Episode 31: Aligning Your District’s Initiatives: How to Achieve Coherence and Impact with Dr. Rebekah Kim

By loading this video, you agree to the privacy policy of Youtube.

Episode Summary:

Dr. Rebekah Kim, Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning in Kent School District, discusses her journey as an educator and leader committed to advancing equitable practices in education. She shares how her background as a second-generation immigrant from South Korea shaped her understanding of equity and informed her dedication to learner-centered, inclusive practices.

Rebekah reflects on her experiences as a classroom teacher in a diverse school district and her time as an elementary principal, which reinforced her belief in the importance of seeing students’ strengths beyond traditional academic measures. As a district leader and parent, she strives to ensure schools focus on the whole child, valuing socioeconomic, gender, and linguistic diversity as assets in learning.

Key topics covered include:

🌍 Co-constructing a shared definition of global citizenship with district stakeholders
💬 Emphasizing the importance of student voice in shaping educational experiences
🤝 The role of collaboration and distributed leadership in developing equitable student profiles
🧠 Shifting from deficit-focused education to strength-based, equity-driven approaches
🔍 The need for systems that measure success beyond GPA, incorporating social-emotional, leadership, and extracurricular skills

Related Resources:

  • Blog: 4 Practical Tips for Creating Coherence Within Your District
    Coherence throughout the system—namely, the individual internalization of the district’s vision, mission, and values—is essential to achieving transformational change. Read more about coherence from Devin Vodicka.
  • Course: Cultivate a Sense of Belonging
    This course dives into creating a sense of belonging for all learners, ensuring their cultures, identities, and experiences are represented and honored.
  • Tool: Enabling Conditions and Culture Self-Study
    This comprehensive resource is designed to help educational systems assess and improve their foundational elements for success. This self-paced assessment covers six crucial areas: Coherence, Communication, Aligned Systems, Growth & Development, Partnerships, and Culture.

How About Another?

It’s Your Journey

Explore More Topics

Podcasts
Episode 37: Building Collective Efficacy and Insights on Transforming Education Systems with Dr. César Morales
By loading this video, you agree to the privacy policy of Youtube.Always load Youtube videos on this site.Load VideoListen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsWatch on YouTubeEpisode Summary: Dr. César Morales, Partner at Learner-Centered Collaborative, joins Katie Martin to share his journey from struggling high school student to transformative educational leader. With extensive experience as…
Blog
The Listening Leader: Striking the Balance Between Receptive and Expressive Communication
There is power in sharing your transformational story as your school or district’s learner-centered journey unfolds, and I will always emphasize the importance of communication in fostering a learner-centered culture. However, it’s common to solely equate communication with expression—the outward sharing of messages and information. This limited view can create unexpected resistance as we…