Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Rocketship
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Rocketship
In 2019, Rocketship launched our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team to help unleash the full potential of our incredible staff by purposefully pursuing representation in our communities, breaking down barriers to power, and creating a safe, collaborative environment that celebrates our differences. We recognize the systemic inequality of opportunity in our society and seek to address those disparities through:
Diversity
Create a diverse collective of change agents with voices, experiences, backgrounds, and identities (at all levels), that authentically represent the communities that we serve.
Equity
Acknowledge that systemic advantages and barriers exist in our society at large and work to break down those barriers to ensure all staff, families, and students have equitable access to opportunities regardless of identities.
Inclusion
Cultivate a culture of belonging where people of diverse values, backgrounds, and identities are valued and respected, as well as heard in decisions that impact our collective work.
Educator Diversity Benefits All Students
An increasing body of research shows that student achievement and attendance go up and suspension rates go down when students have at least one same-race teacher. Yet America’s teaching force has not
increased in community representation over the years with only 20% of public school teachers in the U.S. who are people of color. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there has been a slight
increase in Latino public school teachers since 2015 and the share of Black teachers has declined since the 1990s.
The majority of our educators—80%—identify as people of color. Equity and excellence in education are about providing each student with what they need to succeed. This includes learning from teachers who offer both windows and mirrors—people who bring new perspectives, as well as reflect their own background and experience. That is why Rocketship is working relentlessly to ensure that our
Rocketeers are taught by a representative team of educators who bring experiences, ideas, and perspectives to our classrooms that even more deeply connect with our kids and communities.
Multilingual Learners Program
cultural experiences. As educators, we build upon the foundation that has already been set and support students in their journey to becoming bilingual, and eventually biliterate. Through our partnership with families, we strive to demonstrate our view that multilingualism is an asset and that we value home language and diverse cultures. When we all work together to create a culturally relevant and inclusive school environment, our students and families thrive.
In 2020-21, 44% of all Rocketeers were emerging bilingual students. We help our multilingual students make steady progress toward English language proficiency and achieve grade-level standards in all content areas. Beyond academic success, Rocketship also celebrates multiculturalism in the classroom through its Los Dichos program, a multilingual literacy and reading program ran by parent volunteers, which exposes Rocketeers to new cultures and helps instill a strong sense of cultural identity and pride. Learn more about Los Dichos here.
DEI in Action
Follow us on Instagram to see how we practice DEI every day on our campuses!
Did you know that Antioch is the most diverse zip code in Tennessee? The beauty of diversity was on full display last week at Rocketship Dream Community Prep’s multicultural festival! Thank you to every family who participated and a special thank you to the team that organized this amazing event, especially Ms. Ametulla! #RPSDEI
May 5
Good morning everyone! My name is Ms. OLeary and I will be taking over our instagram today to highlight #multilingualeducation here at Rocketship Infinity Community Prep in Washington, DC. I am the proud multilingual learner coordinator and can’t wait to show you all the amazing things our #multilingualkids and their families do. #RPSDEI
Apr 26
Eid-Al-Fitr Mubarak! Happy Eid to all our friends who celebrate! Over at Rocketship Rising Stars Academy, Rocketeers have spent the week participating in Eid-focused art classes, Learning Lab centers, and even a special Launch this morning.💜 Check out these photos of our students engaging in an art activity where they learned about the significance of Henna! #RPSDEI
Apr 21
Throughout February, students in Ms. Evans’ art class at Rocketship United Academy focused on prominent Black artists for Black History Month. 🎨They learned about Jean Michele Basquiat, Lois Mailou Jones, Alma Woodsey Thomas, and Faith Ringgold. 🖌Check out some of the works our own Rocketeers were inspired to make!🖼 #RPSDEI
Mar 1
This month, Rocketship Delta Prep hosted its 5th Annual Black History Month Celebration, with the theme “We Lit!”👑 Families and staff enjoyed games, food, performances, free haircuts, and more! Special thank you to Ms. Teneisha Little for organizing such a special, memorable event.🖤💜 #RPSDEI
Feb 27
After weeks of celebrating, our schools have wrapped up the last of their Lunar New Year festivities!🎇🧧Rocketeers got to participate in cultural dress days, humanities lessons, and even family festivals featuring music, games, food, lion dancing, fashion shows, and plenty of other performances!🐲🦁We are so grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate our Rocketeers & their cultures in such rich, authentic ways.💛❤️ #RPSDEI
Feb 21
Last week, Rocketship Legacy Prep hosted its #BlackHistoryMonth SPIRIT WEEK!🎊 Theme days included HBCU Day, Afro/Caribbean Pride Day, Black Legacy Day & more. Each morning at Launch, students learned about different African Americans in history, and each spirit day also aligned with what Rocketeers learned in class. At the end of the month, students will be presenting special projects they’ve been working on and we can’t wait to share them with you all.💜🚀 #RPSDEI
Feb 16
Last month, Rocketship Redwood City Prep hosted its annual Posada, where families were able to enjoy a night of music, dancing, piñatas, raffles, & more.🪅In an effort to support families on campus, all funds raised from the event were given to families in need!💜
Additionally, families with small businesses were invited to join as part of the vendor fair! #RPSDEI
Jan 25
