Strategic Plan for Edcational Eqit

The School Board through its policies creates the imperatie to ork toards educational equit. The mission statement of the School Board states in part that the Board policies ill: Ensure qualit, equitable, and innoatie educational opportunities for all students. Elements of the School Boards Operational Epectations and Results policies fulfill this epectation. In addition, Administratie Polic 4110.5 - Equit in Education demonstrates the School Districts commitment to educational equit stating:

The School District of La Crosse is committed to the success of each and eer student in our schools. We beliee eer student has the potential to achiee, and it is the responsibilit of school district personnel to gie each student the opportunit and support to meet their highest potential. Eer School District of La Crosse emploee is responsible for the success and achieement of each and eer student. Closing the achieement gap hile raising the achieement for each and eer student is a top priorit for our Superintendent and all district personnel.

In combination, School Board polic and Administratie polic create an imperatie for the school district to ork toards educational equit.

This strategic plan for educational equit ill result in a school sstem that is fair for all students and ields equal results through equitable practices. Educational equit is the differential application of resources and support to ensure that each student gets hat the need to succeed. We ill kno equal results are achieed hen outcomes b an measure are proportional to the makeup of the student bod b the same measure. The result is social justice for all students.

This strategic plan for educational equit is aligned ith the theor of action for student achieement (see Figure 1). Equit for social justice is embedded in each element of the theor of action and the supporting components. To achiee rigor, releance and relationships leading to instructional qualit and students read to learn, fie areas must be addressed: 1. Educators knoledge, skills and dispositions; 2. Curriculum; 3. Sstems of support; 4. District and building leadership; and 5. Communit collaboration. These fie areas are interconnected and are described in more detail in the rest of this document.

Figre 1. Educational Equit Strateg. ​

Edcators Educators are all school personnel that ork directl ith students or proide instructional support. Educators are teachers, administrators, teaching assistants, administratie assistants, district office staff in the Instructional Department and the Superintendent. Educators must hae the knoledge, skills and disposition necessar to proide rigor, releance and relationships to successfull sere all students equitabl.

Knoledge. To effectiel proide instructional qualit and ensure students are read to learn, educators must hae knoledge. Acquiring knoledge is a continual process that inoles assessing our on understanding and seeking to learn more.

Educators must hae knoledge of general educational sstems and content knoledge in the areas the ork in to be successful. Educators must also hae knoledge related to social justice to understand the historical and cultural contet of educational practices and their students. These areas include knoledge of: Histor of marginaliation, oppression, and racism Institutional oppression and racism Stereotpes, prejudice, and discrimination Microaggressions Cultural competence Deficit-thinking Implicit bias

Skills. To effectiel proide instructional qualit and ensure students are read to learn educators must be skilled in a ide range of areas. Ongoing professional deelopment and support is necessar to build and reinforce skills.

Educators must be skilled in pedagog and classroom management to educate students effectiel. Educational leaders must hae the necessar skills for effectiel leading others.

Educators must also hae skills related to social justice to effectiel implement equitable practices. These skills include: Inclusion Co-plan to Co-sere to Co-learn (C3) Uniersal Design for Learning (UDL) De-escalation Equit literac Culturall responsie teaching

Inclusion of students in general education is a process that is critical to ensuring all students hae access to grade-leel, uniersal instruction and for establishing high epectations for all students. C3 is a strateg1 for collaboratiel planning for dierse learners in the general ​ education setting. UDL is a frameork for designing learning enironments that proide 2 integrated options for dierse learner needs .​ UDL guidelines are organied around three ​ principles that proide multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and epression.

Equit literac is a series of skills and principles3 that allo educators to recognie, respond to ​ and redress equit issues and to actiel cultiate and sustain equit efforts. Culturall responsie teaching4 is an approach that uses the cultural knoledge, prior eperiences, frames ​ of reference, and performance stles of ethnicall dierse students to make learning encounters more releant to and effectie for students. Culturall responsie teaching is rooted in culturall releant pedagog5 hich stries for teaching that ields academic success, helps students ​ deelop positie ethnic and cultural identities and supports students abilit to recognie, understand, and critique current and social inequalities.

Dispositions. To effectiel proide instructional qualit and ensure students are read to learn, ​ educators must deelop conducie dispositions about students and learning. Educators must be actiel inoled in self-reflection and self-eploration to identif and deelop productie dispositions. The right dispositions lead to impactful relationships ith students and releant curriculum and instruction.

General dispositions that educators must embod to be successful are: positie; reflectie; collaboratie; authoritatie; and haing high epectations. Educators must also hae dispositions related to social justice to effectiel implement equitable practices. These include: Cultural humilit Anti-oppression Trauma informed These dispositions are augmented b the other general dispositions and take actie, ongoing effort to cultiate and maintain.

Cultural humilit allos an indiidual to engage effectiel ith indiiduals from an background through self-ealuation and critique, addressing poer imbalances, deeloping partnerships 6 ith the communit and through institutional change and accountabilit .​ Cultural humilit ​

requires knoledge and skills, district and building leadership, and communit collaboration to be full emploed.

Anti-oppression is recogniing poer imbalances and implementing change to redress the balance of poer. Anti-oppression includes an understanding of sstems of oppression and the as oppression manifests (e.g. racism, seism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism). Anti-racism is an element of anti-oppression and inoles rejecting false notions of human difference, acknoledging lied eperiences shaped along racial lines, learning from dierse 7 forms of knoledge and eperience and challenging sstems of racial inequalit .​ ​ Anti-oppression is not just a disposition but also intersects ith knoledge and skills, curriculum, and district and building leadership resulting in an understanding of implicit bias and the disruption of institutional oppression and racism.

Trauma informed practices require educators to understand the causes of trauma, ho trauma affects students, and best practices for approaching all students to both accommodate and alleiate trauma. Trauma sensitie practices ie behaior through an alternatie lens to help understand the reasons behind students behaior. Man students eperience the impacts of famil or communit iolence hich can lead to a basic mistrust in human relationship and oer-protectie responses. Trauma sensitie practices are based upon relationships ith adults that build trust and safet. Classroom instruction includes choices in learning. Interentions ith students are collaboratie and empoer outh to take responsibilit for their behaior b building the skills the need to regulate their emotions.8 ​

Crriclm 9 Curriculum is the content of school, in all its forms, ritten and unritten .​ Curriculum is ​ influenced b the instructional practices of educators, the actiities students engage in to acquire skills and knoledge, and the assessments gien to determine if learning is accomplished. Equitable curriculum is rigorous and releant leading to instructional qualit and engaged students read to learn.

Well designed curriculum is intentionall crafted ith the learning outcomes in mind from the 10 11 beginning .​ High qualit grading practices support curriculum and instructional practices ​ ​ leading to increased student engagement. In combination these strategies lead to rigorous and releant curriculum and assessment practices.

For students to find curriculum releant the must be represented in the curriculum. This representation must occur not onl in tetbooks but also in hallas, in language, in learning strategies, and in the opportunit to eplore ones on identit. This curricular representation intersects ith the skills of culturall responsie teaching.

A critical element of curriculum that leads to releance and engagement is student oice and choice.12 Student oice and choice leads to more democratic classrooms resulting in students ​ ho are more engaged, learn more, and perform at higher leels.

To support the deelopment of ell-rounded students ho graduate college and career read as citiens in our communit, social and emotional learning is crucial. Social and emotional learning (SEL)13 is the process through hich students acquire and effectiel appl the ​ knoledge, attitudes, and skills necessar to understand and manage emotions, set and achiee positie goals, feel and sho empath for others, establish and maintain positie relationships, and make responsible decisions.14 Curriculum that integrates SEL ensures ​ students are read to learn and hae the skills the need to be successful.

Sstems of Spport Sstems of support are the structures and frameorks that support students and guide educators. Sstems of support lead to rigorous and releant instruction and ensure students are read to learn. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are an ongoing process in hich educators ork collaboratiel in recurring ccles of collectie inquir and action research to achiee better results for the students the sere.15 PLCs lead to focused, collaboratie ork on student ​ learning. PLCs are equit focused in that the actiel address ho to help all students achiee at high leels.

An equitable multi-leel sstem of support (MLSS) sstematicall proides differing leels of intensit of supports (interentions/additional challenges, collaboratie structures, monitoring of learner progress) based upon learner responsieness to instruction and interention.16 A MLSS ​ leads to rigorous curriculum and instruction for all students focused on ensuring each student gets hat the need to succeed.

Positie Behaioral Interentions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactie approach to establishing the positie behaioral sstems of support and social culture needed for all learners to reach college and career readiness. PBIS is incorporated into a comprehensie MLSS. PBIS must be culturall responsie to be effectie for all students. Effectie implementation of culturall responsie PBIS leads to more productie learning time for students, positie relationships and students ho are read to learn.

The DPI Mental Health Frameork is a comprehensie sstem that integrates social-emotional deelopment and mental health support into the dail academic and social life of schools to reduce barriers to learning.17 It integrates mental health and ellness into an MLSS, intersects ​ ith PBIS, and connects Social and Emotional Learning. A robust mental health frameork supports students so that the are read to learn.

Restoratie practices are non-punitie practices that seek to build communit and cultiate relationships among a group of stakeholders. It is about equit, understanding contet, and true accountabilit, in hich eerone acknoledges their responsibilit to humanit and makes a commitment to putting things right hen the hae caused harm.18 Restoratie practices are ​ equitable, democratic in nature, and build relationships leading to students that are read to learn.

District and Bilding Leadership District and building leadership is crucial to leading and accomplishing equit ork. District and building leadership proide direction, ealuation and accountabilit to shared commitments. Leadership also ensures educators hae the knoledge, skills, and disposition the need, that curriculum is in place, and that sstems of support are deeloped. Elements of leadership that proide district direction and accountabilit are: policies and procedures; data analsis, and; continuous improement. Leadership to support educators includes coaching and professional deelopment.

District and building leadership must be applied to equit ork. Policies and procedures support equit ork through the direction the school district takes and ho dail actiities are carried out. Procedures can support students and families b ensuring access to programs and processes to report instances of inequit or hate and bias. Data analsis is used to conduct an ongoing equit audit. As student data is gathered, it must be disaggregated b arious student characteristics to identif here inequities ma eist. Continuous improement processes are ongoing to identif and redress inequities. A focus on reducing opportunit and achieement gaps is essential to proiding social justice for historicall marginalied groups.

Commnit Collaboration Communit collaboration inoles collaborating ith families, ith local goernment, and ith communit organiations. Effectie communit collaboration leads to support for families and students coming to school read to learn.

Famil engagement through meaningful partnerships helps students both academicall and sociall. Engaged families are inoled in their childrens success and become partners and adocates in collaboration ith the school district.19 20 Famil engagement ields better ​ relationships ith students and students read to learn.

Further collaboration and coordination is necessar ith communit groups to align common interests for the benefit of students. This inoles goernmental agencies like the Cit and the Count, as ell as adocac groups in the communit. If our interests and efforts are aligned e ill all be more effectie and successful in building up our communit to ensure students are read to learn. Along ith general communit group collaboration e must epand our cultural outreach to ensure that families that come from unique cultural backgrounds hae the culturall responsie supports the need for their children to be successful in school.

End Notes 1. Colleen Capper and Elise Fraturra. Integrated Comprehensie Sstems for Equit. https://.icsequit.org/ (Accessed December 10, 2020). ​ 2. Anne Meer, Daid H. Rose, and Daid Gordon. Uniersal Design for Learning: Theor and Practice, (CAST, Inc., 2014). 3. Paul Gorski. Equit Literac Institute. Equit Literac: Definition and Abilities. https://.equitliterac.org/equit-literac-definition (Accessed December 10, 2020). 4. Genea Ga. Culturall Responsie Teaching: T​ heor, Research, and Practice (Multicultural Education Series) 2nd Edition. (Teachers College Press, 2010). 5. Gloria Ladson-Billings. Toard a Theor of Culturall Releant Pedagog, American ​ Educational Research Journal 32, no. 3 (1995): 465491. ​ 6. Melanie Teralon and Jann Murra-Garca. Cultural Humilit Versus Cultural Competence: A Critical Distinction in Defining Phsician Training Outcomes in Multicultural Education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Undersered No. 9 ​ (Ma 1998). 7. Mica Pollock. Eerda Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School. (The Ne Press, 2008). 8. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Wisconsin School Mental Health Frameork. https://dpi.i.go/sites/default/files/imce/ssp/pdf/mhframeork.pdf ​ (accessed Februar 26, 2021). 9. Fenick W. English. Deciding What to Teach and Test: Deeloping, Aligning, and Leading the Curriculum. (Corin, 2010). 10. Grant Wiggins and Ja McTighe. Understanding b Design. (ASCD, 2005). ​ ​ 11. Ken OConner. Ho to Grade for Learning. (Corin, 2009). ​ ​ 12. Russell J. Quaglia and Michael J. Corso. Student Voice: The Instrument of Change. (Corin, 2014). 13. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Social and Emotional Learning. https://dpi.i.go/ssp/mental-health/social-emotional-learning (Accessed December 10, 2020). 14. Collaboratie for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. What is SEL? https://casel.org/hat-is-sel/ (accessed December 10, 2020). ​ 15. Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas W. Man, Mike Mattos. Learning b Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work. (Solution Tree, 2016). 16. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Wisconsins Frameork for Equitable Multi-Leel Sstems of Supports. https://dpi.i.go/sites/default/files/imce/rti/pdf/rti-emlss-frameork.pdf (Accessed December 11, 2020). 17. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The Wisconsin School Mental Health Frameork. https://dpi.i.go/sites/default/files/imce/ssp/pdf/mhframeork.pdf ​ (Accessed December 11, 2020). 18. Maisha T. Winn. Justice on Both Sides: Transforming Education Through Restoratie Justice. (Harard Education Press, 2018). 19. Karen L. Mapp, Ilene Carer, and Jessica Lander. Poerful Partnerships: A Teachers Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success. (Scholastic, 2007). 20. Steen M. Constantino. Engage Eer Famil: Fie Simple Principles. (Corin, 2016). If schools provide quality instruction EDUCATIONAL THEORY OF Student Achievement to students who are ready to learn ACTION through rigor, relevance, and relationships, then students will achieve at high levels.

Instructional Quality Students Ready to Learn

Rigor Relevance Relationships

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY STRATEGY

District and Building Community Educators Curriculum Systems of Support Leadership Collaboration

Knowledge • Understanding by • PLCs • Policies and • Family Engagement Design • MLSS Procedures • Cultural Outreach • Grading for • PBIS • Data Analysis • Collaboration & Skills Learning • Mental Health • Continuous Coordination with • Representation Framework Improvement Community Groups Dispositions • Student Voice and • Restorative • Coaching Choice Practices • Professional • Social and Development Emotional Learning

KNOWLEDGE: Content knowledge; History of marginalization, oppression, and racism; Institutional oppression and racism; Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination; Microaggressions; Cultural competence; Deficit-thinking; Implicit bias SKILLS: Instructional pedagogy; Leadership; Inclusion; Co-plan to Co-serve to Co-learn (C3); Universal Design for Learning (UDL); De- escalation, Equity literacy, Culturally Responsive teaching DISPOSITIONS: High expectations; Positive; Reflective; Collaborative; Authoritative; Cultural humility; Anti-racist, Trauma informed