Leadership ISD Heroes: Roderick Miles ('18)
Across Texas, our Leadership ISD COVID Heroes continue their commitment to equity and excellence for our students. Their commitment inspires us to continue to lean into this work, knowing that while the road ahead is long, the destination is worth our time and energy. Check out this week's LISD Heroes below!
Roderick Miles
Tarrant County, Class of 2018
Executive Administrator, Tarrant County - Precinct 1
LISD: WHAT ARE YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION CURRENTLY DOING TO RESPOND TO COVID-19?
Roderick Miles (RM): During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase of child abuse cases across Tarrant County. The Office of County Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks has launched an early childhood education platform and network, Help Me Grow North Texas, to assist children 0-5 years old and their families by connecting them with necessary resources. We provide resources such as high quality childcare, medical home providers, and child development resources. We provide developmental screenings and assessments for infants and toddlers, and connect their families to medical home resources, high quality daycare, and any other resources as needed. Our goal is simple, to ensure that every child is developing, physically, mentally, and emotionally and that their parents have the tools to facilitate that development. We want to increase the number of low income infants and toddlers who are connected to essential health, development, and social-emotional support services. As well as increase the number of low income infants and toddlers receiving high quality childcare.
LISD: HOW HAS LEADERSHIP ISD PREPARED YOU FOR THIS MOMENT?
RM: With Leadership ISD, I learned the value of being an informed advocate for equitable education access for all children. It taught me how to recognize inequity, and to challenge negative societal norms, while equipping me with the knowledge to better understand our current educational constructs and identify gaps in the system and create innovative solutions to fill those gaps.
LISD: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INVOLVED?
RM: Seeing the lack of resources for communities of color. Whenever you have a major life event like COVID-19, it always reminds us of the inequities that lie beneath the surface. It isn’t until there is a strain on the system that the real inequities begin to bubble up. I had a choice to make, do I allow people in power to continue to ignore the disparities, or do I do something about it? I have never been one to sit idly by while children and marginalized communities suffer. I have always been one to advocate and act on behalf of any group that is being “left behind”. COVID-19 has given us all a reason to act and advocate, and I will continue to be a voice for the voiceless.
LISD: WHY IS WHAT YOU’RE DOING ESSENTIAL TO PUBLIC EDUCATION?
RM: In order to excel in education and life, you need the proper foundation. If we expect our students to reach their full potential, then we need to make sure that they all have access to the same resources as other students in more affluent communities. A child should not be denied quality childcare, healthcare, and education because of their zip code. The work we are doing with Help Me Grow North Texas provides those children with the resources needed to get a good head start and build on a strong foundation. When we provide children with strong foundations, it makes our schools stronger, and that makes our district and communities stronger.
LISD: HOW HAS COVID-19 AFFECTED YOUR VIEWS ON HOW WE ADVOCATE MOVING FORWARD?
RM: We can no longer kick the proverbial can down the road. COVID-19 has shown us that we need to act now. It has also shown me that we, as a community, are more resourceful than we realize. COVID-19 has challenged our thinking and is causing us to rethink how we do education, healthcare, and community. It has ushered in the rapid transition from obsolete practices to innovative technology as the new normal. It has thrust into the limelight a new generation of leaders and thinkers, and I am excited about that.
LISD: WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE TO OTHERS WHO WANT TO TAKE ACTION IN THIS TIME OF CRISIS?
RM: My advice would be, be willing to challenge and change your views on education and equity. Be honest about your bias regarding educational constructs in urban settings. Help in the work to redefine education, and be an advocate not only for those segments of society that you identify with but for those you don’t identify with as well. Lastly, reach out to organizations like Leadership ISD and seek out ways you can get involved in meaningful and impactful work to change our community’s educational systems for the better, for our students.
LISD: WHAT CAN OTHERS DO TO EITHER SUPPORT YOUR WORK OR GET ENGAGED?
RM: Join us as a partner or volunteer. Help us identify populations that can use the resources that we provide to children and families. Refer and recommend organizations that have resources that can bolster and expand the work that Help Me Grow North Texas is doing. You can find more information about us on our website: www.helpmegrownorthtexas.org and for more information you can email us at info@helpmegrownorthtexas.org.
