How can school and community leaders address the issues of racial bias in a politically and socially challenging environment? This presentation will describe an initiative of the United Way of Hall County, Georgia, in confronting unconscious bias and examining the negative impact of racism in their community. Participants will leave with an understanding of how school and community partnerships provide a forum for developing an open and collaborative approach to improving outcomes for students and families in their community.
Merrianne Dyer holds a Ph. D. in Educational Policy -Social Foundations from Georgia State University. She completed institutes at Harvard's Principals Center and Graduate School of Education and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business Executive Leadership Program. Dr. Dyer led Gainesville City Schools, GA in a five-year research study on addressing barriers to learning with the UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools. She is a certified Dropout Prevention Specialist and on the faculty of Trauma Skilled Schools certification for the National Dropout Prevention Network. She offers a school and community leadership perspective towards addressing issues of race as a support for learning.