WRDSB aims to create an anti-oppressive, inclusive, and respectful culture
where everyone feels valued and welcomed. To do this, processes of exclusion will continue to be examined and reconciled, and together through staff and community collaboration, gaps mitigated, strengths bolstered, and collective knowledge increased.

Visit the Policies, Initiatives, and Celebrations page to learn more about the policies and practices related to anti-oppression, equity, and human rights, developed in ongoing collaboration and support from community and interfaith organizations in Waterloo Region.

Staff, Student and Community Groups

The work of equity cannot be done in isolation. This work depends on collaboration with others so that multiple and diverse perspectives are brought together. Visit the Staff, Student and Community Groups page to learn more about these groups and the roles they play in supporting and furthering the equity work in the WRDSB.

Interested in learning more about the work of the IEHR Department? Explore our pages on the WRDSB website, and see all the resources available to the WRDSB community.