Equity work update~ June 15

LCSD has been proactively working towards addressing the objectives that were developed after the student walk-out in March.  We want to provide our community with an update that includes future plans for this work and to let you know that this week we have been diligently working on addressing Objective 2 immediately, as it is the most time sensitive prior to school ending for this year. We know yesterday’s work  may have felt  rushed with the end of school approaching and having only secured the outside agency to complete this work within the past week. The work yesterday was very specific to the retelling of past events. There will be opportunity for input from all families in the Fall related to equity in our schools.

Objective 1: Audit our current Lake County High School policies, practices and systems for identification of areas we are doing well and considerations for change including the identification of any injustices that might exist. 

Objective 2: Investigate specific past events that have been identified as racial injustices as well as those surrounding the protest and produce findings and recommendations as well as supporting with next steps such as training or other identified actionable steps.

Objective 3: Lead meaningful work in revamping our current expectations, discipline structure and system including (but not necessarily limited to) code of conduct, dress code and consequence system and how we will make sure the code of conduct is followed.

Objective 4: Provide clear, transparent and unbiased communications of progress in this work.

After many interviews and discussions with respected equity leaders around the country, we were initially unable to find a company willing to take on all four objectives with a cost our district could afford. On June 9th, we met with The Equity Project, based out of Colorado Springs, and were encouraged by their ability to address all four objectives, and willingness to jump right into the work in a timely manner. Due to the end of school approaching within days, we have quickly moved forward with this scope of work to be able to complete all student and staff interviews and observations related to the investigation before school ends. This initial site visit is only a start to the process and allowed us to invite the consultant onsite to meet with students and staff before we dismiss for the summer. After the initial objectives had been set, The Equity Project offered to meet with any parent/guardians to hear concerns related to the investigation. This is very specific to retelling the story of the walkout and our objective 2. If you did not have the opportunity to provide your story of the walkout incident and would like to do so, please email your letter to equitywork@lakecountyschools.net and we will pass these along to The Equity Project. 

Next steps for our equity work, which will be assisted by The Equity Project and kick off next school year will include:

• Communicating out findings of the investigation of past events (objective 2).
• Establishing an Equity Stakeholder Team to provide stakeholder input to this process. This team will be heavily involved with objectives 1 & 3.
• Creating action steps and plans for each of the objectives in partnership with The Equity Project.
• Equity Stakeholder Team to gather feedback and input from all families related to their experiences and thoughts around equity in our schools to help meet objectives 1 & 3.
• Creating action steps for findings such as professional development plan for staff to address any identified gaps in partnership with Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC).

If you have an interest in serving on the Equity Stakeholder Team, please send a letter of interest to equitywork@lakecountyschools.net. We will be accepting letters of interest through July. Decisions about the Equity Leadership Team membership will be a part of the first Board Meeting of August.  Membership desired will include:

• Parents
• Students
• Staff
• Community at Large
• School Board Representative

Group	Leading work:
The Equity Project	Formed to support low income, under-performing public or charter schools to increase student achievement. We rely heavily on the work of Hattie, Marzano, Chapman, King and others who have led the way in researching and teaching how to purposefully change the way we teach so that all students are successful. All of our services are free to schools.  We offer professional development on a multitude of best practices to include, but not limited to: deconstructing standards, writing/defining learning targets/objectives, purposefully using data to make a change in student outcomes, data digs using state and/or district data, AVID strategies – managing student behavior, lesson design, grouping, academic feedback, PBIS system implementation and vocabulary instruction. We will also offer follow-up visits for any teacher who may need additional support. We offer instructional coaching, based on research proven best practices. We also align our coaching to the state Teacher Effectiveness rubric.	Objective 1Objective 2Objective 4
Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) at Metropolitan State University of Denver.	We assist states, school districts, public schools (including charter and magnet schools), and Tribal Education Departments to plan and implement practices and policies that promote equity and high quality education for all students.  We are one of four regional Equity Assistance Centers funded by the United States Department of Education under the Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. All centers provide training and technical assistance on educational issues related to race, sex, national origin, and religion. In addition, WEEAC has an emphasis on the prevention of bullying and harassment in schools.At the request of education agencies, we partner with them to find solutions to a variety of equity problems. Our work is directed to closing achievement gaps, promoting safe schools, and helping all students reach high standards. Our services are without charge or very low cost to requesting education agencies within Region IV.	Objective 3

Sincerely,

Lake County School District