An Equity Mindset in Everything We Do

I strongly believe that equity can’t be separated out from the other issue areas I’m highlighting in my campaign: it’s a mindset that should inform everything we do, not an initiative that’s off to the side.

The word “equity” means different things to different people, so I want to be clear about how I understand equity. For me, it involves opportunity, inclusivity, and individual fit.

Opportunity: All students have access to excellent, well-resourced schools staffed with teachers and school leaders who value their strengths and understand their needs. No student, group, or school community is expected to “make do” with less resources, privilege and influence than others have--and we must actively dismantle policies and practices that perpetuate disadvantage.

Inclusivity: We welcome and value all students, staff, and families. Every student feels safe, connected, loved, and trusted. Students see themselves reflected in the curriculum and school staffing in more than a token way, and the activities and traditions of the school community reflect the identities and lived experiences of families. 

Individual Fit: Finding the right level of support and challenge for each student is part art, part science--but not impossible. We’ve got to let go of products and practices that promise differentiation but don’t really deliver, and learn from schools and systems that are getting this right.

As a School Board member, I will:

1. Push for more data and analysis of how equity is promoted or harmed in the decisions we’re making. For example, when we consider boundary changes we should be asking questions like: Should we prioritize the assignment of Planning Units so that students from low-income households are assigned to their closest walkable school? How are we assessing stability-related impacts for students from low-income households (how many are being reassigned to a new school, compared to their students from more affluent households)? How are we weighing transportation-related impacts for students from low-income households (how many are bused and for how long, as compared to students from more affluent families)? 
2. Prioritize funding for programs that differentiate instruction with demonstrated results. I support the NAACP’s call to fund effective reading and math instructional approaches and interventions, better identification of reading disabilities, and DIBELS universal reading screening. I also believe that we’ll only be able to close the opportunity gap when we close the “engagement gap.” We need to make sure that along with targeted skill development, all students have access to the kinds of creative, open-ended, engaging learning experiences that all too often are the privilege of white and more affluent students in our nation’s classrooms. 
3. Advocate for racial literacy in the curriculum. Racial literacy equips students with the tools to understand, navigate, and improve a world structured by racial division. APS should look for ways to partner with community organizations so that interested parents can improve their racial literacy, too.
4. Work for more consistent support for students and families across schools. In many areas, but particularly in special education, families are frustrated that schools are providing inconsistent guidance and services. Too often, a family’s success in obtaining the right services for a child depends on their own knowledge of what should be offered, their relationships with teachers and administrators, and the time they can spend on advocacy.
5. Work with APS to produce an equity dashboard. We can get a better sense of our progress on equity when we aggregate and display relevant data all in one place. An equity dashboard could bring together key data on student achievement and engagement, school culture, discipline, and more that currently exist in various places so that educators and community members can access it quickly and comprehensively.

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