Achieving Equitable Education in Michigan: Addressing Opportunity Gaps for Learners

1. Michigan State Board of education May 2019 Equitable education Advisory Team “Providing an equitable education to all children in Michigan is a long-standing, very complex challenge that needs to be addressed so we can achieve Michigan’s mission to Support Learners and Learning as well as become a Top 10 educational state in 10 years. Providing an equitable education requires us to take action. It requires us to take bold, courageous steps toward addressing the systemic inequities that perpetuate low performance and negatively impact to many of our learners.” -Sheila Alles, Interim State Superintendent

2. Equitable Education There is a preponderance of evidence that systemic inequities have created opportunity gaps (opportunity gap refers to inputs—the unequal or inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities) that are deeply impacting outcomes for Michigan’s learners. Whether based on race, disability, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc., Michigan must address these opportunity gaps that are marginalizing a significant population of our learners, impacting not only our ability to become a Top 10 education state in 10 years but our society as a whole. Equitable education requires persistent effort, recognition of bias, collaboration, investment of resources, and courage. Why?

3. Equitable Education Where have we been? While past and current efforts have yielded some positive results, I believe, and I think you will agree with me, that we need a more comprehensive, systemic approach. This work will be challenging, sensitive, and will require a thoughtful, inclusive approach. The Deputies and myself, are committed to sustaining the effort necessary to address equitable education across Michigan, and we need your support. -Sheila Alles, Interim State Superintendent MDE African American Young Men of Promise Initiative/The African American Student Initiative 2013 - 2017 Closing the Achievement Gap

4. Equitable Education Phased Approach Where are we now?

5. Equitable education While recognizing racial disparities in the success of students is important, without understanding the critical role of structural racism in the outcomes being analyzed, as Ladson-Billings (2006) points out, “this all-out focus on the ‘Achievement Gap’ moves us toward short-term solutions that are unlikely to address the long-term underlying problem” (p. 4). additive frames of diversity that maintain Whiteness as central often serve as substitutes for concrete discussions of race or racism, thus maintaining or exacerbating racial inequity in schools. Equity-focused education Improvement efforts must focus on increasing opportunities not on closing achievement gaps

6. Equitable education Timeline

7. Equitable education Who? The Advisory Team is comprised of diverse perspectives including but not limited to: • Several MDE Offices representing educator preparation, special education, early childhood, assessment, human resources, etc. • Michigan State & Regional Teachers of the Year • Districts • National Technical Assistance Centers • Organizations & Foundations • Higher Education

8. Equitable Education The work of the Advisory Team is to make recommendations, with potential implications, to executive leadership at MDE and inform potential actions should those recommendations be adopted by the MDE. Role of the advisory team

9. The Process

10. In response to the question, “What are indicators/features of an ideal system to support equitable education, leading to improved educational outcomes for all learners in Michigan?” Members of the advisory team generated 117 ideas. These were then prioritized with additional input from internal & external stakeholders then categorized into 5 clusters as indicated in the graphic. Indicator Clusters

11. Investigate Systemic Inequities via Contextual Conversations & Critical Analysis including historical patterns, institutional values, policies, data, research, etc. The Process

12. EQUITABLE EDUCATION When educational policies, practices, interactions, & resources are representative of, constructed by, and responsive to all people so that each individual has access to, meaningfully participates in, and has positive outcomes from high-quality learning experiences, regardless of individual characteristics and group memberships. (Fraser, 2008; Great Lakes Equity Center, 2012) WORKING DEFINITION

13. Equitable education Refining indicator statements Generating specific recommendations to MDE Executive Leadership Identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of the recommendation Data supporting the recommendations Projecting what success looks like Process for generating recommendations

14. Equitable education Connections EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP LEADERSHIP TEAM DATA TEAM

15. Equitable Education The Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center conducted a review of the Practice Profile for MTSS to ensure alignment with equitable practices Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) The Practice Profile guides MTSS across the MDE as well as supports implementation of MTSS at the ISD & Local District level

16. Equitable Education TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE TOWARDS EQUITY is persistent systemic change that disrupts and dismantles historical legacies of normative assumptions, beliefs, and practices about individual characteristics and cultural identities that marginalize and disenfranchise people and groups of people. (Great Lakes Equity Center, 2011) Where are we headed?

17. Equitable education Timeline

18. Equitable education Equity-focused education improvement efforts critically examine how beliefs, discourse, policies, and practices create conditions in which students learn and contribute to student outcomes;’ improvements innovations focus on reducing systemic barriers and improving equitable access to quality learning for every student, by surfacing and redressing marginalizing policies and practices. (Kozleski & Artiles, 2012) Action Phase – pending adoption by MDE Executive leadership

19. Equitable Education Questions? Thank you.