Equitable Practices

It's been a busy year since the adoption of the 2nd Equity Action Plan in Springfield Township. From data analyzation to curriculum work, our school teams have been hard at work to ensure that all students have access to opportunities for success.

Our work continues with the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC). In the upcoming months, be on the lookout for opportunities to share feedback at one of their listening sessions. These sessions will help inform the district's work for years to come and we want to hear from you.

Also, in the next month we will provide the Board of School Directors with an update on the Equity Action Plan. We hope you will join us in-person or online to learn about our work.

Recognizing the diversity of our community, The School District of Springfield Township is committed to and accountable for advancing equity and excellence for all of our students. We, in the School District of Springfield Township, endeavor to provide equitable opportunities for high level, meaningful, and engaging learning experiences for each and every student, regardless of racial/ethnic background, economic condition or other dimension of identity or difference.

We recognize that in order to achieve Educational Equity we must apply principles of fairness and justice in the allocation of resources and work toward the elimination of institutional barriers to access and opportunity. We aim to ensure that funding, policies, practices, and initiatives will enable every student to receive what they need to maximize their success. In order to foster growth toward equity, we must engage in continuous reflection and ongoing measurement of our efforts.

School Climate and Culture

Expand access and engagement of students in educational and extracurricular programs with the goal of improving belonging data for all subgroups of students, with emphasis on those who have reported the lowest belonging results across surveys over the last four years.

Areas of Specific Focus

• Analyze patterns and trends in course enrollment and extracurricular participation to determine and mitigate any barriers that exist in students accessing high level and engaging learning opportunities.

• Identify trends in district and school-based belonging surveys and student groups over the past four years to implement strategies for growth in meeting the needs of all students and families to feel welcome, safe and supported at school.

• Design K12 opportunities for field trips, in order to ensure that all students are exposed to and educated about the richness of our local, regional, and national history and the contributions of many cultures and communities to our nation.

Recommended Practices for Reinforcement

• Maintain regular meetings with groups of students and families, who provide feedback and input into our practices, policies and programs.

• Continue the administration of student belonging surveys annually and ensure that they coincide with annual family surveys.

• Disaggregate data at the district and building level to make informed instructional and programmatic decisions.

Professional Development

Faculty will utilize research-based strategies that have the greatest impact on student achievement and belonging, as defined by PDE’s Common Ground Framework.

Areas of Specific Focus

• Train all staff on PDE’s Common Ground Framework in order to provide all learners with equitable and differentiated opportunities to learn and succeed.

• Collaborate with families and communities through authentic engagement practices.

• Promote trauma-informed classroom practices in order to develop and strengthen student resiliency.

Recommended Practices for Reinforcement

• Disaggregate data at the district and building level to make informed instructional and programmatic decisions.

• Continue the district’s commitment to recruiting and retaining a highly qualified workforce that possess the necessary skills to meet the needs of a diverse community of learners.

Student Achievement

Utilizing intervention periods across our schools, raise the achievement level of students on standardized assessments using strategies promoted through PDE’s Common Ground Framework.

Areas of Specific Focus

• Raise the achievement level of students with socio-economic needs on standardized assessments by improving daily attendance rates for this subgroup.

• Strengthen multi-tiered processes and systems of support (MTSS).

• Reinforce high expectations for each learner and treat them as capable and deserving of achieving success.

Recommended Practices for Reinforcement

• Embed equitable practices into building-based professional development and induction sessions.

• Continue the district’s commitment to recruiting and retaining a highly qualified workforce that possess the necessary skills to meet the needs of a diverse community of learners.

• Reaffirm the district’s Equity Vision Statement.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

Strengthen and promote pathways to post-secondary programs for all students that uplift and affirm the array of opportunities available from elementary through high school using PDE’s Career Readiness Standards and SDST’s Profile of a Graduate.

Areas of Specific Focus

• Promote the visibility and engagement of students with disabilities in the school community.

• Strengthen and expand exposure to career pathways through programs and experiences that provide opportunities for all students to explore their assets.

• Ensure that PDE’s Career Readiness Standards are aligned to the development of skills articulated in our district Profile of a Graduate.

Recommended Practices for Reinforcement

• Integrate the Career Readiness Benchmark and Profile of a Graduate skills at the district and building level to make informed instructional and programmatic decisions that support these goals.

• Utilize multiple forms of communication for clubs, activities, and athletics to promote broad student awareness and participation.

• Continue the district’s commitment to recruiting and retaining a highly qualified workforce that possess the necessary skills to meet the needs of a diverse community of learners.

The following information is shared with families to help strengthen equity conversations in the home. Please note that these resources are not shared in the schools. However, we encourage families to use these resources to engage your children in conversations around equity in the home.

The knowledge and skills of equity literacy cultivate in individuals and institutions four equity abilities:

​

1. the ability to recognize even the subtlest biases and inequities,

2. the ability to respond skillfully and equitably to biases and inequities in the immediate term,

3. the ability to redress biases and inequities by understanding and addressing them at their institutional roots,

4. the ability to actively cultivate equity by applying an equity commitment to every decision, and

5. the ability to sustain equity efforts even in the face of discomfort or resistance.

​

Equity Literacy Institute workshops, equity coaching, and other services are designed around cultivating these abilities and preparing educators and other professional to cultivate them in one another.

​

For a more detailed description of the five abilities of equity literacy, read our free printable handout "Equity Literacy Definition and Abilities" or our article "Moving from Equity Awareness to Action."

Source: PDE Equity Literacy