Focus of the Office of Multicultural Education
The Office on Multicultural Education provides resources and collaboration with building administrators, departments and community members to facilitate the elimination of the achievement gap. The Office works to accomplish this goal by providing professional learning opportunities in the areas of cultural competence, disciplinary strategies, school and classroom climate, parental involvement, student mentoring, and instructional strategies to increase student achievement throughout the Division.
Major areas of focus for the Office are the Student Leadership Conference, Cultural Competence Committee, Student Mentoring, and School Improvement Facilitation. Each of these areas of focus is designed to equip both staff and students with tools necessary to be successful as a 21st Century learner.
The annual Student Leadership Conference is open to all Prince William County Public Schools high school students and focuses on inspiring students to seek or accept leadership responsibilities as part of their contribution to society, increase awareness of current and emerging leadership challenges in a variety of settings, develop a network of students with leadership potential to support collaboration among emerging leaders and develop and strengthen the leadership abilities of students attending Prince William County Public Schools.
The newly formed Cultural Competence Committee will serve as a mechanism to assist the Division in addressing Strategic Plan Goal 2: Climate. Objective 2.1.1 which states, “All employees will complete professional development in culturally competent and non-discriminatory practices within two years of employment.” This committee, comprised of educators from all facets of the Division, as well as community members, will develop professional learning opportunities to be used Divisionwide.
Mentoring of students is often defined as a one-to-one relationship between a youth and an adult that occurs over a prolonged period of time. The mentor provides consistent support, guidance, and concrete help to a student who is in need of a positive role model. Students involved in the mentoring program may be going through a difficult and/or challenging situation, a period of life in which they need extra support, or they may simply need to have another significant adult present in their life. The goal of student mentoring is to help students involved in the mentoring program gain the skills and confidence to be responsible for their own futures, academically and socially. Using the Check and Connect Intervention Model, the Office of Multicultural Education provides direction to schools on the implementation of successful mentoring programs.
Schools that are Accredited with Warning or Conditionally Accredited-Graduation Rate are required by the Standards of Accreditation, 8VAC 20-131-310.G, to develop a three-year School Improvement Plan. Schools in Title I School Improvement are required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Section 116(b)(3) to develop a two-year School Improvement Plan. The Office of Multicultural Education, in conjunction with the Title I Office and the appropriate Associate Superintendent, work to support the efforts of these schools in achieving full accreditation.
