The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is committed to ensure that students in every borough, district, neighborhood, and school have the tools they need to achieve their dreams.
We must hold high expectations for all students and value their identities, histories, and experiences as assets for learning and youth development throughout our system.
Whether in the central office, borough/citywide offices, or in schools, DOE employees interact with students and make decisions on behalf of students daily. Therefore, it is essential that we examine our own personal beliefs, biases, experiences, and identities to best serve our students.
Leveraging a critical partnership between the Division of School Climate and Wellness (DSCW), Office of Equity and Access (OEA), and Office of Organizational Development and Effectiveness (ODE), the DOE will invest in ongoing professional learning and capacity building opportunities for employees to increase our awareness and reduce the impact of implicit bias within our policies, processes, and practices across the school system.
The DOE’s investment in professional learning and capacity—the Implicit Bias and Culturally Responsive Environments (IBCRE) Initiative— provides supports for employees in three ways:
Schools and the district and borough offices are responsible for how most students, families, and communities experience the DOE. As the first point of contact with the community, it is important that our employees understand how to address implicit bias and utilize culturally responsive practices.
Through a partnership with ODE, the central office is responsible for the “how” and “why” students, families, and communities experience the DOE. As the group that sets policy and programmatic support, it is important that our employees understand how to address implicit bias within their work.
