joetta gonzales, director the equity alliance at asu february 15, 2011
TRANSCRIPT
Equity in Schools:Moving Toward Deep Levels of
Change
JoEtta Gonzales, DirectorThe Equity Alliance at ASU
February 15, 2011
Why Shift Toward Culturally Responsive
Policy & Practice?
Explanations for Achievement Disparities
Linguistic Difference
s
Cultural Differenc
es
Societal Racism
Inferior Education
Rationales for
Schooling
Au, 1998
From a Deficit Based Model to an Assets Based Model
Early interventio
n in the primary
language can
prevent disabilities
Primary language and culture are strengths to
be build upon
Students not succeeding in school need high quality instruction
Students who are
differently labeled and/or
culturally and
linguistically different should be educated
in an inclusive
environment.
All Children
Can Learn
Socio-Historical Context
Culture is not inherited; rather we
are socialized to behave according
to traditions established over
generations
The cultures of schools may or may not be in harmony
with the culture each student brings
to school
Schools greatly influence how
young people see themselves and
therefore need to understand and
validate their backgrounds
How do the Professional Learning opportunities that your district supports attend to culturally responsive pedagogy?
Equity Pedagogy
School Culture
Knowledge Construction
Prejudice Reduction
Content Integration
ARIZONA
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 20060
0.5
1
1.5
ELL Placement Risk in Special Education
(Artiles, et al., 2010)
Rela
tive R
isk
Rati
o
ARIZONA
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
Learning Disabilities Mild Mental Retardation
ELL Placement Risk by Disability(Artiles, et al., 2010)
ARIZONA
19992000
20012002
20032004
2005
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Learning Disabilities Mild Mental Retardation
Percent of Districts with ELL Overrepresentation by Disability
(Artiles, et al., 2010)
Evidence: ELLs in Special Education
The magnitude of the problem changes depending on the level of analysis.
Increasing numbers of ELLs are being placed in special education (e.g., LD in Arizona, MR in California).
A considerable proportion of school districts have ELL overrepresentation.
School poverty level matters, since it had complex associations with ELL placement risk.
What do we know about change?
The Equity Alliance at ASU’s Framework for Approaching and Assessing Systemic Change
Equitable Resource Development & Distribution
The ways new teachers get assigned to schools, grade levels and/or content areas
How buildings and grounds are renewed across the district
How class sizes are distributed
The ways in which schools get equipped with furniture and technology?
Educational Equity: District Level
Local school councilsTeam and committee structuresBuilding Leadership TeamsDecision makingShared VisionContinuous Improvement
Cycles
Shared Governance and Leadership for Equity
Educational Equity: District Level
Culture of Renewal & Improvement
How reform initiatives are selectedYour district’s process for choosing professional learning topics and activitiesThe opportunities your district provides for mentoring or coaching How often and how the district develops and reviews an improvement plan
Educational Equity: District Level
District/Community Participation and
PartnershipsThe ways your district connects with families in your community
What community centers and houses of worship your district collaborates with around after-school programs
How the district ensures that family/community events are distributed by day of week and time of day
Educational Equity: District Level
Design and Use of Time and Space
How schools’ appearances differHow school schedules and calendars maximize learning timeWhere students’ classrooms are locatedThe structures supported for Professional Learning
Educational Equity: District Level
The forms of inquiry used to think about student dataOther forms of data that drive dialogue and decision makingHow educators are engaged in researching their own and others’ practiceThe cycles for continuous improvement
Inquiry for Equity in Education
Educational Equity: District Level
Tools for Learning
Resources to Guide Professional Learning
Opportunities to Network ~ Learn ~ Collaborate
Culturally Responsive Leadership Certification Training
Ready to Use and Customize -Professional Learning Modules
Equity exists, in part, to the degree that all
students feel they belong, are included, and are
empowered.