What to know about WCS’s diversity consultants, Fostering Healthy Solutions
Fostering Healthy Solutions, the diversity and inclusion consultant team hired by Williamson County Schools, has started work with the district on building a cultural strategy plan.
The firm was hired after a unanimous vote of approval from the district’s Board of Education in February with a contract that concludes at the end of July.
FHS’s hiring has garnered both support and concern from the community. But so far, FHS has focused on hearing from the community and board of education to understand the district’s strengths and weaknesses in the realm of diversity and inclusion policies.
Who is Fostering Healthy Solutions?
FHS is a mother-son consultancy duo. Anita Foster-Horne and Shan Foster help entities, like businesses and schools, build a path toward increased inclusion.
Foster-Horne has a PhD in organizational leadership and management, as well as a master’s degree in social work.
Foster is a 2008 graduate of Vanderbilt University with a degree in human and organizational development. He played on the men’s basketball team where he earned, and still holds, the record as top scorer.
After graduating he joined the NBA as a part of the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz, as well as playing on professional teams abroad.
Between his basketball career and starting FHS with Foster-Horne, he went on to work with the YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee and wrote the book “What Hurt Didn’t Hinder.”
Using their own experiences, as well as their education and expertise, the two guide organizations in having difficult conversations and developing strategies to get where they hope to be.
What FHS has done so far
So, far FHS has held two introductory meetings to learn about the WCSBOE’s values and goals, as well as for training in facilitating difficult conversations and sharing what the consultants expect to accomplish in their work with the district.
FHS has also embarked on Listen & Learn sessions to hear directly from the Williamson County Schools community about what they value in the realm of diversity and inclusion.
Each is planned to focus on two central questions:
- What changes would you like to see implemented for students and why?
- What changes would you like to see implemented for WCS?
In total, nine sessions are planned through June. Registration links for future sessions will go live on InFocus on the Tuesdays prior to the sessions.
What FHS won’t do
There have been many questions regarding whether the consultants will have a hand in developing school curriculum.
Several members of the community took time during the first Listen & Learn sessions and earlier board meetings to say it was their belief that teaching topics related to racism and sexuality should be up to families and not schools.
In those sessions and across social media, Williamson parents have also expressed concern about Critical Race Theory being taught in the classroom without consent from parents.
However, in WCS’s March Superintendent’s Report, Superintendent Jason Golden reassured the community that
Golden has said FHS will only focus on evaluating policies and procedures, not curriculum.
“What this is not is developing curriculum with some national program,” Golden said. “We’re working on WCS-based goals to serve WCS students better than we’ve been doing.”
What’s next
Alongside the new sessions, FHS will be meeting with building-level leaders to facilitate introductory discussions and trainings, and scheduling consultations with grade-level and teacher representatives. This month, the consultants are also reviewing WCS policies and procedures concerning diversity and inclusion.
The “Listen and Learn” sessions will kick off the process of data collection from stakeholders, allowing FHS to engage with and get to know community members’ desires.
“Those are some critically important conversations,” Golden said. “I am so looking forward to this process of gathering information from our stakeholders about where our community wants to be.”
How data gathered by FHS will be used
Once the data is gathered, Golden said diversity and inclusion goal-setting will begin.
The Fosters said that this year amid COVID-19, larger recognition of racial injustice, rises in domestic violence and a greater awareness of mental health have created a “perfect storm” situation and a perfect time to implement change both large and small.
“Everyone’s going through the same storms, but we’re all in very different boats,” Foster said. “Inclusion is about making sure that everyone gets what they need with respect to the boat that they’re in, and while this is a perfect storm, this is also the perfect time to reset our school culture”
