Indi Ekanayake: Partnering with Communities to Redesign Schooling
Indi Ekanayake
Class 2, Create
What is your Vision for Impact Statement?
When we wrapped up Class 2, my Vision for Impact Statement was that I wanted to make Cincinnati the best city in the country to be a kid by running for City Council. A lot has changed since then! Between a new job, a baby of my own, a global pandemic, and other factors, my pathway has become a little muddier.
You changed jobs recently. Can you tell us about where you are now and how you got here? What do you love about the work you’re doing?
I have worked for Transcend Education for about 18 months now. I was inspired to pursue a job change because I wanted to work in a place that truly embodied an equity stance internally and externally in their mindsets and actions. I love working for an organization where I have the opportunity to support school and district partners in meaningful school redesign on a daily basis. My work centers around social-emotional learning and how to support schools in developing environments that center well-being and positive mental health for children and adults; this has also been the realization of a long-time dream of mine!
How has being a part of School Board School impacted your involvement in this work?
In my work, a big area of focus is on meaningful community and stakeholder engagement in school and district level decisions.
People outside of the school community are not often invited in and offered the opportunity to share power and decision-making responsibilities. My involvement in School Board School, and particularly the chance to engage with such a diverse and thoughtful group of classmates, really inspired me to realize that this is a crucial priority and truly necessary for schools to best serve their students.
How have you used your School Board School training/learnings in your work?
Unfortunately, a lot of my job now is navigating school and district politics as anti-CRT and ant-SEL rhetoric has taken up more and more airspace.
School Board School helped me understand the workings of school boards in a way I never experienced as a teacher or administrator, and also gave me a perspective on systems-level change that is really helpful in my work.
What impact are you (and/or your team) having?
I’m supporting thousands of public school students and educators across Houston, DC, Memphis, and Dallas as they rethink how schools can best support well-being and social-emotional needs. It’s a less direct impact in ways than when I was a teacher, but the scope is way bigger and I’m really proud of that.
How has being a part of School Board School impacted how you think about systems change and/or your role in it?