Workshops

This workshop is designed to explore how our school culture addresses issues of violence, academic underperformance, misbehavior, and attendance. Traditional systems of punitive discipline and correction harm, instead of help, the student body, which is already impacted by societal inequities. Participants will learn how implementing nonviolence programs supported by an evidence-based, youth-positive mindset can create protocols and conditions conducive to healing for students, and thriving school communities.

Presenters: Shane Lee and Keith Morton
Nonviolence Institute

Shane Lee is the Director of Training & Special Projects at the Nonviolence Institute. He is Level III certified by the URI Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies. Shane was born and raised in Providence RI and went through PPSD, graduating from Central High School, and has first-hand experience implementing programs within the district and working collaboratively with the whole school community. 
 

Keith Morton is the Interim Executive Director at the Nonviolence Institute and previously served on its board since inception. He was a professor of public and community service studies and director of the Feinstein Institute for public service at Providence College. He worked closely with the Smith Hill neighborhood of Providence for more than 20 years through a program aimed at reducing community violence alongside Nonviolence Institute staff. He is also the author of Getting Out: Youth Gangs, Violence and Positive Change (2019). The book not only recounts Keith’s experiences but offers a profound reflection on how we conceptualize the violence of urban youth, the nature of youth gangs, and how a “youth positive” approach can support youth survival and growth despite contact with gang violence.

Join Parents Leading for Educational Equity in a workshop exploring the crucial role of Multilingual Families in school decision-making. Parents/caregivers will learn practical strategies for fostering strong family-school partnerships, advocating for educational equity, and empowering multilingual parents/caregivers for positive change within decision-making structures in schools.

Presenters: Ramona Santos Torres and Naiommy Baret
PLEE (Parents Leading for Educational Equity)

Ramona Santos Torres is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Parents Leading for Educational Equity (PLEE), a parent-led, grassroots organization whose mission is to fight for parents' voices in education decision-making, and for access to a high-quality public school option for all children of color. Ramona has been a parent advocate for over 13 years, primarily working with families of students with disabilities within the school system and other systems of care. 

Naiommy Baret is a proud native of Rhode Island who immigrated to Providence from the Dominican Republic at the age of 4. As a dedicated parent to a child with unique needs, an active participant in various community roles, and a key member of the leadership team at PLEE. Naiommy's advocacy work focuses on supporting individuals and families facing disabilities and behavioral health challenges, guiding them through complex systems  of care and educational systems while empowering them to advocate for their rights. 

As the number of multilingual learners continues to climb in our schools, teachers strive to leverage students’ languages and cultures as assets in their classrooms. Translanguaging pedagogies offer ways to do this - but how? In this workshop, participants will discuss how students’ languages show up in classrooms, share ways teachers are working to integrate heritage languages into lessons, and investigate additional ideas and resources to support emergent bilingual students.

Presenters: Tricia Kelly, Brown University and Catharine Sully, Providence Public Schools.

Tricia Kelly has worked in multilingual education for over twenty years. She is currently a Lecturer in Education Studies and the MAT Program at Brown University and is passionate about supporting the work of local educators working with MLLs.

Catharine Sully has been a Physics teacher at Hope High School for 20 years, passionately engaging and meeting the needs of diverse learners each year. Catharine holds a Physics degree from the University of Rochester and a Masters Degree in Cross-Cultural Studies and Multicultural education from Brown University.

Participants will learn to create a supportive learning environment for Providence Public School students, focusing on inclusivity, emotional support, and positive relationships. Participants will gain strategies to foster a classroom where students thrive and leave with an action plan to implement these practices.

Presenters: Tiffany Delaney and Jonathan Howard
Providence Public Schools

Every student is a brilliant mathematician. Their math identity exists inside and outside the classroom. In this session, participants will reflect on the impact of our own math experiences. Participants will discuss ways to overcome common obstacles. Participants will understand how to recognize, develop, and sustain positive math identity and agency in students.

Presenters: Dr. Aylssa Foss; Ruth Corley; Dr. Areema Sweeney-Ashby; Sarah Erickson; Jamie Aguilera; Mark Camili
Math Team, Providence Public Schools

The PPSD Math Team is Dr. Alyssa Foss, Ruth Corley, Dr. Areema Sweeney-Ashby, Sarah Erickson, Jamie Aguilera, and Mark Camilli. We have a combined 89 years of experience in grades pre-K through 12 in over a dozen districts around the country helping students, teachers, and leaders find their mathematical brilliance. 

Frameworks of motivation for learning and culturally responsive science teaching that centers social justice and agency will be shared.  After exploring examples and resources related to this topic, there will be time for educators to work in disciplinary-specific groups to begin developing an activity or lesson for their class.

Presenter: Diane Silva Pimentel
Brown University

We will share College Unbound’s unique approach to providing an equitable educational experience grounded in lifelong learning. Participants will unpack ways to integrate this approach into other educational settings, including the K-12 classroom. By honoring and empowering students, we can collectively create a more equitable educational environment for all students.

Presenters: Aubrey Schabowsky; Ayana Bass; Deb Jonfelix
College Unbound

Explore how the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Office bridges families to vital services and resources at PPSD and in the community. Learn how we empower families to engage actively in their children's education. With diverse perspectives and multilingual support, we're here for K-12 parents, caregivers, and community organizations.

Presenters: Carina Pinto DeChacon and Janet Pichardo
Providence Public Schools

This workshop will cover the importance of bridging communication through a relational model for our students, families and educators. Much like the “K” in Knight, the comprehensive history of the English language has been silenced in our curriculum and, with it, the connections among the languages spoken by the people we serve, and for whom we advocate.  Time to change that – HWAT!!!!??

Participants will learn about the relational model of language learning, contextualize language access within a historical context, and learn how students, parents and academic leaders can better support a framework for language teaching and learning.

Presenter: Dr. Silas Otniel Rodrigues Pinto
City of Providence

Dr. Silas Otniel Rodrigues Pinto is currently the inaugural Director of the Department of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging for the City of Providence.

His career spans several roles in the education and psychology fields, including serving as Lab faculty at College Unbound, Professor of the Practice and Director/Co-Director of two graduate programs at Tufts University.

Libraries provide a welcoming, encouraging, and collaborative environment. In this community workshop, participants will learn new ways to engage with their librarian partners, increase their  information literacy skills, contribute to a library partnership that extends learning beyond the classroom, and incorporate diverse library collections.

Presenter: Kelly Clifton
Brown University & Providence Public Schools

Kelly Clifton is the Head of Library Community Engagement at Brown University Library. Her work has centered around nonprofit management, and board service on numerous committees and local educational organizations.

A highly interactive workshop with the goal of understanding how to infuse cultural responsiveness in the classroom, participants will explore the ways in which identity is impacted by one’s experience, and why both are equally important to consider in the classroom. This space is for those who are willing to challenge their own biases, confront deeper parts of themselves and their students, and want to learn to view the world through a lens other than their own.

Presenter: Ogechukwu Angela Onye
Boys & Girls Club of America

Oge Angela Onye currently serves as a Regional Youth Development Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Following her passion for the advancement of youth and the environment, she obtained a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from St. John’s University. Shortly afterward, Angela decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and forge her own path as an Educator. She has served in numerous organizations and institutions including: City Year Providence, Urban Leaders Fellows, Atlanta Public Schools, Atlanta City Council, Communities In Schools of Atlanta, and Georgia State University. Her Masters degree in Creative and Innovative Education from GSU has greatly assisted in her broader understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion within education. Oge Angela Onye is a lifetime advocate for youth, queer, black, and all marginalized communities and hopes to continue her work internationally. 

The workshop will focus on the role the Gentlemen's Academy plays in creating a safe and healthy environment for young men's mental health and overall success in their various pursuits. Participants will learn about the brief history of the group, our recruiting process, members training, and mentor training and retention. We close with a Q&A session from audience members and testimonies from current and past members of the Academy.

Presenter: Rich Norris
Providence Public Schools

Join the OurSchoolsPVD Alliance to learn about the history of Ethnic Studies in Providence, its findings from surveying 130+ PPSD students about Ethnic Studies, and the ongoing campaign for Ethnic Studies in Providence Public Schools. Facilitators will share ways students, teachers, parents, principals, and community members can get involved! 

Presenters: Youth and adult representatives from OurSchoolsPVD  Coalition 

OurSchoolsPVD is an alliance of Providence organizations led by youth from ARISE, Young Voices, Youth in Action, Providence Student Union, PrYSM, and the former Rhode Island Urban Debate League.

Sharing lessons and problem-solving from their leadership experiences, PPSD Administrators and Support Staff panelists will discuss ways they have supported an affirmative culture for LGBTQ+ students. Participants will learn what it means to be an ally, upstander and advocate to support LGBTQ+ students, which ultimately works toward safe schools for all.

Moderator: Martin Quirk
Providence Public Schools

Martin Quirk is a current Assistant Principal at Roger Williams Middle School. He has worked in education for over 8 years, and this will be his fifth year in the Providence Public School District (PPSD). Prior to becoming Assistant Principal at RWMS, Martin served as Senior Policy Associate for the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner, as a Leadership for Educational Equity Fellow in the Massachusetts Executive Office for Education, as Director of School Climate and Culture at City on a Hill Charter Public School, completed the TNTP PPSD Leadership Cohort where he served his fellowship year at Anthony Carnevale Elementary School, and as Assistant Principal at Leviton Dual Language School.

This session will enable participants to gain deeper knowledge of the history of policing in America and how that has translated into the Providence Public School System. Participants will understand the need for mental health support, the positive impact that it can have on public school students, the significant role of counselors, and the correlation between quality mental health support and improved climate and culture in schools.

Presenters: Youth Representatives from the Providence Alliance for Student Safety (PASS)

Naomi Felix Monanci is a 17 -year-old student from Providence Career and Technical Academy (PCTA) with a passion that extends beyond the classroom. As a musician, Naomi weaves melodies on the piano and guitar, filling spaces with harmony and inspiration. Her love for science and engineering is matched by her dedication as a youth leader at ARISE, where she channels her curiosity into action, seeking to understand global events and their local impact.

Naomi's commitment to social justice is driven by a desire to rectify inequalities within the educational system and to broaden awareness among her peers. She believes knowledge is a catalyst for change, and her work aims to illuminate the issues often unseen in her community. Anchored by a philosophy that anything is possible with belief and determination, Naomi embodies the spirit of a learner and explorer, eager to make a meaningful mark on the world. 

Malachi Williams is a 17 Year old Cape Verdean boy that goes to Classical High School and lives in Providence, Rhode Island. He has a passion for recording videos and taking pictures anytime he can. It’s a past time of his that sparked creativity in his mind when nothing else could. The reason for this is because as he grew up, nothing around him really interested him but as soon as he got into recording and creating videos and taking pictures of the things and people around him, he found something to put his life toward. What’s important to him is the relationships he builds with others. He enjoys the presence of his friends and family and prioritizes taking care of each and every one of them. The people around him define him as a person and bring him certain advices and helps him choose certain paths to take. The organization he’s involved with is the youth activist and social justice organization, ARISE as a Youth Organizer. The kind of work he does there is to help facilitate meetings with the youth and goes to youth-led events around the city. His role is to represent ARISE and represent his own ethnic background of being a young black man in America.

Youth and families must be centered in the movement for education equity and justice, and research and data can be powerful tools to help identify and advocate for community priorities. Participants will explore why community-driven research matters and how it works, and engage with data from the Providence SCORE project.

Presenters: Tracie Potochnik; Joanne Thompson; Juan Pablo Blanco; Niko Merritt; Janette Perez
CYCLE, PLEE, Sankofa Community Connection

Brown's Students for Educational Equity invites faculty, staff, and parents to consider the school’s responsibility to fostering engagement in both community projects and youth movements.  Written by student activists, this workshop will help stakeholders encourage student advocacy and voice in curricular/policy change through incorporating safe conversations and place-based curriculum.

Presenters: Nicholas Lee, Brown University, Madison Harvey, and Niyanta Nepal, Brown University

Providence Student Union's objective is to ensure that students have access to a secure, nurturing, and stimulating school environment. In this workshop, PSU will review its Student Bill of Rights, which embodies PSU's aspirations, outlining the educational standards that Providence students both envision and rightfully deserve. 

Presenters: Youth Representatives
Providence Student Union

This session will review the importance of creating a curriculum that is student-focused, connecting to students and their personal backgrounds.  Students will be presenting their reflections on the new PPSD African Americans Studies course and how it feels to experience a course where People of Color are the focus.

Presenters: Jessica Mazo and Junita Sanchez Students
Providence Public Schools

Our society handles conflict punitively which often leads to breaking relationships rather than repairing them. This session will introduce the basic tenets and practices of restorative justice, ways of addressing conflict and harm that repair a sense of dignity and relationship. Participants will learn concrete practices applied in different contexts and  leave empowered to pursue restorative justice  in their everyday lives and in the school communities we all hold dear.

Presenter: Jason Craige Harris
Perception Institute

Jason Craige Harris is a voice for healing and transformation. He works in a variety of contexts, with a range of age groups, and across sectors to promote cultures of dignity and repair. He brings together insights from diverse fields as a problem solver, conflict mediator, leadership coach, and belonging expert. He regularly advises students, parents, educators, and leaders on how to create environments where everyone can thrive.

This interactive session focuses on building relationships through the use of the well-known personality profile, True Colors. The True Colors test reveals insights around values, motivations, social skills, and learning styles. Participants will take the test, learn about their color, and learn to interact with people having different colors.

Presenter: Elizabeth Brownlee 
Providence Public Schools

Elizabeth Brownlee is a math coach at George West Elementary. She completed the founding PPSD Foundations of Attending to Equity microcredential cohort and is co-chair of the RIMTA Access and Equity committee. 

Participants will engage in storytelling and reflection around the 13 guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter movement and will learn more about the BLM Week of Action in schools. We will share stories of joy in our classrooms and beyond and will create collage posters connected to the guiding principles.

Presenters: Roberta Engel, Lindsay Paiva, Brandi Tucker, Rachel Schell Poole, Ben Dietz, and Jane Eze
Providence Public Schools 

This workshop will examine Rudine Sims Bishop's concept of windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors to explore the importance of using nontraditional, historical sources that can help make better connections between student background and standards-based content. Participants will review ways to make learning within the classroom more relevant, meaningful and accessible to all learners.

Presenters: Dr. Marcela Astudillo and Matthew Farinha
Providence Public Schools

Marcela Astudillo is the K-12 Supervisor of Social Studies and Civic Education at Providence Public School District (PPSD). She has taught both elementary and middle school Social Studies in Providence Schools for 20 years, 10 of which were as Teacher Leader of Social Studies at Roger Williams Middle School. Astudillo’s Doctoral Dissertation, Latino Academic Resilience: Stories of High Achieving Middle School MLLs and the Teachers and Families that Help them Succeed, included qualitative research from Providence middle school students, teachers, and families.

Darshell Silva is the Librarian at Nathanael Greene Middle School. Darshell is a TeachersFirst Content Contributor, former Highlander Institute FUSE Fellow, a National Geographic Certified Educator, and a Certified BrainPOP Educator.

Matthew Farinha is the Coordinator of Social Studies and Civic Education for the Providence Public School District (PPSD). Prior to working in PPSD, he was primarily a 6th grade Social Studies teacher at Somerset Middle School in Massachusetts for 11 years. Additionally, he started and ran multiple extracurricular activities focusing on student engagement.

This workshop is about youth leadership, power, and organizing in Providence. Participants will delve into the crucial role that youth and youth organizing play in advancing partnerships between communities and schools. Participants will engage in an interactive activity to learn about youth-led campaigns that have been supported by school-community partnerships.

Presenter: Nancy Xiong
ARISE (Alliance of RI Southeast Asians), and Youth Leaders

Nancy Xiong is a child of Hmong genocide survivors and was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Nancy’s parents arrived in the United States with hopes of freedom and opportunities. Yet those opportunities were nonexistent when they knew no one, struggled with the language barrier, and experienced difficulty adapting to this new land called home. They were not furnished with the necessary tools for survival. As a multilingual learner, Nancy navigated the education system mostly alone. These life-changing experiences instilled trauma in her life and enabled her to develop resiliency as a first-generation college student. Nancy is empowered to create pathways for her and her community to break the cycle of poverty and intergenerational trauma and formulate opportunities for the next generations to thrive, not just survive.