Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month With Us!

National Hispanic Heritage Month: Children celebrating

Originally established as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968, the now month-long tribute is observed from September 15 – October 15. National Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with the national independence days for many Latin American countries and celebrates the history and achievements of the Latino community.

Currently, Latino youth make up 15% of our ACPS student population. They are the fastest growing racial/ethnic population in the county. In keeping with our culturally responsive practices, we encourage you to continue to build partnerships that honor the diverse cultures and experiences of our Latino students, staff and families. Include below are a few resources to help deepen your learning and a book giveaway! Continue reading

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Virtual Information Session on Sept. 15

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | 4:45 to 6:15 p.m. | Interest Form

The Office of Community Engagement is excited to launch our 2021-22 Credentialing program in Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT)! On September 15, from 4:45 to 6:15 p.m., the Equity Specialists will host a virtual information session for all those interested in obtaining a Micro-credential or Certification in Culturally Responsive Teaching this school year! Anyone interested is strongly encouraged to attend for an overview of the credentialing process and to hear the stories of credentialed educators from across the division. Continue reading

Updated Info re: “Reframing the Narrative” Cohorts for Elementary Teachers

CRT sign on notebook paper with drawing of globe

We are pleased to announce that we are forming cohorts for Reframing the Narrative for elementary educators. Over the last two years, secondary teachers have been participating in this project with the purpose of co-constructing anti-racist and culturally responsive social studies curricula. This year, we are inviting all pre-K through fifth-grade educators to apply to be a part of this exciting project, which will include a pathway toward a micro-credential or certification in Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT). Continue reading

Announcing “Reframing the Narrative” Cohorts for Elementary Teachers

CRT sign on notebook paper with drawing of globe

A newer version of this post is available here.

We are pleased to announce that we are forming cohorts for Reframing the Narrative for elementary educators. Over the last two years, secondary teachers have been participating in this project with the purpose of co-constructing anti-racist and culturally responsive social studies curricula. This year, we are inviting all K-5 educators to apply to be a part of this exciting project, which will include a pathway toward a micro-credential or certification in Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT). Continue reading

First Community Read Aloud Event – May 24 (Featuring “Fry Bread”)

Fry Bread Read Together Event

Monday, May 24, 2021 | 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. | Zoom

Dear Colleagues,

We’d like to invite you to join our first Community Read Aloud at 4:45 p.m. on May 24, featuring the children’s book Fry Bread, by Kevin Noble Maillard. During this time together, we will read and participate in an interactive discussion of themes from the book, which center around Native American diversity, equity, inclusion and history. We’ll also make our own personal, cultural connections to this wonderful text. Continue reading

New Translation Solution Coming to ACPS Website on May 3

Weglot Logo

For the past few years, ACPS has used Google Translate’s website translator widget to provide free and automatic translation of our website content. However, Google announced in 2019 that they would no longer support their website translator widget. Eventually the tool will cease to work, likely without warning.

In order to ensure that our web content is accessible to users who prefer to read text in a language other than English, ACPS has partnered with a website translation service called Weglot (pronounced Wē-glŏt). Beginning Monday, May 3, Weglot will seamlessly integrate with our website to offer translation options. Continue reading

Winter PD Opportunities: Staff Wellness, Supporting English Learners & Culturally Responsive Teaching

ACPS PD

The following virtual professional learning opportunities are starting soon or ongoing. You can view more details on the ACPS Professional Development site and register on our internal PD Opportunities page. If you have any questions, please email Lauren Price or Jenn Sublette. Continue reading

Apology Regarding Recent Guidance for African American History Month

Black History Month heart logo

With regard to the recent Guidance for African American History Month, the writing team for this guidance would like to express our apologies for taking an official stance on the name or interpretation of Black or African American History Month. We recognize that language and interpretation of this month is owned by the community. Continue reading

Guidance for African American History Month

African American History Month

History and Purpose of African American History Month

African American History Month grew out of the efforts of Carter G. Woodson, a historian and native of Buckingham County. The meaning and scope has changed significantly since its inception in 1926; however, it still remains critical that we, as educators, make African American history and people more visible in our curricula. We believe that one of the most important shifts we can make is to use the month of February to commit and take action to center African American history, agency and excellence in our curricula and instruction throughout the year. Continue reading