The Common Core Standards: A Civil Rights Perspective Bradley Scott, Ph.D. Director IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity San Antonio, Texas

Sixth Generation of Civil Rights and Educational Equity 2012-Future Systemic Equity Transformed ways systems and individuals habitually operate to ensure that every student has the greatest opportunity to learn supported by the appropriate resources.

Quality Schools Action Framework “A Quality Schools Action Framework – Framing Systems Change for Student Success,” IDRA Newsletter, Nov-Dec ©2005, Intercultural Development Research Association Parent Involvement/ Community Engagemen t Teaching Quality Student Engagemen t Curriculum Quality and Access Actionable Knowledge Community Capacity Building Coalition Building School Capacity Building Governance Efficacy Strategic Administrative Leadership Fair Funding School Holding Power Graduation and College going Student Success College Graduation Life success Global competence Levers of Change Change Strategies School System Fundamentals School System Indicators Outcome Indicators What do we need? How do we make change happen? Which fundamentals must be secured? Where do we focus systems change? What outcomes will result? Engaged Citizens Accountable Leadership Enlightened Public Policy Equity Lens and Goals of Educational Equity

Equity Lens and Goals of Educational Equity

The Equity Context and Lens The Lens The optic through which all of the business of the organization is filtered.

Focusing the Equity Lens How does this (activity) impact all learners? What might create a negative or adverse impact on any identifiable population? How do we address any adverse impact?

How might that adverse impact be avoided? What precautions should we take as we move forward? and, How do we monitor our work and comparable outcomes for all students?

This lens: Protects the civil rights of every learner; Guarantees equitable educational opportunity for all; Provides appropriate supports for school success.

The Equity Context and Lens The Equity Context The systems and structures that are put in place ensure that no learner is denied the fair and equitable benefit afforded to all other students regardless of race, gender, national origin, economic level, and disability.

The Sixth Generation of Civil Rights and Educational Equity Equity Concerns: Strategic and focused implementation of the Goals Goal 1:Comparably High Achievement and Other Student Outcomes Goal 2:Equitable Access and Inclusion Goal 3:Equitable Treatment Goal 4:Equitable Opportunity to Learn Goal 5:Equitable Resource Distribution Goal 6:Equitable Shared Accountability

Pre-k through 20 education and school completion Resolution of persistent “gap” issues Institutionalizing innovations Eradicating barriers that block high achievement

Transformed curriculum that is relevant, meaningful, powerful, and dynamic Mastery of English language literacy Mastery of core content at a global competence level

Technology equity for management, instruction, creation and development Heightened stakeholder collaboration Parental involvement and engagement Safe, secure, non-hostile learning environments

Reformed, expanded, and targeted professional development, staff renewal and staff support systems Confronting new discrimination Confronting “isms” in school Embracing the civil rights concerns Creating cultures of positive change Building 21st century efficacy

Creating good community and school health Creating a cradle to college and career pipeline Eradicating the cradle to prison pipeline...

The Common Core Standards The Common Core Standards lay a foundation for system-wide education reform The standards reflect knowledge most critical for college and career success The standards bring consistency across states The standards are more rigorous than most state standards. The standards increase the coherence and rigor of what is expected of American students.

BUT... There Are Some Concerns By their own admission, the standards: 1. Do not address interventions for students well below grade level; 2. Do not delineate the full range of support for English language learners; 3. Do not describe how teachers should teach (CCSSO and NGA)

There are Other Civil Rights Concerns The equity lens needs cleaning How does this (activity) impact all learners? What might create a negative or adverse impact on any identifiable population? How do we address any adverse impact? How might that adverse impact be avoided? What precautions should we take as we move forward? and, How do we monitor our work and comparable outcomes for all students?

The equity context is perforated The systems and structures that are put in place ensure that no learner is denied the fair and equitable benefit afforded to all other students regardless of race, gender, national origin, economic level, and handicap. Race to the Top Other competitive grants

The performance field is uneven Where do ELLs start? Where do the Low performers start? What do these standards look like in rural and remote areas? What do these standards really look like in inner city (distressed urban) versus suburban areas? What do they look like in tribal settings on and off reservations? What do these standards look like in alternative school settings?

The goals of equity are fractured Goal 1:Comparably High Achievement and Other Student Outcomes Goal 2:Equitable Access and Inclusion Goal 3:Equitable Treatment Goal 4:Equitable Opportunity to Learn Goal 5:Equitable Resource Distribution Goal 6:Equitable Shared Accountability

Teaching quality may fail some students Knowledge and skills in first and second language acquisition Skills for teaching the challenged learner Pedagogy that supports success in low performing learners The use of culturally competent pedagogy PD for the “challenged pedagogue” Mis-alignment of practice, and Skewed expectations

Quality leadership may fail to manifest itself Teacher evaluation systems The principal as Learning Leader Assurance of protection of civil rightsunder the law for non-discrimination Guarantees of equal protection under the law and equal treatment The right to learn The appropriate distribution of resources to support excellence for all (not just some) Accountability – Who’s responsible, who’s to blame?

In Truth... Transforming systems requires: Moving from a different place to a different place with the right intentionality Dislodging our habits Seeing with a different lens Acting in a different way Being a professional who asserts “the right”

Creating schools that work for all children Intercultural Development Research Association 5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101 San Antonio, Texas