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To serve all students: the case for race equity professional development for public school district central office staff. EMPA Capstone presentation by Kristen Miles. “All I care about is the color of money.” Three categories of literature:
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To serve all students: the case for race equity professional development for public school district central office staff EMPA Capstone presentation by Kristen Miles
“All I care about is the color of money.” • Three categories of literature: • Race equity professional development in public school districts and its impact on student achievement. • Race equity professional development in public organizations and its impact on organizational performance and development • The moral and ethical obligations of the public school system with respect to race equity • Because of the documented evidence that public education is inequitable for students of color, and because whole organizational change requires whole organizational participation, there is a need for race equity PD for central office staff. • More research is necessary. Background/literature review
Twofold purpose of study: • To develop a rationale for race equity PD for central office staff in public school districts • To identify the essential components of such a program • Hypothesis: Public school district organizational performance with respect to mission-driven work will be improved when race equity professional development is expected of all district employees, including central office staff. Purpose of the study/hypothesis
How does the implementation of a race equity PD program impact the performance of public school districts? • Does the presence of a race equity PD program impact student academic performance data when it is provided to teaching staff AND central office employees? • Does the presence of a race equity PD program impact student academic performance when it is provided to teaching staff but NOT to central office employees? • What are the ethical and moral obligations of a public school district with respect to race equity? • What components should be included in a race equity PD program designed for public school district central staff? Research questions
Local district demographic and performance data; survey responses • Racial demographics • Racial student achievement gap data • Survey responses • Calculated level of “equity integration” • Nationally-recognized districts (as ranked by Forbes and the Broad Foundation) • Racial demographics and special populations (TAG, ESL, SpEd) • Racial student achievement gap data • Level of “equity integration” as evidenced by board-adopted policies and race equity PD programs. • Race equity PD providers and their programs Methodology
Mixed data • In local districts, where equity integration increased, the Math achievement gap decreased; the Reading gap increased • Broad districts + local districts: • The correlation is strongest between teacher PD and a decrease in the Reading gap. • The next strongest correlations were between providing PD to teachers and central office staff, and narrowing the gap in Reading and Math. • All other correlations were weak. • Race equity PD programs: • Only three had a focus specific to race. • All were weak with respect to involvement of the central office. • None discussed outcomes. Research outcomes
Suggested components of a race equity PD program for central office staff: • Needs assessment • Adopt and adapt • Examine the impact • Organizational development and performance measurements • Transformation and sustainability Research Outcomes, cont.
Anecdotal evidence points to a relationship between the provision of race equity PD and a decrease in the racial achievement gap, but the relationship cannot be statistically validated. • There is a moral and ethical obligation to undertake equity-based PD, which stands separately from the issue of PD impact on student performance. • This study challenges K-12 race equity PD providers to meaningfully include central office employees in developing their programs. • There should be future studies dedicated to determining the strength of the link between race equity PD and student achievement. • This project further solidified my passion for race equity, my interest in organizational change, and my resolve to continue with education policyin my career. Significance and implications
I extend my deep gratitude for their support and encouragement to the following: • Dr. Douglas Morgan • All EMPA professors • The 2011 EMPA cohort • My little family • My bigger family, and many friends Acknowledgements