Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Anthony Miller Jr. serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Equity for the Oshkosh Area School District. This position was created to strategically advance the district's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

In this role, Miller collaborates with students, families, staff, and community partners to develop strategies that promote an inclusive culture, equitable opportunities, and celebration of the unique contributions across the OASD community.

While principal supervision is not part of his initial responsibilities, Miller works closely with district and school leadership teams. He provides training, professional development, and establishes support systems to meet the diverse needs of OASD students.

A core aspect is building partnerships with local organizations, community leaders, and educational institutions. These relationships enhance the district's ability to create an environment that values diversity, challenges biases, and fosters understanding.

The position was originally approved in March 2023 as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to oversee growth of equity initiatives. In May 2024, the title changed to Director of Community Engagement and Equity to better align with the direct community involvement required to advance equity goals.

The District recognizes the need to actively support DEI in a strategic and comprehensive way. This dedicated leadership position was developed to have the power, reach, and resources to make broad and meaningful changes for the District’s increasingly diverse school communities. Key responsibilities of the position include:

• Developing and implementing creative strategies to foster the OASD’s diversity goals
• Collaborating with district leadership and staff to integrate DEI principles into all aspects of district operations, policies, and procedures
• Strategizing with Human Resources to develop and implement initiatives for the recruitment and retention of diverse staff.
• Developing and delivering training programs to promote awareness and understanding of DEI issues
• Providing guidance and support to students, families, staff, and community members on DEI-related matters

The OASD recognizes the importance of actively and comprehensively supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion through strategic efforts led by Miller in this pivotal position.

The OASD has been engaged in equity work since 2017, beginning the Integrated Comprehensive Systems (ICS) for Equity in 2018-2019. In this time, school principals and building leadership teams have learned the history of marginalization, deficit to asset-based thinking, identity development, applying equity research, creating equity non-negotiables, and completing an equity audit. This information is continually cycled to meet the needs of individual buildings. The District is also focused on identifying relevant teaching and learning for all learners, proactive behavioral supports, and co-planning to co-serve and leveraging policy and procedures to eliminate inequities. 

 

As a result of this work, all staff engaged in developing equity non-negotiables and feedback was gathered from all school sites to finalize the OASD Equity Non-Negotiables. The Policy and Governance Committee of the OASD Board of Education reviewed the OASD Equity Non-Negotiables at their meetings in December 2022 and in January, February, and March of 2023 to put it in policy which was approved by the OASD Board of Education on March 29, 2023. 

OASD Equity Non-Negotiables

We affirm in our actions that each student can, will, and shall learn. We recognize that based on factors including, but not limited to, disability, race, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, not all students receive equitable educational opportunities. Educational equity is the intentional allocation of resources, instruction, and opportunities to meet the specific needs of students and staff in the local school community (WASB Equity and Racial Justice Statement, June 2018).

1. Changing the system begins with ourselves, our schools, and our systems in providing equitable opportunities. 
2. We are responsible for everything in our control to promote student success through asset-based thinking.
3. All efforts are made to place students based on proportional representation in all environments. (All means all and that means in every program, every classroom, and every school).
4. All staff are aligned to grade-level teams including general educators and specialists and, given time, they can share knowledge and expertise with each other to intentionally increase each others’ capacity to better educate all learners.
5. These teacher-based teams co-plan and co-serve through proactive instructional practices for each learner within their grade.
6. All learners have pathways to curricular content and tasks that are rigorous, engaging, and allow them to see themselves (mirrors and windows). 
7. Instruction is designed and accessible for all learners to understand the first time the concept is taught versus developed for a normed-group of students and then adapted after-the-fact.
8. Plans are developed to address the individualized needs of all learners to assist the team of educators in determining appropriate instructional practices and documenting progress and goals. 
9. All district policies, procedures, and funding are aligned with all of the above Equity Non-Negotiables and leveraged to eliminate inequities. 

Advancing Educational Equity in the OASD

The Oshkosh Area School District is committed to ensuring all students have equitable access, opportunities, and outcomes for learning and achievement. Our Equity Plan outlines a comprehensive strategy to promote diversity, inclusion, and equitable practices across the district.

OASD Equity Plan (April 2024)

Under the guidance of our Director of Community Engagement and Equity, the plan's initiatives include professional development, curriculum audits, family outreach, student support services, policy reviews, and more. Our goal is to create a more equitable and inclusive educational system that empowers every student to thrive.