Embedded Files
EQUITY: DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
We in the CJUSD believe that equity is the perpetual mechanism by which every person succeeds to fulfill their passion, advance their intellect, and increase their value through access and resource allocation. Following are the five pillars of CJUSD’s vision of equity:
We will identify and eliminate disproportionality and disparity by generating, analyzing, and acting on robust data from multiple sources. Upon examination, education partners will see an organization that limits early tracking and streaming as well as postponing academic selection in elementary grades to provide equity and access to ALL elementary students. Students in secondary grades will have access to and participate in the selection of meaningful and comparable alternatives that remove barriers and prevent dropouts. This includes developing academic and business plans that address district equity objectives and goals.
We will proactively reveal and acknowledge the needs of the most marginalized voices (those furthest from fulfillment) and respond by providing each with what they need, when they need it. We will design a system that sustains a culture that examines bias and expects just practices leading to equitable academic outcomes.
We will create clear pathways to ensure there are no dead ends in any learning environment. By creating open communication channels, students and families will have access to a proactive support system to prevent failure at school. Open communication creates strong connections to schools and staff ensuring that everyone receives the required assistance in every students’ education. To ensure there are clear pathways to success, students and families will be made aware of all opportunities, resources, and support available to them. Additionally, we will actively examine all gatekeeping practices to be able to justify or dismantle them in accordance with our core values.
We will deploy practices that are culturally proficient, relevant, affirming, and sustaining that honor students’ life experiences, language, and culture, connecting to content taught to increase student learning and real-world application. We will examine bias and correct systemic inequities and injustices in our district services and curricular products to ensure they match our district core goals, beliefs, and values. Our institutions will be responsive to our diverse community and provide successful inclusion of migrants and historically marginalized education partners within mainstream education. CJUSD will provide professional development/training in cultural proficiency as well as establish a culturally proficient mindset that leads to building capacity in culturally proficient practitioners.
Cultivating safe spaces of community for students, families, and staff to advocate for our collective growth in equity. Our schools will be spaces full of joy and free of fear, bullying, and harassment of any kind. Our schools will be cultures of inclusion and reject cultural blindness, cultural incapacity, and cultural destructiveness. Our staff will have a clear idea of their responsibility to equity fulfillment. Together with our families, we will honor our differences and celebrate the gifts and uniqueness we each bring to the greater CJUSD. We will fight the “us versus them” mentality, allowing us to cultivate a strong and meaningful partnership and collaborative community.
Equity: Theory of Action/Strategies
Measures of Growth and Shared Understanding
Theory: IF WE identify and eliminate disproportionality and disparity by generating, analyzing, and acting on robust data from multiple sources, THEN our students will be free from educational tracking and subpar learning experiences that do not elevate their opportunities to be productive members of society and have careers that earn a living wage.
Strategy: The superintendent will designate staff to create measures and models of growth over time for all.
Action Steps:
All staff will be trained in an anti-racism and anti-bias approach.
Staff will be trained and implement the formative assessment process to advance learning for all students.
Staff will be trained in methods of effective feedback and listening (cognitive coaching). Staff will reevaluate, as a team, to determine efficacy.
Learning spaces will be dynamic with adults assigned in ways that support the most impactful learning for all.
Districtwide data analysis tools that foster equity and inclusion systematically will be used.
CA School Dashboard (8 state priorities)
PBIS SWIS
Engagement reports
Districtwide benchmarks
Enrollment/placement data
Obstacles:
Shared assessments will need to be created that can be used systematically to foster equity and inclusion (district buy-in from all education partners).
The district will need to allocate funding for districtwide professional learning opportunities on anti-racism and the anti-biased approach to teaching.
There will need to be monitoring and implementation of feedback protocols systematically.
There will need to be monitoring inclusion/representation of all student groups in various courses/programs at all levels systematically.
Because there is a lack of time/access to professional learning, the district must find time for staff to practice and apply learning. Implementation must be adjusted in ways that allow for professional learning to become part of our standard practices.
Theory: IF WE provide community partners an accessible platform enabling them to provide input and receive district/school community updates, THEN they will have the ability to be contributing members to their school and local communities.
Strategy: To develop a shared understanding of equity and collect input, the district will incorporate continuous conversations of equity policies and professional development. These are ongoing opportunities for CJUSD education partners to have input.
Action Steps:
We will communicate district equity goals to education partners using a variety of media formats.
We will use current data in equity discussions with all education partners.
We will develop a consistent measure of growth to ensure it is closing the opportunity gap.
We will develop a plan for all education partners to have access to basic needs/resources.
We will implement, communicate and maintain equitable instruction in which each child receives what they need for success.
Obstacles:
We need to develop a fair system of measure across all education partners.
We need to create a culture of equity despite many practices and values still connected to or based on equality.
We need to create and implement equity discussions that serve all education partners.
We need to establish which department is in charge of professional development or whether it was created from the top-down.
We need to accurately identify student needs and allocate the appropriate resources to those students.
Responding Equitably to Student Needs
Theory: IF WE proactively reveal and acknowledge the needs of the most marginalized voices (furthest from fulfillment) and respond by providing each what they need, when they need it, THEN the students with the most needs will get the resources they need to be successful.
Strategy: The superintendent will designate staff to develop, monitor, and continuously respond equitably to metrics that will identify the level of need for each student.
Action Steps:
Staff will be trained to support students through an inquiry and equity lens (i.e., empathy interviews).
Staff will be trained and supported to build the bridge between what students need and resources that are available and will follow up to see that those resources are helping to mitigate the need.
Obstacles:
The superintendent needs to identify the staff members who will be trained to develop, monitor, and analyze the equity metrics.
The superintendent needs to determine how much time will be spent to train staff and who will support the staff members who have been trained.
Proactive Support and Relationships
Theory: IF WE create clear pathways by utilizing open communication channels between students, families, and staff, in turn building strong connections, THEN we will ensure no dead ends in each student’s learning.
Strategy: Families will have access to proactive support systems within the district as well as at the site level.
Action Steps:
Parents will know ALL available options for their student’s learning.
Staff will be aware of available programs to best guide the unique needs of each student.
Teachers will design instruction that is proactive in supporting students to be successful with inclusive first instruction, which lessens the need for reactive interventions.
Parents have access to the learning management systems used for instruction and assessment in the classroom.
The district will be transparent in information, such as gradebooks, syllabi, pathways, placement, program designations, and so forth, to empower parents.
Obstacles:
Parents will not have access to resources.
All staff will need to be trained on available programs to support families.
Teachers will need to be trained on instruction that is not dependent on intervention but rather is proactive in meeting student needs with first instruction.
A requirement of an open learning management system will need to be implemented so parents can access information in a timely manner allowing them to be proactive.
Strategy: Staff will actively build relationships with the students and families.
Action Steps:
Staff will participate in activities involving their students and site staff.
Each site will hold workshops to strengthen relationships within the community.
Staff will be honest and transparent to maintain trust.
Staff will learn about community culture, values, and norms from community members so they are able to be more responsive and understanding to community concerns/questions.
Obstacles:
Staff may not be invested in wanting to build relationships with students and families.
The superintendent will need to determine which department will support the workshops and provide appropriate support to that department?
Community members will need support/guidance in helping staff to better understand their community.
Theory: IF WE eliminate tracking, THEN we will ensure the system does not function as a gatekeeper for student outcomes.
Strategy: Data that determine student assets will be cultivated, and then practitioners will leverage student assets to support their individual growth over time.
Action Steps:
Teachers will need training in inclusive instructional models that meet the needs of diverse student populations (differentiation).
The district will need to purchase curriculum that lends itself to inclusive models of instruction that meet the needs of diverse learners (differentiation).
Counselors will need training/support in providing an open access approach to courses.
The community will need support with understanding an open access model for all courses and the implications that may have for their child’s pathway.
Obstacles:
There is a lack of resources/curriculum that facilitate this educational approach.
There is a lot of institutional memory and systems dedicated to tracking that will need to be identified and deconstructed.
Cultural Proficiency, Responsiveness, and Inclusion
Theory: IF WE deploy practices that are culturally proficient, relevant, affirming, and sustaining that value and connect ALL students' cultures, language, learning abilities, and life experiences to increase student agency and inquiry, THEN ALL students will engage in critical thinking practices to increase student learning.
Strategy: Commencing in 2020-21, the district will organize staff to participate in learning centered around cultural proficiency. The superintendent will continue to delegate teams of diverse education partners to develop shared understanding of culturally responsive pedagogical dispositions and practices.
Action Steps:
Educator(s) and staff will build learning partnerships with EACH student that foster wise feedback and facilitate growth through individual academic intellectual challenges.
All education partners will continually seek to expand their views on cultura in lly diverse students’ learning behaviors through ongoing professional learning.
Educator(s) will show evidence of connecting new content to culturally relevant experiences through observation of planned instructional practices and student assessments.
Educator(s) will make space for student agency and choice to provide multiple ways for students to show their cognitive processing.
The district will, where applicable, apply Social Justice Standards to the existing curriculum guides.
Educator(s) will be trained and supported to adopt and teach social emotional competencies to lead to positive staff/student attitudes, values, relationships, and academic performance.
Obstacles:
Create and implement a districtwide culturally responsive framework.
Create buy-in from all education partners to foster a culturally responsive lens in working with staff, students, and families.
Provide professional development in student-centered learning for all teachers and administrators.
Provide training on social justice standards and social emotional competencies for students and staff.
Determine what to do about staff members who do not believe that they need professional development.
Theory: IF WE provide a platform for families to participate in discussions and decisions that are culturally responsive and equitable, THEN they will know their input is valued, and they will have the opportunity to focus on the educational opportunities provided to students and families.
Strategy: The district and school site leadership will organize and provide opportunities for families to share their feedback in decision making (i.e., parent meetings, forums, or virtual workshops).
Action Steps:
The district and school site leadership will continue to cultivate deep collaborations with all parent groups:
District English Language Advisory Parent Committee (DELAC)
African American Parent Advisory Committee (AAPAC)
District Parent Advisory Committee (DPAC)
Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)
CJUSD Community Cabinet
School Site Council
The district and school site leadership will create opportunities/systems for families to observe classroom instruction with a focus on culturally responsive instruction.
The district and school site leadership will provide multiple means of outreach to increase the number of parents providing input.
Obstacles:
The district and school site leadership will provide equitable experiences for all parent groups (workshops, conferences, etc.)
The district and school site leadership will build capacity with parent groups that have low engagement rates in parent meetings and LCAP planning discussions.
The district and school site leadership will develop trust between parents and educators to observe classroom instruction.
The district and school site leadership will determine how to reach unresponsive parents.
Theory: IF WE provide leadership development to district leaders who promote cultural proficiency at all levels, THEN leaders will have the knowledge and skills to manage systems effectively by creating a district/school climate that focuses on inclusion and equity.
Strategy: District leaders will continue their leadership training with the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) and give yearly surveys. The data obtained will be reviewed and used to form goals that cultivate practices of inclusion and equity.
Action Steps:
The district will continue its leadership training with the NISL.
The district will continue its leadership training with the District Strategic Design Program (NISL/DSDP).
The district will continue its leadership training with mentorship with district leadership.
Obstacles:
Fully implement NISL strategies learned from ALL district leadership.
Implement NISL leadership strategies and determine how the mentorship will be sustained?
Safe Spaces and Feedback
Theory: IF WE cultivate safe spaces of community for students, caregivers, and staff to advocate for our collective growth, THEN our schools will be spaces full of joy and free of fear where every student feels and believes they belong. Every person feels invested, empowered, and valued in opportunity outcomes.
Strategy: At the beginning of the year, ALL staff will review best practices in the confidentiality process and procedures.
Action Steps:
School-based staff will build their competency to protect information in support of increasing student opportunity outcomes, centering safety through bias training and team-based follow up.
Staff will affirm the confidentiality of every child and family and employ a system of accountability to ensure their safety and rights are upheld.
Staff will use the Student Bill of Rights to empower students in learning how to be self-advocates.
Students will advocate for themselves and thrive by asking the right questions and having purposeful conversations with various education partners.
Educator(s) will use restorative practices and justice to manage conflicts and promote community.
Obstacles:
Staff will need to be trained on the Student Bill of Rights and how to implement that with students.
Training and implementation of restorative practices will need to be available for all education partners.
A system of accountability that is fair and equitable for all education partners will need to be created.
Theory: IF WE provide a platform to participate in discussions, decisions, and opportunities, THEN our families will have input in meaningful inclusivity that cultivates changes in the school system to build equity for all.
Strategy: Commencing in 2020-21, the district and school site leadership will organize and provide opportunities for families to share their feedback in decision making (i.e., parent meetings, forums, or virtual workshops).
Action Steps:
The district will continue to utilize existing social media accounts.
District Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts
The district will continue to hold affinity group meetings.
District English Language Advisory Parent Committee (DELAC)
African American Parent Advisory Committee (AAPAC)
District Parent Advisory Committee (DPAC)
The district will continue to hold Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) meetings.
The district will create additional learning partnerships with students focused on goal setting.
Obstacles:
Some education partners may not want to engage in social media platforms.
Some education partners may not want to join an affinity group.
Educator(s) need support/training in how to create/maintain learning partnerships with students.
Page updated
Report abuse