Transcript To serve all students: the case for race equity

To serve all students: the case
for race equity professional
development for public school
district central office staff
EMPA Capstone presentation by
Kristen Miles
Background/literature review
• “All I care about is the color of money.”
• Three categories of literature:
•
•
•
•
•
Race equity professional development in public school districts and its impact on
student achievement.
Race equity professional development in public organizations and its impact on
organizational performance and development
The moral and ethical obligations of the public school system with respect to race
equity
Because of the documented evidence that public education is inequitable
for students of color, and because whole organizational change requires
whole organizational participation, there is a need for race equity PD for
central office staff.
More research is necessary.
• Twofold purpose of study:
1. To develop a rationale for race equity PD for central
office staff in public school districts
2. To identify the essential components of such a program
• Hypothesis: Public school district organizational
performance with respect to mission-driven work will be
improved when race equity professional development is
expected of all district employees, including central office
staff.
Purpose of the study/hypothesis
1.
How does the implementation of a race equity PD program impact the
performance of public school districts?
2.
Does the presence of a race equity PD program impact student academic
performance data when it is provided to teaching staff AND central office
employees?
3.
Does the presence of a race equity PD program impact student academic
performance when it is provided to teaching staff but NOT to central office
employees?
4.
What are the ethical and moral obligations of a public school district with
respect to race equity?
5.
What components should be included in a race equity PD program designed for
public school district central staff?
Research questions
• Local district demographic and performance data; survey responses
•
•
•
•
Racial demographics
Racial student achievement gap data
Survey responses
Calculated level of “equity integration”
• Nationally-recognized districts (as ranked by Forbes and the Broad Foundation)
• Racial demographics and special populations (TAG, ESL, SpEd)
• Racial student achievement gap data
• Level of “equity integration” as evidenced by board-adopted policies and race equity PD programs.
• Race equity PD providers and their programs
Methodology
• Mixed data
• In local districts, where equity integration increased, the Math
achievement gap decreased; the Reading gap increased
• Broad districts + local districts:
• The correlation is strongest between teacher PD and a decrease in
the Reading gap.
• The next strongest correlations were between providing PD to
teachers and central office staff, and narrowing the gap in Reading
and Math.
•All other correlations were weak.
• Race equity PD programs:
• Only three had a focus specific to race.
• All were weak with respect to involvement of the central office.
• None discussed outcomes.
Research outcomes
• Suggested components of a race equity PD program
for central office staff:
1.
Needs assessment
2.
Adopt and adapt
3.
Examine the impact
4.
Organizational development and performance measurements
5.
Transformation and sustainability
Research Outcomes, cont.
•
Anecdotal evidence points to a relationship between the provision of race equity
PD and a decrease in the racial achievement gap, but the relationship cannot be
statistically validated.
•
There is a moral and ethical obligation to undertake equity-based PD, which
stands separately from the issue of PD impact on student performance.
•
This study challenges K-12 race equity PD providers to meaningfully include
central office employees in developing their programs.
•
There should be future studies dedicated to determining the strength of the link
between race equity PD and student achievement.
•
This project further solidified my passion for race equity, my interest in
organizational change, and my resolve to continue with education policy in my
career.
Significance and implications
• I extend my deep gratitude for their support and
encouragement to the following:
•
•
•
•
•
Dr. Douglas Morgan
All EMPA professors
The 2011 EMPA cohort
My little family
My bigger family, and many friends
Acknowledgements