ASKED Answered
What is your best advice for delivering the message that equity in education is
essential to fulfilling priorities in local control and accountability planning?
Three equity leaders share their thoughts on such matters as opportunity to learn,
cultural proficiency and student engagement.
Educational leaders across the country
Gloria Ervin
Director, Equity and
Student Achievement,
San Juan USD
have taken on the call to action for “Equity in Education.”
School districts and state education offices have created special task forces, departments, committees, etc. to ensure that
the system designed to educate students is not a contributing factor to the continuous pattern of disparities in student
achievement.
Equity in Education means that personal or social circumstances, such as gender, ethnic origin or family background,
are not obstacles to achieving educational potential and that
all individuals reach at least a basic minimum level of skills.
However, despite the educational system being originally designed for a particular gender, ethnic group and social class,
it has evolved and progressed over the centuries to become
more inclusive due to laws and policies. The question is, have
we arrived at the pivotal moment to embrace Equity in Educa-
Achieving equity in education begins
with a school district’s mission statement, which spells out
succinctly what the district expects to achieve for its students
and the community. Lynwood Unified’s mission statement’s
main focus is equity and giving all students what they need and
deserve. It is about ensuring all students have access to a highquality education, instilling a motivational culture that champions every student’s academic and career passions.
While the mission statement establishes the guidelines, the
Local Control and Accountability Plan is the portal for substantial enhancement in curriculum. Our 2016-19 LCAP update
expands our performing arts curriculum, giving students music
instruction, dance and theatrical opportunities that will expose
them to new experiences and means of expression. We are constantly expanding our STEM programs and career technical
education pathways to provide students with a deep array of
opportunities as they ponder their futures.
Most recently, LCFF has given us the opportunity to develop an
equity division, staffed with dedicated individuals coordinating
cultural competency training and support systems for students,
and developing intentional strategies and programs for traditionally underserved students.
We have eliminated remedial classes and other education strategies that label students as low achieving, finding proof that
students excel when you challenge them academically and ensure their success with support services. We built on this effort
by opening access for any student to participate in honors and
Advanced Placement classes, so students can accelerate their
education regardless of past academic challenges.
An integral part of achieving equity derives from our ability to
heed the concerns and desires of our community, and incorporate those views in our strategies and mission. n
We know that students are most engaged
Christopher Morris
Assistant Director of
Secondary Education,
Fairfield-Suisun USD
tion? Or is this the new “Coconut Water” as Ryan Smith, CEO
of EdTrust, has stated?
The eight priorities in the Local Control Funding Formula
promise to guide each district to be very intentional about the
specific course of action in their Local Control and Accountability Plan. Providing school districts with the necessary
funding to fulfill the eight priorities permits a reshaping of the
original educational system by giving each student access to
the resources they need to learn and thrive, which is providing
equity for education.
It is critical for policymakers and educators to stay steadfast to
not only the generalization of the LCAP, but the specific details
of the elements and accountability. The oversight at the highest level of the educational system must continue to “inspect
what they expect” if the educational system is truly to produce
a different result than its intended design. n
when they can relate to the content they are learning and
they understand the purpose. Culturally proficient instruction provides content that is representative of all people and
instructional strategies that are varied enough to appeal to
all learning styles. Students learn about the contributions
of groups including, but not limited to, black, Latino, LGBT,
female, Asian and other people who have traditionally been
omitted from the curriculum. When students can see themselves in the curriculum, they can make connections to themselves that inspire interest and curiosity. Now more than ever
our children must learn that we live in a pluralistic society; all
Paul Gothold
Superintendent,
Lynwood USD
people regardless of their “differences” are valuable, simply
because they are human, and all people have the innate capacity to positively contribute to our society. We can best teach
this lesson by representing all types of people in the curriculum. With the advent and accessibility of “open content,” we
no longer are required to rely on the publishing companies
to determine what authors are represented in the anthologies
or what version of history we are teaching. We can include
all kinds of literature and teach multiple perspectives of history. Additionally, using various instructional approaches,
and moving beyond the “sit and get” method, will help achieve
student engagement and motivation. n
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