Chalisa Fain Accepts New Diversity Position With Midlothian ISD
At last night’s Midlothian ISD Board meeting Dr. Ledbetter announced Chalisa Fain was unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees as the district’s Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The announcement was met with applause by those attending the meeting in person.
“We are excited to welcome Ms. Fain to the MISD Family,” Dr. Lane Ledbetter, Superintendent of School, said. “We are confident she will accomplish many great things in this role and help us create an environment where each child’s uniqueness is celebrated and every student can feel safe and supported as they learn and grow in our schools.”
Symphony Lowe, Founder of Midlothians for Change said, “I am excited to welcome Mrs. Fain to the MISD family as the new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
In this new role, Mrs. Fain has the opportunity to ensure the curriculum is equitable for all students, and that teachers have an opportunity to learn about the impact of implicit biases to better serve our students. It is my hope that this role will assist in retaining and hiring diverse team members and that the MISD leadership and board will receive training and further their knowledge on how to serve a diverse community.
We are all at different points in our journey of understanding diverting, equity and inclusion and why it’s needed in Midlothian. My hope is that the district remains committed to supporting Mrs. Fain through this unchartered territory, that faculty and staff will remain open to listening and learning and that our community will be invested in the learning process, while fully embracing and supporting Mrs. Fain in her efforts so that we all can be #MISDProud.”
More Than 10 Years of Experience With Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Fain has more than 10 years of experience promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in Dallas, Texas. In 2007, she joined the City of Dallas Fair Housing Office as a fair housing investigator where she investigated complaints relating to violations of the Fair Housing and Human Relations ordinances. In 2009, she became the senior public information representative for the Fair Housing Office, where she designed and developed programs to include diversity and inclusion for community organizations and raised awareness regarding forms of discrimination. She currently serves as the Civil Rights Investigations Supervisor (EEO/Housing) for the Texas Workforce Commission, Civil Rights Division.
Inspiring Excellence In All Children
“I’m excited to join the MISD family because I am passionate about the mission, vision and beliefs of the school district,” Fain said. “I want to become an integral part of inspiring excellence in all children, especially those who previously may have felt that they have not had a voice in the district. I hope to begin the journey to disrupt educational inequities within the district by closing the education gap. I understand that there is not a quick fix and there will be obstacles, however, I anticipate that with the help of MISD teachers and staff, we will be successful.”
Fain earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Xavier University of Louisiana and her Juris Doctorate from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia.
Responsibilities of the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
Implementation/Instruction
Use accepted and effective techniques to provide group development, preventative, and remedial culturally responsive restorative practices. Instructional skills and intentionally planned structured group sessions for students based on campus needs.
Provides guidance to campus and district staff on improving culturally responsive teaching practices, spaces, and student and staff support.
Provide leadership for the implementation of the school’s comprehensive developmental school counseling program, in the school’s responsiveness to the personal and social needs of diverse students, and for the enhancement of learning environments that address the diverse needs of students.
Student Support
Provides responsive service component activities through effective use of individual and group restorative circles.
Use accepted and effective techniques to provide group development, preventative,and remedial culturally responsive restorative practices.
Consultation
Serves as a consultant to teachers who conduct lessons based on the schools’/districts’ culturally responsive practices.
Serves as a consultant to campus and district administrators to ensure culturally responsive practices are in place and followed for students and staff.
Collaborates with the administration in the coordination and implementation of culturally responsive school programs that address students’ educational, career, personal and social development.
Advocacy
Advocate for policies, programs, and services that are equitable and responsive to diverse groups of students and enhance a positive school climate.
Advocate for policies, programs, and services that are equitable and responsive to diverse groups of staff members and enhance a positive District climate.
Advocate for the full implementation of the culturally responsive restorative practices model in all MISD schools.
Delivers classroom culturally responsive activities by teaching the components of the restorative practice through the use of effective instructional skills and intentionally planned structured group sessions for students based on campus needs.
