Sign up to get updates from us
“We must remain hopeful. Because children look to us, other adults in the community look to us; schools are the bedrock of so many communities. "They are the heart and soul of so many neighborhoods, cities, towns, of places in our nation. I think it behooves us to be hopeful – that brighter days will come and that there are moments to seize to change the system we are in now while still delivering quality education today.”
My guest today is Socorro Shiels, Superintendent of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District. Socorro serves nearly 4000 students across five elementary schools, two middle schools, and both a comprehensive and continuation high school. She previously served as Superintendent of the Santa Rosa City School District, and as Director of Education for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. In my conversation with Socorro, we will be discussing race, equity, and social justice, and her experience in addressing these monumental issues within her community.
In our conversation, Socorro shares how the pandemic and California wildfires have exacerbated the existing inequalities in education and the disparities there are in the infection and recovery rates among different socio-economic groups. She reflects on the importance of complete societal transformation rather than simply seeking healing and support for those who have suffered systemic injustice, highlighting the need to address structural inequalities at a community level. For her, it is not enough for a handful of institutions to work together – each member of society has a role to play in establishing greater equity. Our guest also talks about the lack of leadership from a public health perspective, what leaders and parents can do to best support students through the pandemic, the advantages and disadvantages of their distance learning model, and more.
Key Points From This Episode
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Episode 32: Superintendent, Socorro Shiels.
My guest today is Socorro Shiels, Superintendent of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District. Socorro serves nearly 4000 students across five elementary schools, two middle schools, and both a comprehensive and continuation high school. She previously served as Superintendent of the Santa Rosa City School District, and as Director of Education for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. In my conversation with Socorro, we will be discussing race, equity, and social justice, and her experience in addressing these monumental issues within her community. She shares how the pandemic and California wildfires have exacerbated the existing inequalities in education and the disparities there are in the infection and recovery rates among different socio-economic groups. Socorro talks about the importance of complete societal transformation rather than simply seeking healing and support for those who have suffered systemic injustice, highlighting the need to address structural inequalities at a community level. For her, it is not enough for a handful of institutions to work together – each member of society has a role to play in establishing greater equity. Our guest also talks about the lack of leadership from a public health perspective, what leaders and parents can do to best support students through the pandemic, the advantages and disadvantages of their distance learning model, and more.
Key Points From This Episode:
Tweetables:
“What the fire has done, what the pandemic continues to do, is exasperate the already existing inequalities, and I have watched as people recover fluidly when they have resources, when they have money when they have access when they understand the questions to ask when they understand who to go to in relative days from any incident to those families and those people who are crippled because those access points, that knowledge, that social capital, is just not afforded to them in the same way.” — Socorro Shiels [0:07:35]
“I think it is about creating the will to change the narrative we have about who is successful and why and who isn’t and why and what we do to either add to that, exacerbate that, or stifle that.” — Socorro Shiels [0:15:14]
“We must remain hopeful. Because children look to us, other adults in the community look to us; schools are the bedrock of so many communities. They are the heart and soul of so many neighborhoods, cities, towns, of places in our nation. I think it behooves us to be hopeful – that brighter days will come and that there are moments to seize to change the system we are in now while still delivering quality education today.” — Socorro Shiels [0:27:16]
“We have the privilege of speaking for those who are not at the table and we must put everything on the line to create their access and opportunity to use their voice for their future. It will be worth it for all of us; it will make our communities stronger; it will make this nation stronger.” — Socorro Shiels [0:33:41]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
