This year, ACSA is offering a one-day Equity and Achievement Institute, in conjunction with ACSA’s Leadership Summit. The Summit takes place Nov. 5-7 in Sacramento and the Institute will take place on Nov. 7.
The keynote speaker for the institute will be Edwin Lou Javius, founder, president and CEO of EdEquity Inc. He will be speaking on using a systemic approach to implement the key principles of equity.
Javius said providing all students with access to quality programs and excellent teaching is one of the most important aspects of schooling in America. His “Getting an ‘A’ in Equity” is a conceptual framework for implementing systemic equity within districts and schools. It provides a different approach to examining educational equity by pushing the top to accelerate the bottom through rigor and the critical examination of instructional practice.
“I have worked with many districts and schools across the nation and it has become very clear that educational equity has many faces in our schools,” Javius said. “Unfortunately, the oldest face is the understanding that the racial achievement gap continues to persist and the system of schooling has not dealt with the insidiousness of the racism of low expectations for targeted student groups. We need to challenge ourselves as leaders and must possess the belief that access to quality instruction for all students will be achieved when the results of deliberate actions to close the racial achievement gap become the driving force of the organization.”
The five key principles for Getting an “A” in Equity are awareness, attitude, analysis, action and accountability. These five principles serve as a professional development framework that provides the duality of mind-set and instructional practice.
Javius noted that when equity is effectively implemented in professional development, teachers and administrators will be provided with a clear road map of how their belief system impacts instruction.
He said many districts have begun to witness transformations of conversations, belief systems, instructional practice and results by way of establishing clear frameworks of their equity initiatives. The work in these districts has moved them beyond the belief that equity is a section of their action plan to embedding educational equity in the infrastructure and foundation to unleash the true potential of the adults in the system.
“To lead equity, the system must have a superintendent who is willing to bring the board to a clear understanding of what equity is and what equity is not,” Javius said. “Equity is not just about black and brown students. It is about all students. The appropriate equity mind-set ensures high expectations and rigor for the top-performing students and those for whom the gap must be closed.”
In a unique offering, Equity and Achievement Institute participants will attend the third general session of ACSA’s Leadership Summit held the same day and location. This session will feature Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, the longtime ACSA leader named U.S. assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education.
After the Leadership Summit general session, Equity Institute participants will take part in a luncheon featuring diverse student presentations. There will be a number of post-luncheon seminars, followed by a social/networking event.
Other topic areas addressed at the institute include:
• Academic Language Development at the Elementary Level: Traditional, Dual Immersion.
• Academic Language Development in Content Areas for Grades 7-12.
• Education is a Civil Right, based on the commissioned paper by the National Association for Black School Educators.
• Building Inclusive Communities.
• Building Academic Success through the Arts.
For more information on the Equity and Achievement Institute contact Margarita Magliocco in ACSA’s Member Services Department at mmagliocco@acsa.org or (800) 608-ACSA.