Following a summer of nationwide protests regarding racial injustice, the district announced that PMHS will be working closely with the  NYU Steinhardt Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools. Following the July 13 announcement of the new partnership, the board of education held forums on racial equity, July 22,  July 30, and August 11. The goal of the partnership was to work towards a more equitable school system in which students of all backgrounds feel comfortable and safe. 

As superintendent, Dr. Champ sees equity as a priority when it comes to administration.

“I have been committed to equity work for a long time as I recognized very early on in my career the impact that schools have on student outcomes. It is one of the reasons I went into administration, as that is where you can really have an influence on the structures and culture of schools,” Champ said.

For the past two years, Pelham Schools have worked closely with Campbell Jones Associates in the training of faculty and staff. After seeing NYU Steinhardt speak at professional workshops, Dr. Champ was extremely impressed and sought them out. After a review by the school board and other district administrators, the partnership was able to move forward this past spring.

There will likely be changes in curriculum in the foreseeable future, as one of the primary goals of the partnership is to create a more truthful and objective curriculum. “There was a lot of curriculum work done this summer that will be rolling out during the year, especially related to civil discourse and more explicitly teaching about diversity,” Dr. Champ said.

Among these changes will be the diversification of reading materials throughout K-12, which will hopefully facilitate conversations about different cultures and ways of life. Additionally, there will be new opportunities for student leadership at the middle and high school levels. Committees at each school will also play a large role in steering the initiative. These are just the first steps to a more equitable and diverse curriculum in the Pelham School System.