Valarie Wilson Executive Director Georgia School Boards Association EDUCATIONAL EQUITY THAT RESULTS IN SUCCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS: THE GOVERNANCE TEAM’S ROLE Valarie Wilson Executive Director Georgia School Boards Association

WHERE ARE WE NOW? Childhood poverty has increased across the U.S. from 17% in 2000 to over 22% recently (Kids Count, 2015). Georgia’s childhood poverty has increased to over 26% recently (Kids Count, 2015).

WHERE ARE WE NOW? The percentage of public school children across the U.S. classified as economically disadvantaged and/or qualify for free or reduced lunch has increased from 38% in 2000 compared to more than 51% recently (Southern Education Foundation, 2015). More than 62% of Georgia’s public school children are classified as economically disadvantaged and/or qualify for free or reduced lunch (GDOE FY 2016 Data Report).

WHERE ARE WE NOW? The gap in educational success still remains wide between student subgroups, especially economically disadvantaged students compared to their more affluent peers (Center for Public Education, 2016).

Public schools should provide equitable access EDUCATIONAL EQUITY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? THE NATIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION ON EQUITY: Public schools should provide equitable access and ensure that all students have the knowledge and skills to succeed as contributing members of a rapidly changing, global society, regardless of factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, English proficiency, immigration status, socioeconomic status, or disability.

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY: HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? Educational equality is achieved when all students have the same resources and are exposed to the same practices; while equity in education is secured when all students have the resources they need and practices are differentiated (Center for Public Education, 2016).

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY: HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? Areas in an equity agenda that research shows will have the greatest impact on student outcomes: * Funding * Curriculum * Teachers * Discipline Policies

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY: HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? Funding Equity Resource/dollar distribution per pupil within your school district and school to school, based on need…

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY: HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? Curriculum Rigor Equity Equal access to high level curriculum: Curriculum that places all students on a readiness track (PK-8) Curriculum that all students need to succeed after high school (9-12)

A SNAPSHOT OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT RESEARCH

The Coleman Report (a flawed study) 1966 – commissioned by the National Center for Education Statistics, titled “Equality of Educational Opportunity” Concluded – students’ home backgrounds and peer groups in their schools were the key generators of achievement Concluded – school quality and level of school funding had little or no impact after home and peer factors were taken into account

Effective Schools Research Edmond 1979, Brookover & Lezotte,1979 In response to the Coleman study, studies were designed to look for outlier schools to refute the Coleman conclusions Studies were snapshots of correlations of schools achieving results in settings that typically achieved poor results Schools “beating the odds” had common correlates: Strong educational leadership by the principal High expectations for student achievement An emphasis on standards A safe and orderly climate Frequent evaluation of pupil progress on student achievement

90/90/90 Schools Center for Performance Assessment More than 90 percent of the students: Are eligible for free and reduced lunch, a commonly used surrogate for low-income families Are from ethnic minorities Met or achieved high academic standards, according to independently conducted tests of academic achievement Five common characteristics: A focus on academic achievement Clear curriculum choices Frequent assessment of student progress and multiple opportunities for improvement An emphasis on nonfiction writing Collaborative scoring of student work

Replications of 90/90/90 Research Replicated over time by independent researchers Virtually identical findings to earlier studies Common characteristics Laser-like focus on achievement Collaborative scoring Non-fiction writing Multiple opportunities for success

What do we know about gap-closing schools and districts (compared to those not closing the gap)? Six powerful lessons from EdTrust West: 1 of 6: They focus on what they can do, rather than what they can’t do.

They focus on what they can change. Some schools and districts get caught up in “correlations,” but educators in high-performing, high-poverty schools and districts don’t do that. They focus on what they can change.

What do we know about gap-closing schools and districts (as compared to those not closing the gap)? Six powerful lessons from EdTrust West: 2 of 6: They don’t leave anything about teaching and learning to chance

In lower-performing districts, many teachers are left to figure out on their own what to teach and what constitutes work that is good enough. The result is a system that is too easy for many students and expects much less from some types of students than others. But in higher-performing districts, teachers collaborate to set high expectations.

7th Grade Low-Level Writing Assignment My name: A car I want: My heartthrob: I hate: Three words which describe me best: My best feature: My best friend: My favorite food: A chore I hate: My biggest secret:

Middle School Example: 7th Grade High-Level Writing Assignment Essay on Anne Frank Your essay will consist of an opening paragraph which introduced the title, author, and general background of the novel. Your thesis will state specifically what Anne’s overall personality is, and what general psychological and intellectual changes she exhibits over the course of the book. You might organize your essay by grouping psychological and intellectual changes OR you might choose 3 or 4 characteristics (like friendliness, patience, optimism, self doubt) and show how she changes in this area.

High-Performing Districts Have clear and specific goals for what students should learn in every grade, including the order in which they should learn it Provide teachers with common curriculum, assignments Have regular vehicle to assure common marking standards Assess students every 4-8 weeks to measure progress ACT immediately on the results of those assessments

What do we know about gap-closing schools and districts (as compared to those not closing the gap)? Six powerful lessons from EdTrust West: 3 of 6: They set their goals high.

At every level of the system, kids are expected to be on track to graduate ready for college, career, and civic participation.

Even when they start with high dropout rates, high-impact schools focus on preparing all kids for college and careers. --Education Trust 2005 study, “Gaining Traction, Gaining Ground”

What do we know about gap-closing schools and districts (as compared to those not closing the gap)? Six powerful lessons from EdTrust West: 4 of 6: High-performing districts are obsessive about time, especially instructional time.

most schools are not too thoughtful about time. 12 By contrast, most schools are not too thoughtful about time. Both principals and teachers moan about having too little of it, but then they give it away. 9 3 6

What do we know about gap-closing schools and districts (as compared to those not closing the gap)? Six powerful lessons from EdTrust West: 5 of 6: Principals are hugely important, ever present, but NOT the only leaders in the school.

In High-Performing Schools… Teachers regularly observe other teachers Teachers have time to plan and work collaboratively New teachers get generous and careful support and acculturation Teachers take on many other leadership tasks at the school

What do we know about gap-closing schools and districts (as compared to those not closing the gap)? Six powerful lessons from EdTrust West: 6 of 6: Good schools know how much teachers matter, and they act on that knowledge.

Learning Retention Rates

High-Achieving, High-Poverty District Characteristics: Academic press of achievement Caring staff and faculty Clear curriculum choices Dedication to diversity and equity Emphasis on reading skills Use of assessment data to improve student achievement & instruction Regular teacher-parent communication High expectations Collaborative decision-making Orderly climate Belief that all students can succeed at high levels Help build positive relationships between students and teachers

Synthesis of 800+ Meta-analyses of Student. Achievement Research Synthesis of 800+ Meta-analyses of Student Achievement Research John-Hattie – Visible Learning, 2009 School characteristics correlated to increases in achievement: Positive classroom climate Instructional leadership of the principal Challenging curricula Curricular characteristics It is less the content of the curricula that is important than the strategies teachers use to implement the curriculum so that students progress through the content Teachers must collaborate on defining challenging expectations of progress through the curricular content and use of engaging strategies for instruction

What’s Your Bottom Line, Governance Team? “We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children… We already know more than we need in order to do this… Whether we do must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven’t so far.” (Ron Edmonds, Effective Schools)

Bottom Line: We already know enough about how to transform student learning, impact student achievement, and improve life chances for all. The question is… Do we have the courage to do it?

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY CONTINUED… HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? Equitable Access to Highly Effective Teachers- Highly qualified, highly effective teachers have more influence on student learning than any other factor.

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY: HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? Discipline Policies- “Absenteeism has many causes, but discipline policies that make heavy use of out-of-school suspensions are among them and can place students at risk of academic failure…”

DISCIPLINE “Children of color and poor students are suspended at much higher rates than their white and non-poor peers” “There is clear reason to track, monitor, research and attend to these disparities” “To solve the problem we must diagnose and address it appropriately” (Brookings Institute & U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, November 20, 2017)

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS TO PONDER

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY: HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? Discuss the following in small groups: How important is this topic to the success of children in your school system? Why or why not? How does your governance team currently approach/address this topic? How can your governance team improve its oversight of this topic?

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY: HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? What are the implications for policy development and/or modification based on initial thought and discussion? How can the governance team hold itself accountable to implement proven strategies related to this topic? Complete the survey of “School Board Behaviors Linked to High Performing Schools” & discuss.

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY: HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE REACH IT? How important is it for GSBA to support governance teams with enhanced training and development relative to this topic?

Valarie Wilson GSBA, Executive Director vwilson@gsba.com 770-962-2985