ACSA is urging school leaders to share best practices for closing the achievement gap.
The Equity, Achievement and Diversity for Success Committee is addressing the need to provide a clearinghouse on schools that are succeeding around the state.
The information will build the ACSA network by providing information with a specific focus on closing the achievement gap. It aims to connect members who are successful and enable them to share their success with colleagues.
If you have successful practices to share, please contact Margarita Magliocco, staff executive to the EADS Committee, via e-mail at mmagliocco@acsa.org, or call (800) 608-ACSA.
The EADS Committee authored the Equity and Achievement Position Paper and will use the document as a rubric for success. Specific areas of concern include:
• Content standards and standards-aligned tests must be embraced as the centerpiece of equity-driven curriculum and instruction.
• Student progress in meeting standards should be determined through multiple measures that are valid, reliable and fair.
• Diversity, including diversity of ideas, is an asset to our efforts to provide equitable and quality education for all students.
• Professional development must be a budget priority at state, district and school levels.
• Schools and districts must recruit and hire staff that reflect the community as well as develop capacity of staff to meet the needs of students in the community.
• Districts and schools should reach out to their surrounding communities to learn about their customers and enhance the community relationship.
• The priorities at each level of the educational support system – legislative policy makers, California Department of Education, regional support centers, county offices of education, district offices, school sites, and agency and community partners – must focus on learning and achievement of students most in need.
• State and district resources should be equitably allocated to schools whose students need the most and not equally apportioned to all schools, leaving schools and students who need the most with fewer or diminished resources.
• While the present school system has successfully served millions of students, it has also failed millions, especially poor children and children of color. Educational leaders must be equipped to create school environments that work for all students.
Download the complete position paper.