Networking and Advocacy

Berkshire Stands Together Alliance

  In the Spring of 2023, representatives from the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, the Anti-Defamation League of New England, Berkshire Health Systems, The Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office and BERK12 met to discuss how to respond to a rash of local identity based bias incidents.  The core group then invited representatives from several Berkshire County organizations to join the Task Force including local school districts, the City of Pittsfield, the local business community, the local chapter of the NAACP, and several other community based organizations.  The goal of the Task Force was to work cooperatively to promote activities that support a more inclusive community.

Meeting on a regular basis, the group, now chaired by BERK12 Director of Professional Development William Ballen, drafted a Mission Statement supporting initiatives in the Berkshires that promote anti bias and hatred programs. These initiatives foster opportunities for residents and visitors of all ages to feel valued, empowered and connected regardless of age, ethnicity, gender identity or background.

Activities include:

a. Continued Support for the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires Hate Has No Home Here Campaign.  The Task Force encouraged local businesses, chambers of commerce, school districts and community organizations to feature posters and bill boards supporting this initiative.  Currently, over 30 organizations county wide endorse this initiative.

b. Support for Phil Fogelman’s Changemakers For Good Initiative.  Phil was the former Director of Education for the Anti Defamation League’s New England Section and left to create a new anti bias/hatred program for school districts.  Phil’s program is currently in nine Berkshire County school districts with the expectation that this will grow to twelve this Spring.  The program is underwritten by funding from the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and private donors.

c. Creation of a Resource Guide.  With the support from the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office, the Task Force created a Resource Guide outlining anti-bias and hatred activities in the county.

Goals for the coming year include:

a. Continued support and expansion of Changemakers For Good Educational Program in Berkshire County school districts.

b. Offer a documentary film series as part of the November PD Day highlighting anti-bias and hatred activities including panel “talk backs” with student participation.          

c. Continued support for the Jewish Federation’s Hate Has No Home Here Initiative throughout the County.     

d. Continued support for programs offered by the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office, Berkshire Health Systems and the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires.

BERK12 Annual Convenings

BERK12 convenings bring together educators, community and business leaders, elected officials, and students to strengthen collaboration and advance high-quality education across Berkshire County. These sessions highlight progress, share regional insights, and create space to address critical challenges and opportunities facing our schools. Recent convenings have explored enrollment trends, regional collaboration, shared services, and innovative approaches to meeting student needs. Through cross-sector dialogue, participants surface emerging issues, deepen shared understanding, and identify actionable strategies for collective impact. Across these conversations, a clear priority has emerged: move from dialogue to coordinated regional action that expands opportunity for students and strengthens our communities.

Dashboard BERK12.ORG/DASHBOARD

Overview. The BERK12.org website features four interactive dashboards, designed in partnership with Open Architects. The dashboards provide accurate, timely data about educational trends and outcomes in Berkshire County in the areas of academics, enrollment, finance, and MCAS. The data can be broken down by school, district, and other subcategories, providing a resource for districts and community partners to retrieve data needed for reporting, grant applications, and analysis. The dashboards are also useful for community members who want to know more about the schools in the region. As shown below, the MCAS dashboard provides information such as growth percentile, scores, and proficiency levels.

Description of dashboards:

  • The Academic Dashboard provides data on high school academics and outcomes along with post-high school data. It features SAT and Advanced Placement test scores, graduation rates, and college attendance patterns.

  • The Enrollment Dashboard features student enrollment data broken down by town, district, grade level, and various demographics. There is also information about student choice patterns in and out of districts.

  • The Finance Dashboard includes a wide range of data about state aid, school choice, staffing, net school spending (NSS),and per pupil costs.

  • The MCAS Explorer Dashboard provides breakdowns of MCAS scores and proficiency rates for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The data is useful for examining MCAS scores over time and comparing results among districts.