0105-R Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity in Education Regulation

0000: Philosophy, Goals and Objectives

The following outlines the process for achieving educational equity and the elimination of barriers and bias, particularly institutionalized racism and cultural biases, and disparities that limit a student’s chance to graduate from high school, prepare for college, for a career, and for life.

Educational equity means differentiating resource allocation, within budgetary limitations, to meet the needs of students who need more supports and opportunities to succeed academically. Resource allocation will support the definition of educational equity adopted in this regulation and board policy while complying with state and federal funding requirements.

Educational equity ensures that all students have equal access to courses, teachers, school environments, regardless of students’ race or ethnicity, socio-economic status, or language.

Eliminate and Disrupt Systemic Inequities
The Board of Education believes that all students can learn and that every student has a right to an equitable educational experience and a sense of belonging at school. Therefore, the Board and district officers will act to reduce achievement gaps and to establish a climate of high expectations for all learners, regardless of the color of their skin, their gender, their sexual orientation, the language they speak, or their background. To achieve high levels of achievement and eliminate and disrupt systemic inequities, the Board and its leaders will:
1. lead and inspire by example by examining personal biases and prejudices and the ways they may be privileged, building empathy and respect for others, becoming comfortable with vulnerability, and creating a culture of deliberate inclusion and diversity.
2. acknowledge historical institutions, such as racism, sexism, classism, ableism, heterosexism and other forms of oppression or “isms,” that has systematically limited the educational and societal advancement of marginalized groups.
3. promote and publicly announce actions that address systemic inequities at both the building and district levels.
4. develop and support effective equity and inclusive leadership at the school and district levels.
5. develop a shared district and community understanding and definition of equity (or at least a working definition), inclusion and, diversity;
6. invite and include people from diverse backgrounds to examine issues and develop solutions that address root causes and systems rather than one-time fixes.
7. address opportunity and achievement gaps at every level of our district through review of policies, procedures, and practices necessary to ensure success for every student.
8. eliminate practices, including policies and procedures, that result in predictably lower academic achievement for any student group, especially those historically marginalized groups, compared to other students or groups.
9. model racial and ethnic equity, inclusion, and diversity in business and operational practices.
10. develop reporting, investigation, communication, and accountability processes related to actions of bias, prejudice, racism, and other occurrences.
11. provide professional development to address the role and presence of bias, prejudice, and racism, the district will:
  - address the impact on historically marginalized learners.
  - address the causes of distrust/mistrust in marginalized communities; and
  - dismantle narratives and structures that promote discrimination and problematize students, especially students of color.
Ensure Systemic Equity
To ensure educational equity for all, the district will create culturally responsive learning and working environments that support high academic achievement for students and employees from all student subgroups and develop the individual and organizational knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices. Differences will not just be seen as strengths, but they will be nourished, celebrated, and welcomed because they are what make students and families unique. The district will:
1. intentionally seek and include student voices (e.g., student government) and experiences of students who have historically been excluded from leadership roles to ensure students are actively engaged in the development and implementation of culturally responsive teaching and learning practices and curriculum.
2. engage family and community members in the development and implementation of culturally appropriate and effective partnerships between home and school.
3. invite and include community members to bring multiple perspectives to examining and solving issues that arise; and,
4. ensure each school building is welcoming and inclusive to all who enter.
5. establish, support, and sustain building-level and district-wide equity and inclusion committees consisting of varied community leaders, including students, parents, staff, and administrators to strengthen community dialogue regarding equity, inclusion and, diversity initiatives.
6. review existing policies, programs, professional development, and procedures to ensure the promotion of equity, and all applicable new policies, programs, and procedures will be developed using an equity lens.
7. remedy the practices, including assessments, that may lead to the over-representation of student groups in areas such as special education and discipline, and the under-representation of student groups in programs such as talented and gifted and Advanced Placement.
8. provide every student, regardless of the color of their skin, their gender, their sexual orientation, the language they speak or their background, with equitable access to high quality and relevant instruction, curriculum, support, facilities, and other educational resources, even when this means differentiating resources to accomplish this goal.
9. be intentional about attracting, retaining, and supporting a workforce that reflects the diversity of the District’s student body.
10. ensure a positive, supportive, and academically rigorous school environment that engages all students and includes multiple pathways for success.
11. create and implement culturally responsive instructional practices, curriculum, and assessments.
12. recruit, employ, support, and retain racially and linguistically diverse and culturally competent administrative, instructional, and support personnel.
13. create multiple pathways to success in order to meet the needs of students, and actively encourage, support, and expect high academic achievement for students from all student groups. The district will not let preconceived ideas, biases, or prejudices prevent every student from graduating ready to succeed in a diverse society.
14. provide materials and assessments that reflect the diversity of students and staff, which are geared towards the understanding and appreciation of culture, class, language, ethnicity, and other differences that contribute to the uniqueness of each student and staff member.
Use Data and Metrics
The district will ensure that information related to students is used as a data set in school improvement efforts, including but not limited to, the following:
1. access to educational opportunities.
2. student achievement data at each school, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, English Language Learners, and special education and identified gifted.
3. student enrollment at each school, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, English Language Learners, special education, and identified gifted.
4. student suspension/discipline data and student average daily attendance data for each school; and
5. the extent of family and community engagement and involvement.
Implement an Equity Lens
The purpose of an equity lens is to be intentionally inclusive as the district makes decisions. It poses questions that help the decision-makers focus on equity in both the process and outcomes. These questions are designed to create a more inclusive perspective, drawing attention to how the decision holds the potential to affect marginalized groups. By applying an equity lens, the district intends to:
1. identify clear goals, objectives, and measurable outcomes.
2. provide a common vocabulary and protocol for evaluating policies, programs, practices, and decisions for racial equity; and
3. produce policies, programs, practices, and decisions which result in more equitable outcomes.
The district will apply an equity lens when making any decisions that will have an impact on students by answering the following questions:
1. What is the action or policy in question?
2. What does the data show about the impact of the action on student achievement, opportunity, and climate?
3. If there are disparity gaps between groups, why do they exist?
4. Which individuals are missing in the discussion to address disparities?
5. How will the district mitigate the disparities?
Monitoring and review
The Superintendent of Schools or their designee, in consultation with the Board, will monitor the District’s effectiveness, and report at least once annually, on the progress of the district’s equity goals outlined in this plan, as well as policy 0105, and on the district’s overall progress in removing barriers and effectively serving all students. To facilitate this review, the district will conduct Board of Education workshops to discuss the annual equity review.

Adopted by the Board of Education: 03/18/21

Download the Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity in Education Regulation PDF