Evelyn Lafontaine, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Ulster BOCES, reflects on how an emotional, life-changing museum visit, and the efforts of a dedicated DEI committee, are helping Ulster BOCES support a culture that confronts discrimination and systematic racism. Lafontaine, along with other district leaders at Ulster BOCES, recently visited the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. After the visit, her perspective on the issue took a shift and she realized that there was so much more to learn.

To learn more about Lafontaine’s recent experience and how Ulster BOCES is working towards its DEI initiative, see her article published in District Administration.

Assistant Superintendent Career & Technical Education and Alternative Education Peter Harris was published in the District Administration story, "How Cross-Country Partnerships Bring Project-Based Learning to Life." 

"My grandfather, who was born in the 1920s, once showed me the one-room schoolhouse that he attended as a child. There were rows of desks, and he said that the students would stoke the fire and work with the teacher."

Read the full article here. 

Assistant Superintendent Special Education and Pupil Personnel Services Jillaine Berardi was published in the eSchool News story, "How We Built a Whole-child, Wraparound Approach to Special Education." 

"At the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning at Ulster Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES), we have developed the architecture to accomplish and codify a leadership approach to help schools consider how to reach our most marginalized and vulnerable students."

Read the full article here. 

Deputy Superintendent Jonah Schenker was published in the School Administrator story, "How the Pandemic Changed Our Thinking About Teacher Evaluation: School Administrator." 

"Amid the school closures and other learning disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, half of all states adjusted their teacher evaluation requirements."

Read the full article here. 

Assistant Superintendent Career & Technical Education and Alternative Education Peter Harris was published in the Getting Smart story, "What is Culturally Responsive CTE?" 

"What does it mean to be “culturally responsive” in a rural Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) 'Culturally responsive pedagogy' refers to teaching methods and practices that incorporate students’ cultural identities and lived experiences into the classroom as tools for effective instruction."

Read the full article here. 

Assistant Superintendent Special Education and Pupil Personnel Services Jillaine Berardi was published in the eSchool News story, "Special Education Students Need a Whole Child Approach." 

"In early 2020, 7.3 million students received special education services as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), according to the National Center for Education Statistics."

Read the full article here. 

Deputy Superintendent Jonah Schenker was published in the SmartBrief story, "School Changes: Shaking Off the Pandemic Mentality." 

"Each year, districts spend millions upon millions of dollars on this experiment that we call school. We try new things, and we learn new things. Over the last two years, however, we were given some flexibility to think differently about school, to remove some of the pressures."

Read the full article here. 

Deputy Superintendent Jonah Schenker was published in the District Administration Story, "Teach to the Disengaged and the Others Will Follow." 

"As the former principal of an alternative high school, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about students who are disengaged from traditional education. As the point person responsible for actualizing Ulster BOCES’ P-TECH vision, a six-year pathway of study that leads to students earning an associate’s degree and learning workforce readiness skills, I’m continually asking how we get disengaged students plugged back in."

Read the full article here. 

Deputy Superintendent Jonah Schenker was published in the Education Week Story, "Want Vibrant, Engaged Teachers? Give Them Professional Freedom." 

"The pandemic unearthed a lot of opportunities along with all the hardships it brought. One benefit was that it has made social and emotional wellness a more mainstream topic across the board in education."

Read the full article here.