Keystone AEA, January 21, 2014

LegislationTitle IX Educational Amendments of

1972 (gender equity)Title VI – Civil Rights Act of 1964 (race

and national origin equity) Office for Civil Rights Vocational

Education Guidelines 1979 (equity in CTE programs)

Title II Americans with Disabilities Act Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (disability equity)

Purpose of the Equity Review1. Office for Civil Rights Compliance2. Recommendations3. Inclusive environments4. School Improvement

Civil Rights Monitoring ProcessOffice for Civil Rights of the U.S.

Department of Education requires state education agencies to develop “Methods of Administration” to reasonably assure that sub-recipients of federal financial assistance are in compliance with federal civil rights laws and to correct areas of non-compliance.

Methods of AdministrationMethods of administration are to include: State policy reviewsDesk audits of sub-recipient’s enrollment and

staffing data as well as other equity dataOn-site reviews of local education agencies to

assess their degree of complianceTechnical assistance on equity issuesBiennial program reports to the United

States Office for Civil Rights

Selection CriteriaCourse enrollment data in career and technical programs disaggregated by gender, disability and race

Changing demographicsComplaints or referralsTime elapsed since last equity review

Letter of Finding/Equity ReportStrength StatementsRecommendations for Improvement

Noncompliance issues – in a chart in the report

Voluntary Compliance PlanThe LEA will develop a voluntary

compliance plan (VCP) addressing any non-compliance issues and send the plan to the DE within 60 calendar days of the date of the Letter of Finding

The Equity Consultant will notify the LEA if revisions to the plan are needed and will approve the final plan

Monitoring and Follow UpDocumentation of evidence of remedies will be submitted to the equity consultant

A follow up visit to monitor completion of all items, including accessibility, will occur about a year after the visit

Designation of CoordinatorCoordinate

compliance efforts for federal civil rights laws

One or more persons can be assigned

Documentation and Record Keeping

Known to staff, students and parents

Carry out responsibilities under the law

Job description and annual objectives

District employee; OCR recommends someone other than superintendent

Role of Equity CoordinatorKnowledge of Federal and State Civil Rights

LawsBoard Policies and Administrative ProceduresDissemination of Information (Notification)Professional DevelopmentFacilitating the Grievance ProcessMonitoring and Analysis of Disaggregated

Data and Diversity on Advisory Committees

Knowledge of Federal and State Civil Rights LawsTitle IX Educational Amendments of 1972

(gender equity)"No person shall, on the basis of gender, be

excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

"No person in the United States shall, on the grounds or race, color or national origin be excluded from, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

Title VI – Civil Rights Act of 1964 (race and national origin equity)

Office for Civil Rights Vocational Education Guidelines 1979 (equity in CTE programs)

Eliminating Discrimination and Denial of Services on the Basis of Race, Color, National Origin, Gender and Disability in Vocational Education Programs

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (disability equity)

"No otherwise qualified persons with disabilities shall, solely by reason of their disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

Title II Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

This Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in all services, programs, and activities of the public and private sector regardless of funding source.

Board Policies and Administrative ProceduresTo ensure the agency has the required board

policies and grievance procedures in placeBoard-adopted policies on nondiscrimination

in programs and employmentCover all the protected classes, including

socioeconomic statusReviewed, revised or reaffirmed every five

years

Non-Discrimination PolicyProgram and EmploymentRace, Color, National Origin (Language)Gender & Marital StatusDisabilityReligion & CreedAge (Employment Only)Sexual Orientation & Gender IdentitySocioeconomic Status

Seven Categories for RaceHispanic/LatinoAmerican Indian or Alaska NativeAsianBlack or African-AmericanNative Hawaiian or Other Pacific IslanderWhiteTwo or More

Nondiscrimination ChartOn your own, look through the list of the

protected classes for bullying/harassment.Describe yourself for each characteristic.

For example: Marital status - married Sex - female

Who Am I?Reflective Questions:-According to these categories, how do I

relate to the students in my school or classroom in these categories? Similarities? Differences?

-How might this change my thinking about the diversity in our school?

-How can I ‘honor’ these similarities & differences in my classroom?

Dissemination of InformationNon-Discrimination PolicyIdentity and Contact Information for Equity

CoordinatorInformation About Grievance Procedure and

Distribution of Grievance FormsMajor Annual Publications, Brochures,

Handbooks, Registration Handbooks, WebsitePublic Posting and Local NewspaperWebsiteHarassment and Bullying Notifications

Notifications of Harassment, Bullying, Hazing PolicyHarassment: race, national origin, gender,

religion, disability, age, sexual orientation or gender identity

Bullying: All other categories

Hazing: Tied to membership in school organization, involvement in school activity, or team membership

Professional Development

Incorporated into EverythingEquity and School ImprovementMulti Cultural and Gender FairCultural ProficiencyEnglish Language LearnersStudents with DisabilitiesCommon Core Must Ensure Equity

Equity & School ImprovementMulticultural, Gender Fair Goals in the

CSIPRacial/Ethnic Diversity, Gender Balance

and Persons with Disabilities on the SIACProfessional Development on Working with

Diverse Learners and Implementing MCGF Educational Programs

Collection, Review and Use of Disaggregated Program & Course Enrollment Data and Student Achievement Data

Multicultural, Gender Fair Education (MCGF)Multicultural approaches to the

educational program. These shall be defined as approaches which foster knowledge of, and respect and appreciation for, the historical and contemporary contributions of diverse cultural groups, including race, color, national origin, gender, disability, religion, creed, and socioeconomic background.

Multicultural, Gender Fair Education (MCGF)Gender fair approaches to the educational

program. These shall be defined as approaches which foster knowledge of, and respect and appreciation for, the historical and contemporary contributions of women and men to society. The program shall reflect the wide variety of roles open to both women and men and shall provide equal opportunity to both sexes.

Cultural ProficiencyCultural proficiency is defined as a set of

congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross–cultural situations.  Operationally defined, cultural competence is the integration and transformation of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards, policies, practices, and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of services; thereby producing better outcomes.

English Language LearnersIdentification/registrationAssessmentLanguage assistanceExit criteriaCommunication with family

Students with DisabilitiesIdentificationAccommodation/IEPLRE Least restrictive environmentDisproportionalityAssessmentAnnual review of course enrollment

Common Core Must Ensure EquityEnsure comparable positive outcomes for all

students on all achievement indicatorsEnsure equitable access to education

services and inclusion for all studentsEnsure equitable treatment for all studentsEnsure equitable resource distributionEnsure equitable opportunities to learn for all

studentsEnsure equitable shared accountability

Midwest Equity Assistance CenterRecommendations from the Regional Equity

Assistance CentersFree assistance to school districts including

workshops, seminars, conferences, technical assistance information dissemination and professional development. http://www.meac.org/

Resources Cultural Proficiency: A

Manual for School Leaders by Dr. Randall Lindsey, to assist staff in bringing more cultural awareness into classroom environment and to prepare students for living in a diverse society

Teaching with Poverty in Mind and/or Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jensen to learn how schools can improve the achievement and life readiness of economically disadvantaged students.

Facilitating the Grievance ProcedureAligned with Non-Discrimination PolicyStudents, Parents, Employees and Applicants

for EmploymentGrievance FormsFacilitated by Equity Coordinator

An Effective Grievance Procedure

Clearly Describes the Process for Filing a Grievance

Provides impartiality on the part of the investigator

Clearly spells out time limits on process steps

Provides written documentation from grievant, the party grieved against and the investigator

An Effective Grievance Procedure

Clearly spells out time limits on process stepsClearly states procedures and responsibilities

for notifying all parties of results of the investigation

Provides grievant protection against retaliation

Monitoring and Analysis of Disaggregated DataIntegration and Inclusion on the basis of Gender,

Race/National Origin and DisabilityAttendance centers and coursesMonitor integration/inclusion by reviewing

enrollment data annuallyDocument findings and keep them on file

EdInsight Equity ReportsPurpose is to examine student, employment

and course dataStudent and course data disaggregated by

gender, race, special education, 504 plan, ELL status and SES

Employment data by gender and raceOriginate from multiple sourcesAvailable from 2009-2010 forwardEach district has a trained staff personAEA can provide training

Gender Segregation

When males or females constitute 80% or more of the enrollment in a class, a program, or an activity

Racial Isolation/Segregation in a Course, Activity, or Program

When the percentage of minority students in a course, activity, or program varies by more than ten percentage points from the percentage of minority students in the building or in the district

Racial Segregation/Isolation in Attendance Centers

When the percentage of minority students enrolled in an attendance center is twenty percentage points more or less than the percentage of minority students enrolled in the district

Disability Segregation/IsolationWhen the percentage of students with

disabilities enrolled in a course, activity or program varies by more than ten percentage points from the percentage of students with disabilities in the building or in the district

When Isolation/Segregation ExistsCounselors and instructors of classes

where isolation exists must be notified.Counselors and instructors must review

their policies, practices, and curriculum to ensure that they are not contributing to the isolation.

Counselors and instructors must document that they are currently implementing strategies to involve students from groups that have been underrepresented.

Strategies should be documented and kept in equity file.

Within Existing Facilities

Each part of the program or activity, when viewed in its entirety, must be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

New Facility

Any construction or alteration by, on behalf of, or for the use of the recipient that began after June 3, 1977

Accessibility of Physical FacilitiesCentral administration/board roomOffices, classrooms, and labsGymnasium/auditorium/playing fieldsRestrooms/locker rooms/water fountainsComputer labs/ICN roomsCafeteria/media centerParking/access route/entranceSignageWebsite

Compliance is Not Conditional Based Upon Demographics

Even if no student with a physical impairment is enrolled, a recipient or public entity must be prepared to take steps to make its program or activity in existing facilities accessible as the need arises and in a timely manner.

Standards for new construction apply regardless of the number of persons with physical impairments

Monitoring of Diversity on Advisory CommitteesBoard Policy that Promotes InclusionGender Balance, Racial/Ethnic Diversity &

Persons with Disabilities on the SIACGender Balance, Racial/Ethnic Diversity &

Persons with Disabilities on Career & Technical Advisory Committees

Equity Advisory Committee

Extra-Curricular Activities Annual Review of student involvement by

gender, disability, racial/ethnic background and SES

Review policies and practices and target recruitment when inequitable participation exists.

AthleticsPercentage of males and females

participating in interscholastic athleticsNumber of sport options for males and

femalesSurvey of underrepresented group to

determine interest or needDemographics: Head Coaches

Physical EducationStaff includes male(s) and female(s)All activities are co-educational except

Contact activitiesSex education

Skill level grouping is allowedEmphasis on physical fitness and life time

recreational activities

ContactMargaret Jensen ConnetEquity ConsultantIowa Department of EducationOffice: 515-281-3769Cell: 515-402-2739Email:

margaret.jensenconnet@iowa.gov

Educateiowa.govEquity Education