3 Foci. 3 Locales. Equity for all.

Equity in Student Discipline

Black and Lantinx youth, specifically males, are disproportionately described as “aggressive” and their presumption of criminality results in them being hyper-surveilled in school. This leads to a punitive environment where they are not expected to be grow, develop and express their brilliance but rather, they are expected, even if subconsciously, to be guilty of misbehavior.

To directly institute change, schools must revise their disciplinary policies and encourage culturally relevant practices to address existing disparities. Schools should consider incorporating restorative justice practices for resolving perceived disciplinary matters and schools should restrict police involvement in general student discipline.

Equitable & Transparent School Funding

The primary origin of public school funding inequity derives from an over-reliance on property taxes as a predominant financial income for early childhood education.

State legislatures should implement a fair school funding system to create highly effective K-12 public schooling. Tenets of these fair funding formulas should, at a minimum, incorporate at least the following two basic components: (1) Sufficient funding levels for all students and (2) Increased funding to districts with high-poverty, increased racial diversity and higher populations with special needs students to address the additional costs required for their education.

Culturally Competent & Diverse Educators and Administrators

The need for high quality teachers and administrators that reflect the pantheon of diversity present among the student population is important, yet riddled with challenges. One of these challenges include salaries, which have been allowed to fall far below those of other professions requiring comparable education. As a result, teacher shortages are widespread and opportunities for administrative advancement is constricted. Beyond alternatives to one-size fits all standardized testing to evaluate teacher quality, school districts should consider teacher performance pay and housing incentives to boost recruitment, reduce attrition and establish growth models for certified roles and administrative advancement.