Action Plan to Promote Understanding and Respect

1. Establish Expectations and Guidelines

1.1. Who-Everyone in the school-Administrators, teachers, support staff

1.2. What-Establish a culture of inclusion and respect by setting expectations and guidelines that are accepted and promoting by everyone in the school.

1.3. Where-everywhere in the school. It should be a part of all the interactions in the school.

1.4. When- The expectations and guidelines should be established early and reinforced often.

1.5. Why- When expectations and guidelines promoting respect are implemented early, a culture of acceptance can be developed at the school. This has to be cultivated by everyone involved with the educational process.

1.6. How- By having a list of a standards in which everyone would abide by. By using different visuals through out the school that promote inclusion and reflect and honor the different cultures represented in the school.

2. Embrace Cultural Uniqueness

2.1. Who- Teachers and Students

2.2. What- Celebrate the different cultures.

2.3. Where- in the classroom.

2.4. When- through out the school year.

2.5. Why- So students can gain appreciation of the environment and one another. The students can see the differences as assets that enrich each others lives.

2.6. How-This can be done through various activities to build awareness and knowledge of the different cultures. Allow for differentiation in assignments. Incorporate the different holidays from the represented cultures.

3. Contextualize

3.1. Who- Educators

3.2. What- Both educators can use their environment as a the backdrop to build understanding.

3.3. Where- both inside and outside the classroom through field trips.

3.4. When- throughout the school year.

3.5. Why- By contextualizing lessons, students from various backgrounds can more easily access concepts and principles.

3.6. How- By using language and examples that the students can readily understand. Through using programs and visual aids that communicate to the different cultures in the class.

4. Social Inclusion

4.1. Who- Students and Teachers

4.2. What- When possible encourage activities that allow students to celebrate one another's differences.

4.3. Where- in school and in homework.

4.4. When- throughout the school year

4.5. Why- By reinforcing values of respect, understanding, and inclusion through activities, students will be better able to realize the value of their differences.

4.6. How- By having students from different backgrounds work together to build successful projects and assignments together. This will help bridge the gap between the different groups.

5. Prepare and Plan Ahead

5.1. Who- Educators

5.2. What- Teachers and relevant support staff would collaborate to plan what needs would arise in a particular classroom

5.3. Where- in the classroom

5.4. When- before the start of the class year/term.

5.5. Why-planning ahead can make facilitating the differences in the cultures much easier and efficient. Planning ahead can also organize the available resources an educator has at his/her disposal.

5.6. How-By meeting with appropriate stakeholders- parents, administrators, specialists, and teachers.