Our Work

CPLAN is committed to achieving equity in education. We have developed an easy to follow  workshop for families and school community members to understand the inequities student’s face and the impact it has. This workshop breaks down the data of inequitable policies and practices that limit their child’s educational achievement and their social emotional well-being. During this presentation, you will see the role that we each play in these issues and the responsibility we each have for our participation towards the solution. 
 

The intended take a ways are as follows:

• Distinguishing the difference between Equity & Equality

• Local vs Systemic inequities and barriers

• Marginalization and its impact on students (both, short-term and long term)

• Redesigning and advocating for equitable education

• Developing culturally responsive knowledge and language that informs and strengthens our advocacy for all students 

• Solutions through various levels of advocacy such as Parent Councils and civic engagement

 

CPLAN's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) workshop provokes self-reflection, critical and innovative thinking to reconsider policies and practices that limit student’s educational achievement and their potential for success both, short and long term. During this presentation, school community members will see the urgency to produce an impactful educational experience for all students with intentional and meaningful school partnerships.

The Virtual Hub was designed to connect families with resources that may be interrupting their child's learning. Especially, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virtual Hub serves as a "hotline" for parents to meet the needs of the family in which can ultimately shift their focus on their child's education. 

This includes connecting families with existing community supports and parent-led groups in their community, while providing workshops that aim to help families learn how to navigate the education system. 

Founding Member and CPLAN leader, Dr. Gayl Crump Swaby of New Generation Consultants & Associates offers a workforce development program pilot that will train individuals on how to have mental wellness discussions.  Gayl is pouring into this combined curriculum the teachings on mental wellness, clinical mental health, mindfulness, embodiment, and racial healing/decolonization that replicates their respective holistic approaches to mental wellness and dialogue facilitation. 

 

Objectives: Participants will address these key areas in the training - 

• Barriers of addressing mental wellness  

• Emotional intelligence – leading with empathy 

• Feelings and emotions 

• Communications 

• Activated triggers & traumas

• Decolonization and racial trauma 

• Determining when to send referrals throughout the topics (identifying line of demarcation/scope of practice)  

CPLAN is committed to amplifying the voices of those often marginalized. There is a series of events for Spanish Speaking families hosted entirely in Spanish, to teach parents/caregivers how to navigate the education system in various capacities such as:

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• Accessing and Navigating ASPEN

• Understanding their child's report card

• Understanding Mental Wellness

• Identifying the inequities in education and learning how to create a diverse and inclusive educational experience

• Special Education series for beginners, experience families and those with students in the transitional period

• How to have productive and effective parent councils

• and much more

CPLAN seeks to improve the learning experiences provided to Brockton students by partnering with BPS in their alternative high school called The Promise Academy which will be using an anti-racist, student-centered practices, and emphasizing topics of interest to students. It will engage students, parents, and community members using an asset based approach to support the educational experience of students. 

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As part of this work, COSEBOC (Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color) and EDC (Education Development Center), CPLAN (Collaborative Parent Leadership Action Network) and BIC (Brockton Interfaith Community) will build the capacity of students, parents, and community members to operate as researchers, assessing the effectiveness of these practices and developing evidence-based actions for its improvement.

The research team will use an approach that reflects both equitable evaluation principles and participatory action research.