Reducing Racial Disparities Across Child Serving Systems

Reducing Racial DisparitiesAcross Child Serving Systems Brad Richardson, Ph.D. Univ. of IA School of Social Work National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice DMC Resource Center brad-richardson@uiowa.edu www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp South Zone Principals 1

The National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice • Established in 1977 as a national consulting division of the University of Iowa School of Social Work • NRC specializes in research-supported, strength-based culturally competent family centered practice; “Doctor Outcomes” • Beginning 2009 1 of 10 Federal Children’s Bureau NRCs – NRC on In Home Svc

Information/Education Research & Evaluation Training/Tech. Asst Cultural Competence

Research & EvaluationDivision National Resource Center for In-Home Services DMC Resource Center & Minority Youth & Families Initiative

Des Moines Register Wednesday, July 19, 2007 MAKE PRISON RATES OF BLACKS A TOP PRIORITY Ten years ago Iowa had the second-highest African American to White in-prison ratio.

Des Moines Register Wednesday, July 18, 2007 IOWA'S BLACK-WHITE PRISONER RATIO HIGHEST NATION A national study released today ranks Iowa No. 1 in the nation in the ratio of blacks to whites in prison

From: BlackNews.com pr@blacknews.comSource: Capital City Courier September 2007 ARE THE SCALES OF JUSTICE TIPPED AGAINST BLACKS?by Kim E. Gordon

Incarceration per 100,000 Population STATE BLACK –TO-WHITE RATIO Highest Iowa 13.6 Vermont 12.5 New Jersey 12.4 Connecticut 12.0 Wisconsin 10.6

State of Iowa RRI 2003-2008

Extreme Disproportion (Robert Hill; Overrepresentation of Children of Color in Foster Care in 2000) 13) Iowa 3.76 6) Oregon 4 .38 5) Wyoming 4.53 4) Minnesota 4.77 3) Idaho 4.84 2) New Hampshire 4.93 1) Wisconsin 5.48 Polk County 5.50

United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) • Report to the Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Reps.: AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE The HHS National Incidence Study has shown since the early 1980s that children of all races and ethnicities are equally likely to be abused or neglected; however, African American children, and to some extent other minority children, have been significantly more likely to be represented in foster care

School discipline tougher on African Americans CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM SEPTEMBER 25, 2007

Disciplinary Action by Race (2004-2005 School Year)

Disproportionality in School Discipline: Possible Explanations • Black kids act worse? • Poverty?

What About More Frequent “Misbehavior” by Black Students? • White students referred more for: • Smoking • Vandalism • Leaving w/o permission • Obscene Language • Black students referred more for: • Disrespect • Excessive Noise • Threat • Loitering Of 32 infractions, only 8 significant differences:

Is Disproportionality in Special Ed Due to Poverty? • Poverty as inconsistent predictor • Not significant • More disproportionality as poverty decreased • Race is a significant predictor of special education independent of poverty level • Poverty magnifies the gap created by race

Background of PBS in DMPS • Six years ago, buildings were asking for help with behavior • Began PBS in 1 MS and 1 Elementary • Training was provided for individual and building-wide PBS • PBS is now implemented in 8 MS and 22 Elementaries

Des Moines Public Schools • Over-representation in DMPS suspensions • Over-representation in juvenile justice system • Over –representation in child welfare system • Polk County Diversion Project • Minority Youth and Families Initiative

Facilitator Training • Pat Parker, NRC Staff • DMPS Social Workers and Psychologists • Part One: Knowing your Stakeholders • Part Two: Relationship Building • Part Three: Conducting Focus Groups • Part Four: Making it Happen, Next Steps

Participants • Minority Students with 1 < Suspensions • Middle and High School Students • Parent or Guardian Permission Obtained • Parents of Students with 1< Suspensions • Representative Population

Instrument • Semi Structured Guide • Questions and Probes • Tool refined in collaboration with DMPS staff and University of Iowa NRC • Consistent Across all Focus Groups

Questions • Let’s start with hearing, from your point of view, what kinds of things school usually suspend students for? • Describe what you think is the main reason that schools use suspension • Here’s some information that the school district and community are particularly concerned about… • When a students is suspended, what do they do-what does a day outside of school look like? • Tell me what it’s like when someone comes back to school after being suspended? • What is one suggestion you want to make to the school leadership for what they can do to make schools where African American and Latino students can succeed? • Is there anything else?

Focus Groups Facilitation • Co-Facilitators • One Facilitator/One Recorder • Groups Ranged from 1-3 hours

Focus Group Barriers • Trust • Frustration • Child Care • Schedules • Unable to Provide Compensation

Focus Groups • Student Focus Groups-5 high schools, 5 middle schools and 1 alternative building • 81 Students Participated • Parent Focus Groups-Held in high schools, middle schools and community locations • 16 Parents Participated

Focus Group Data and Report • Facilitators and Trainers • 2 Groups • One to process student groups • One to process parent groups • Findings and Recommendations to Generate Report: Reducing Disproportionality in Suspensions at Des Moines Public Schools: Findings and Recommendations from Focus Groups with Students and Parents (www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp)

Focus Group Recommendations • It is incumbent upon the District to respond quickly to the request by participants for follow-up and feedback. • Suspension should be viewed as a process rather than as an action or event. • Teachers should go through a similar process. • District Administration and the School Board should participate the process.

Focus Group Recommendations 5. Plans for cultural competence training throughout the district should be made. 6. To ensure reduction in suspensions and disproportionality, separate goals for reducing the number of suspension and for reducing disparate rates should be set.

Already in place to address disproportionality of suspensions? • PBS support • UISocWork-DMC Resource Center/NRC • Karega Rausch: • How to infuse issues of inequity into the fabric of PBS • How to develop data systems to know if we are making progress • Measurable outcomes • How to create a culturally competent PBS system

Targeted Measurable Outcomes • Reduce suspensions and expulsions • Reduce disproportionality in suspensions and expulsions • Reduce office referrals • Reduce disproportionality in office referrals

Research & Eval. On Iowa Programs/Promising/Evidence Based • Johnson County Early Learning Initiative • Benton County Quality Improvement for Early Care, Health and Education Programs: Benton County Kindergarten Readiness • Clinton Community School District (CCSD) Elementary School Counselor Program

Cultural Competence Continuum*

Iowa 's Cross System Efforts to Reduce Disparities Brad Richardson, Ph.D. Univ. of IA School of Social Work National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice DMC Resource Center brad-richardson@uiowa.edu www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp 44

Study of Early Care & Educ. Programs • Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) behavior rating scale for 2-5 yr olds (Initiative, Self-control, Attachment, Behavioral concerns) • Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) measures early literacy development (Initial sound fluency, letter naming fluency) • Phonological Awareness Test (PAT) assesses Kindergarten phoneme-grapheme correspondence skills: (rhyming, deletion, blending scores)

Initial Sound Fluency .382 PAT Rhyming Score -286 Behavioral Concerns (spring) R²=.27 Figure 1. Model of Factors Affecting Scores on PAT Rhyming Scores -.130

Initial Sound Fluency (fall) .247 PAT Deletion Score .248 Letter Naming Fluency (fall) .554 R²=.43 Figure 2. Factors Affecting Scores on PAT Deletion Scores

.501 PAT Blending Phonemes -.215 R²=.34 Self-Control (spring) Figure 3. Model of Factors Affecting Scores on PAT Blending Phonemes Scores Letter Naming Fluency (spring) .089

How do we know it’s working in Child Welfare? • Data • ICWA Compliance Reviews • System Involvement • Out of Home vs. Family-Centered Placement • Placement for children in out of home care • Voluntary vs. Court-ordered involvement • Scorecard Update

Reducing Racial Disparities Across Child Serving Systems