BHSU education professor selected as an Equity Fellow promoting inclusion and equal education

Dr. Jamalee "Jami" Stone, associate professor of mathematics education at Black Hills State University, was recently named an Equity Fellow by one of the four regional Equity Assistance Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education. As the only Equity Fellow in South Dakota, Stone will continue her work in promoting equal education opportunities regardless of race, gender, national origin, or religion.

Dr. Jamalee "Jami" Stone, associate professor of mathematics education at Black Hills State University, has been selected as an Equity Fellow to continue her work in promoting equal education opportunities regardless of race, gender, national origin, religion, or socioeconomic status.

Stone is the only Equity Fellow in South Dakota. She was selected as a state-specific scholar expert by the Midwest and Plain Equity Assistance Center (MAP EAC) at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, one of four regional equity assistance centers in the United States.

Stone has been awarded $25,000 over five years support the work of an Equity Fellow.

The mission of the MAP EAC is to ensure equity in student access to high quality education by expanding states' and school systems' capacities to provide robust learning opportunities for all students, regardless of and responsive to, race, sex, national origin, religion, and socioeconomic status, and to eliminiate inequities in educational access, participation, and outcome among and between groups.

At BHSU, Stone cities several examples of inclusion that inspire her work as an Equity Fellow.

"Our Center for American Indian Studies and diverse student organizations represent the accepting atmosphere at BHSU. In the School of Education, our SEED 408 Planning, Managing, and Assessing the 7-12 Diverse Learner course examines important topics students might encounter in their classrooms including poverty, English as a New Language, and supporting LGBTQ+ students," said Stone.

As an Equity Fellow, Stone will work with the to the national organization provide technical resources for use by school boards, states, local school districts, and other governmental agencies.

Stone's work this year will specifically focus on service learning and civic engagement in American Indian communities. Service learning is an approach to education whereby students obtain learning objectives through traditional instruction while also serving in the community.

"I'm planning to create a vodcast and research brief focusing on how we, as educators, can use service learning as an approach to better center the already existing assets of American Indian students," said Stone.

Equity Assistance Centers are funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. They provide research-driven, data-driven, and outcome-focused assistance in the areas of race, gender, national origin, religion, and socioeconomic status to public school districts in order to promote equal educational opportunities.