POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS EQUITY IN EDUCATION COALITION CLOSING THE OPPORTUNITY/ACHIEVEMENT GAP

Who is the Equity in Education Coalition? Commission on African American AffairsWA Dream Act Coalition Commission on Asian/Pacific Isl. AffairsWinWin Network Commission on Hispanic AffairsWEA Solid GroundRaja For Africa WashingtonCANThrive By Five American Federation of Teachers, WashingtonOneAmerica Children’s AllianceL.E.A.P. Casey Family FoundationLatino Community Fund

Closing the Opportunity/Achievement gap must be accompanied by: a commitment at the state, district and school levels to provide all students with equal access to the opportunity to learn. a commitment by the state to not only hold schools accountable for student outcomes, but for the equitable distribution of requisite resources as well.

McCleary vs. State of Washington The recent Washington State Supreme Court decision, McCleary vs. State of Washington, requires the state to “fully fund” K-12 education so that every child has the opportunity to “succeed as active citizens in contemporary society." The McCleary decision presents an opportunity to ensure that significant additional resources are directed at improving academic achievement in Washington’s public schools and, thus, eliminating the achievement/opportunity gap and reducing the dropout rate.

The Opportunity/Achievement Gap in Washington State A Combination of Factors Home Factors: School Factors: Funding: Teacher Talent: Academic Rigor: Societal Factors:

Closing the Opportunity/Achievement Gap The following list identifies promising school strategies for closing the opportunity/achievement gap. 1. Expand access to preschool. 2. Fund schools equitably so that they have the flexibility to offer wrap-around services. 3. Implementation of extended day learning and summer school opportunities, including enrichment activities. 4. Improve existing Transitional Bilingual Instruction Programs. 5. Accelerate implementation of full-day kindergarten for all low income schools.

Schools Accountable for Equity: 1. Produce and use disaggregated data in ways that increase awareness of persistent low achievement. 2. Measure improvement and growth over time. 3. Measure gaps in achievement as well as changes in overall achievement. 4. Ensure that the conditions for teaching and learning are present and students have equal opportunity to master high standards. 5. Help educators improve instruction. 6. Design a system of comprehensive support and assistance for low-performing schools. 7. Ensure that assistance builds school capacity and is school-specific.

EARLY LEARNING Policymakers should build upon the foundation of Washington’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). Year after year, there is a waiting list for this program. Legislators shall use a percentage of new funding for programs for children ages 0 -3 at-risk of school failure for the purpose of providing early, continuous, intensive and comprehensive child development and family support services.

EXTENDED LEARNING PROGRAMS Extended-Day Programs. Schools can use this time to lengthen regular classes, or they can add specific programs such as academic or enrichment activities, electives, tutoring, and career experiences. Extended-Year Programs: add days to the regular school year, offering an extension of the same curriculum. After-School Programs: Separate from the regular school day. Some programs are run by the school district, others are run by non-profit. Summer School programs: Stand-alone programs with specialized curricula, which often are aligned with the regular school curricula.

EXTENDED LEARNING PROGRAMS Use extended time to implement proven practices: Learn from the community: Not all "best-practice" programs are practiced best, especially in communities of color and/or low-income communities due to cultural expectations, basic needs and language barriers. Legislators will evaluate programs regularly to measure effectiveness and to aid in quality improvement:

WRAP AROUND SERVICES Authorize a consolidated program that encourages the coordination of services. Provide schools with flexible funds for wraparound services. Provide support to implement Positive Behavior Support Systems (PBIS) Continue to allow school improvement funds and 21st Century Community Learning Centers program funds to support a community schools strategy.

TRANSITIONAL BILINGUAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM (TBIP) Increasing hours of instruction for level I-III ELLs from 3.2 hours to 8 hours of instruction. The total cost for this would increase from $83 million to $139 million, based on a recommended increase in the total allocation per student from $898 to $1,689 Add 2 additional years of instruction for exited ELLs at 3 hours of instruction. This will “facilitate successful transition to [a] standard program of education” Add 5 in-service days for ALL staff to have professional development around ELL instruction

Questions ?

Thank You For more Information: Sharonne Navas Director Equity in Education Coalition Cell: