Equity advisory board reports on family engagement, inclusive events and 'Welcome Club' pilot

Members of the Revere Public Schools Equity Advisory Board presented a yearlong summary on July 22 that emphasized family engagement, inclusive event planning, educator growth, bias and sensitivity review, and student-led supports such as a Welcome Club to ease transitions for new students.

Erin McNamara summarized the Family Engagement and Community Relations working group’s work: principals completed “temperature checks” of event attendance and practices, and the group drafted an event-planning checklist to ensure consistency in timing, communication and attendance tracking. “We created this checklist for anyone who would be facilitating an event,” McNamara said, and staff planned to distribute it to school administrators in September.

The Data and Accountability group, represented by Lisa Hannafin, proposed piloting an inclusive-event planning guide that asks practical questions — for example, whether a quiet space is available for attendees who need it. “Some of the challenges reported were the timing of events, childcare, transportation and parking issues, along with language barriers and physical space limitations,” Hannafin said.

The Educator Growth and Professional Development group proposed equity-focused interview questions for hiring and reported that 144 new staff participated in a DEI training series for new hires. Nate Dorey said the group plans to coordinate with HR so interviewers regularly use an equity question in interviews and to collect data on which questions are used and how interviewers respond.

The advisory board also described a student-driven Welcome Club at Revere High School designed to pair newcomers with peer mentors, promote belonging, and support attendance and social-emotional needs. Staff reported the Welcome Club expansion will continue into the 2025–26 school year, and that data will be collected on attendance, grades, behavior and sense of belonging to evaluate impact.

No formal committee vote was recorded on the advisory board’s recommendations; staff and committee members praised the work and asked that the groups continue to collect data and coordinate next steps for pilot programs in the coming school year.