Districts: Equity

Resources are organized according to the order in which they are received.

Use the magnifying glass in the top right corner to search for specific tools using key words. 

Summer Matters - Summer Matters is a statewide network of school districts, educators, school boards, education leaders, mayors, legislators, nonprofits, funders, civic leaders and parents working collaboratively to create and expand access to high quality summer learning opportunities for all California students." The website offers tools, stories, videos, and reports to support these goals. http://www.summermatters.net/ 

Parents 2016: Hearts & Minds of Parents in an Uncertain World – This report includes survey results from parents that explores what keeps parents up at night, their aspirations as parents, how they view the importance of their role in their child’s academic and developmental success, and what they need to help their child succeed in school, and in life. https://r50gh2ss1ic2mww8s3uvjvq1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/LearningHeroes-Report-english.pdf 

The Center For Exceptional Families (TCFEF) -  The center’s mission is to improve educational opportunities for students with disabilities, including students transitioning to adult life beyond high school.  This is done by collaborating with families and their local school districts to promote an innovative approach to special education services for an individual with disabilities http://www.thecenterforexceptionalfamilies.org 

How High-Poverty Schools can Engage Families-a short article with tips for high-poverty schools to engage families https://www.edutopia.org/blog/high-poverty-schools-engage-families-community-william-parrett-kathleen-budge 

ARKSPED Portal- This webpage hosts information regarding resources to support Special Education in the state of Arkansas. https://arksped.k12.ar.us 

Special Education Information - This webpage supports the commitment to improving educational results for students with disabilities through statewide leadership, support, and service to schools, educators, students, families, and other stakeholders. http://www.arkansased.gov/divisions/learning-services/special-education

Centralized Intake and Referral / Consultant Unified Intervention Team (CIRCUIT)-Direct and supportive service activities, to improve results for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 21, by ensuring a free, appropriate public education, in the least restrictive environment. CIRCUIT services can be requested by parents, guardians, or district school administrators (i.e., special education supervisors, principals, and superintendents).https://arksped.k12.ar.us/sections/CIRCUIT.html 

U.S. Dept of Education Full-Service Community Schools Program- This program provides support for the planning, implementation, and operation of full-service community schools that improve the coordination, integration, accessibility, and effectiveness of services for children and families, particularly for children attending high-poverty schools, including high-poverty rural schools.  https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/ 

School-based Coordinators Link Students to Community Resources- Learn firsthand to manage support and services that go beyond the classroom from Ms. Ingrid Thomas’s experiences as a school-based support coordinator for Communities. https://www.kappanonline.org/walter-school-based-coordinators-community-resources/ 

Communities for Education and Action - This video highlights importance of developing leadership among parents as a key path to strengthening the community through advocacy and family leadership. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Is4sykEWxg&feature=youtu.be 

It Takes a Community:  Community Schools Provide Opportunities for All- A community school provides both the familiar K-12 curriculum and a much broader range of supports to students and families — high-quality academic instruction, and mentoring, health care, college and career counseling, financial advising, and much more. In many cases, the community school serves as a neighborhood hub, bringing together educators, families, business leaders, elected officials, and many other local partners to ensure that students have real opportunities to succeed in school and in life .https://www.kappanonline.org/reuben-jacobson-it-takes-community-schools/ 

ThinkCollege - Think College is a national organization dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving inclusive higher education options for people with intellectual disability. With a commitment to equity and excellence, it  supports evidence-based and student-centered research and practice by generating and sharing knowledge, guiding institutional change, informing public policy, and engaging with students, professionals and families. https://thinkcollege.net/about/what-is-think-college 

Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence - The U.S. Dept of Education cites this study in the release of its funding for full-service community schools. The study establishes the ESSA evidence-base for community school as an effective school improvement strategy. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/community-schools-effective-school-improvement-brief 

How Family, School, and Community Engagement can Improve Student Achievement and Influence School Reform - This literature review strives to address the following two questions: 1) What are the key components of promising family-school partnerships that support school- and district-level reform? and 2) How do promising partnerships involve families and communities in education reform? https://www.nmefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Final-Report-Family-Engagement-AIR.pdf 

Building Peer to Peer Family Networks - This resource is for district leaders to develop policies that support the implementation of the family engagement strategies. http://buildinitiative.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Resources/FamilyEngagement/SharedDecision%20Peer-to-Peer%20DL-%20Final.pdf 

CAST Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines and Free Learning Tools - UDL is a framework for designing educational environments that help all students gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning.  The concept of UDL was inspired by the universal design movement in product development and architecture, which calls for the design of structures that anticipate the needs of individuals with disabilities and accommodate these needs from the outset. Using this framework, educators can improve outcomes for diverse learners by applying the principles to the development of goals, instructional methods, classroom materials, and assessments. http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.XM9y0ehKjIU 

UA System Partners for Inclusive Communities - Partners achieves its mission by assessing the needs of individuals with disabilities, then addressing those needs through research, education, community service, training, technical assistance and collecting and sharing information. https://uofapartners.uark.edu/projects/ 

A Day in the Life of an EL Student – Click on the link to watch a short video on a day in the life of a ten-year-old student who struggles to communicate in his new school with limited access to his native language. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Y0HAjLKYI 

English Learner Tool Kit -Helps state and local education agencies help English Learners (ELs) by fulfilling legal obligations. https://ncela.ed.gov/files/english_learner_toolkit/OELA_2017_ELsToolkit_508C.pdf 

U.S. Dept of Education Full-Service Community Schools Program- This program provides support for the planning, implementation, and operation of full-service community schools that improve the coordination, integration, accessibility, and effectiveness of services for children and families, particularly for children attending high-poverty schools, including high-poverty rural schools.  https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/ 

School-based Coordinators Link Students to Community Resources- Learn firsthand to manage support and services that go beyond the classroom from Ms. Ingrid Thomas’s experiences as a school-based support coordinator for Communities. https://www.kappanonline.org/walter-school-based-coordinators-community-resources/ 

It Takes a Community:  Community Schools Provide Opportunities for All- A community school provides both the familiar K-12 curriculum and a much broader range of supports to students and families — high-quality academic instruction, and mentoring, health care, college and career counseling, financial advising, and much more. In many cases, the community school serves as a neighborhood hub, bringing together educators, families, business leaders, elected officials, and many other local partners to ensure that students have real opportunities to succeed in school and in life .https://www.kappanonline.org/reuben-jacobson-it-takes-community-schools/ 

Laying the Foundation: Building Trust Between Families and Schools - This article provides research-based strategies for building relationships between schools and diverse families. http://www.adlit.org/article/21522/#foundation

ThinkCollege - Think College is a national organization dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving inclusive higher education options for people with intellectual disability. With a commitment to equity and excellence, it  supports evidence-based and student-centered research and practice by generating and sharing knowledge, guiding institutional change, informing public policy, and engaging with students, professionals and families. https://thinkcollege.net/about/what-is-think-college 

Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence - The U.S. Dept of Education cites this study in the release of its funding for full-service community schools. The study establishes the ESSA evidence-base for community school as an effective school improvement strategy. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/community-schools-effective-school-improvement-brief 

Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) - The program provides support for the planning, implementation, and operation of full-service community schools that improve the coordination, integration, accessibility, and effectiveness of services for children and families, particularly for children attending high-poverty schools, including high-poverty rural schools. https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/ 

How Family, School, and Community Engagement can Improve Student Achievement and Influence School Reform - This literature review strives to address the following two questions: 1) What are the key components of promising family-school partnerships that support school- and district-level reform? and 2) How do promising partnerships involve families and communities in education reform? https://www.nmefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Final-Report-Family-Engagement-AIR.pdf 

District Leaders Emphasizing Equity and Access through Two-Way Communication - This resource is designed for district leaders to reflect on the current structures that are in place to ensure all families are effectively reached and supported by the school community. http://buildinitiative.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Resources/FamilyEngagement/EquityAssets-DL-Two-Way-Final.pdf 

Asociación para Acción Comunitaria- La Asociación para Acción Comunitaria ha trabajado para construir comunidades resistentes y saludables en el Valle del Sur de Albuquerque y en todo Nuevo México desde 1990.  La PCA se centra en cuestiones fundamentales para la comunidad tal como educación, economía sostenible, y derechos para los inmigrantes. Por medio de la concientización y al aprovecharnos de unas oportunidades de interceder, apoyamos a la gente y a sus familias para que se conviertan en líderes fuertes en sus vecindades y en el estado de Nuevo México. http://forcommunityaction.org/acerca-de-nosotros/mision-e-historia/?lang=es 

Partnership for Community Action - Community based organization in Albuquerque’s South Valley focuses on critical community issues like education, economic sustainability, wellness and immigrant rights. Through raising awareness and advocacy opportunities, the Partnership for Community Action supports people and families to become strong leaders in their neighborhoods. http://forcommunityaction.org/   

UA System Partners for Inclusive Communities - Partners achieves its mission by assessing the needs of individuals with disabilities, then addressing those needs through research, education, community service, training, technical assistance and collecting and sharing information. https://uofapartners.uark.edu/projects/ 

The Carnegie Foundation's Classification for Community Engagement - College and University Engagement Initiative (CUEI). CUEI contributes to the fields of community engagement and social innovation through collaboration with students, faculty, community partners, institutions of higher education and networks for community engagement and social innovation.  https://www.brown.edu/academics/college/swearer/programs/college-and-university-engagement-initiative-cuei  

20 tips to help you begin the process of developing relationships with families - Edutopia has a list of tips for educators and schools to use as you begin creating relationships with families.  https://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-developing-positive-relationships-parents-elena-aguilar 

Summer Matters - Summer Matters is a statewide network of school districts, educators, school boards, education leaders, mayors, legislators, nonprofits, funders, civic leaders and parents working collaboratively to create and expand access to high quality summer learning opportunities for all California students." The website offers tools, stories, videos, and reports to support these goals. http://www.summermatters.net/ 

U.S. Dept of Education Full-Service Community Schools Program- This program provides support for the planning, implementation, and operation of full-service community schools that improve the coordination, integration, accessibility, and effectiveness of services for children and families, particularly for children attending high-poverty schools, including high-poverty rural schools.  https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/ 

School-based Coordinators Link Students to Community Resources- Learn firsthand to manage support and services that go beyond the classroom from Ms. Ingrid Thomas’s experiences as a school-based support coordinator for Communities. https://www.kappanonline.org/walter-school-based-coordinators-community-resources/ 

It Takes a Community:  Community Schools Provide Opportunities for All- A community school provides both the familiar K-12 curriculum and a much broader range of supports to students and families — high-quality academic instruction, and mentoring, health care, college and career counseling, financial advising, and much more. In many cases, the community school serves as a neighborhood hub, bringing together educators, families, business leaders, elected officials, and many other local partners to ensure that students have real opportunities to succeed in school and in life .https://www.kappanonline.org/reuben-jacobson-it-takes-community-schools/ 

Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) - The program provides support for the planning, implementation, and operation of full-service community schools that improve the coordination, integration, accessibility, and effectiveness of services for children and families, particularly for children attending high-poverty schools, including high-poverty rural schools. https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/ 

ThinkCollege - Think College is a national organization dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving inclusive higher education options for people with intellectual disability. With a commitment to equity and excellence, it  supports evidence-based and student-centered research and practice by generating and sharing knowledge, guiding institutional change, informing public policy, and engaging with students, professionals and families. https://thinkcollege.net/about/what-is-think-college 

Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence - The U.S. Dept of Education cites this study in the release of its funding for full-service community schools. The study establishes the ESSA evidence-base for community school as an effective school improvement strategy. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/community-schools-effective-school-improvement-brief 

How Family, School, and Community Engagement can Improve Student Achievement and Influence School Reform - This literature review strives to address the following two questions: 1) What are the key components of promising family-school partnerships that support school- and district-level reform? and 2) How do promising partnerships involve families and communities in education reform? https://www.nmefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Final-Report-Family-Engagement-AIR.pdf 

CAST Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines and Free Learning Tools - UDL is a framework for designing educational environments that help all students gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning.  The concept of UDL was inspired by the universal design movement in product development and architecture, which calls for the design of structures that anticipate the needs of individuals with disabilities and accommodate these needs from the outset. Using this framework, educators can improve outcomes for diverse learners by applying the principles to the development of goals, instructional methods, classroom materials, and assessments. http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.XM9y0ehKjIU 

UA System Partners for Inclusive Communities - Partners achieves its mission by assessing the needs of individuals with disabilities, then addressing those needs through research, education, community service, training, technical assistance and collecting and sharing information. https://uofapartners.uark.edu/projects/