Abrell: District 202 Thankful For Community's Diversity

‘Tis the season to be thankful for the gifts in our lives.

District 202 is grateful for many things, including our community’s diversity.

We have recognized, promoted and celebrated that diversity for many years, going back to our heavy growth period during the late 1990s and early 2000s when District 202’s demographics and socioeconomics rapidly changed.

About 95 percent of our enrollment was white in 1990. Then the infamous tornado hit and brought significant attention to this area.

People from around the Chicago area looked this way, perhaps for the first time ever, and saw a solid, affordable middle-class suburban community, with little crime and relatively low tax rates, anchored by a school district with lots of room for growth.

Of course, the housing and lending markets also saw these same things and took full advantage, leading to an unprecedented growth period.

By 2008, District 202 had grown from 3,500 students in five schools, to nearly 30,000 students in 30 schools. More significant, those students were looking a lot different than ever before and were coming from more diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

This school year, about 54 percent of our students are white, 11 percent are African-American and 24 percent are Latino.

Seventy-nine languages are spoken or represented in our 64-square-mile school district, and our district has students (and adults and families) of every life experience and background.

Twenty-eight percent of our families participate in the free and reduced lunch or breakfast program this year. That is an increase of 12 percentage points since the 2009-10 school year.

In other words, District 202 now looks like the world around us — the world in which our students will one day live, work and raise their own families.

One of our most important jobs as educators is to prepare our students for life in the “real world.” Toward that end, this year, we formed a Cultural Competency Committee.

This group of teachers and administrators is working to create a classroom, building and district culture and environment to meet the multi-layered educational and social needs of all students, staff and community. Those needs are shaped by the racial, ethnic and life experiences that define each of us.

For example, teachers must understand that children learn and engage differently based in part on their culture, race, socioeconomic status, etc.

Those differences can sometimes be challenging when trying to manage a large group, but they’re a part of each child, and all children deserve the same opportunities for success regardless of their racial, cultural or socioeconomic status.

It is important to note that District 202 has been working on improving its cultural competence since 2006 through various initiatives, study groups, employment goals and administrative directives.

As with all large initiatives, however, our progress (most especially on our efforts to hire more diverse staff and administrators) slowed during the Great Recession.

This year we have re-committed ourselves to this important work because it is one of the best, most effective ways to support all our students and help ensure their success in school and life.

Our children are a gift to us. A strong education is our gift to them.

Together we will continue to prepare all our students for the future.

Happy holidays and season’s greetings!

Dr. Lane Abrell

Superintendent of Schools

Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202