REI: Staff Professional Development

We are committed to ongoing professional development to strengthen each staff member’s understanding of social justice, racial equity and anti-racist practices.

Over the last several years, many district employees have engaged in professional development related to culturally responsive practices, instructional best practices, unconscious bias and discipline gaps. More training is needed for continued growth and improvement for teachers and support staff throughout the organization. Professional development activities are designed to build understanding and commitment to these essential causes.  

We believe that lasting and meaningful change requires time, expertise, effort, discomfort and support while we learn together.  We are currently in the process of implementing a long-term training plan that, over time, will provide effective professional development to the more than 600 staff members on our team. As we implement and adjust this plan we will be listening to the guidance of experts in the field who have helped other school districts to shift culture and embrace anti-racist practices and beliefs. We will also be listening to parents, parent-leaders, students and colleagues with experience, passion and insight into these critical areas.  


Please click the tabs below to learn more about our work in this focus area:

Annual SafeSchools Trainings on Diversity, Discrimination & Equity

In 2018, the district began requiring all employees to engage in training annually on a variety of topics.  Each year, staff engage in online training related to staff and student diversity and non-discrimination.  Each year, staff engage in online training related to staff and student diversity and non-discrimination.  These trainings provide a common baseline for all staff and offer a regular.  These trainings are online and are required for all staff.   

Equity Literacy Training for all UPSD Employees Completed in 2020-21

The UPSD Department of Teaching and Learning worked with the District’s diverse Equity Advisory Committee (EAC) to review providers and select a racial equity training provider with the expertise and capacity to provide staff development on a district-wide scale for multiple years.  Three groups were identified and vetted by the EAC.  The Equity Literacy Institute founded by Paul Gorski was selected to provide district-wide training to all employees.  More information about the Equity Literacy Institute can be found at  https://www.equityliteracy.org.

Training began in October 2020 with a 90 minute session for all administrators, teachers and classified staff.  Subsequent training sessions for instructional and administrative staff for calendar year 2021 were held in January, February, and March.  These sessions are organized by school or employee group.  They are led by a "live" equity training expert in a virtual environment.  Groups are small enough to allow some level of interactio and active participation by staff.  Classified employee groups (i.e., bus drivers, food service workers, etc.) will also continue to engage in equity training opportunities moving forward.

Training topics include:

Site-Based Professional Growth & Learning

UPSD teachers, leaders and support staff are embracing a commitment to understanding and eliminating systemic racism from our school system and practices. In addition to formal, required professional development, a number of informal, school-based study groups have been established to read about racial equity and anti-racism and talk about how to put these new learnings into action as educators.  To support these “grass roots” efforts at learning and growth, the district is providing resources to support these groups.  One resource is easy access to key knowledge sources on racial equity.  

Training for Curriculum Review & Revision

In addition to the professional development noted above, teachers and administrators in social studies and language arts are working with educators from the Race and Pedagogy Institute at the University of Puget Sound to develop procedures and practices to support the review and revision of our curriculum- specifically in history and social studies classes.  This training will help prepare existing UPSD staff to ensure that the curriculum delivered by the district is accurate and inclusive of different viewpoints.