To serve all students: the case for race equity professional development for public school district central office staff

EMPA Capstone presentation by Kristen Miles

Background/literature review• “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.

Purpose of the study/hypothesis

• Twofold purpose of study:1. To develop a rationale for race equity PD for central

office staff in public school districts

2. 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.

Research questions

1. How does the implementation of a race equity PD program impact the performance of public school districts?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. What are the ethical and moral obligations of a public school district with respect to race equity?

5. What components should be included in a race equity PD program designed for public school district central staff?

Methodology

• 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

Research outcomes

• 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, cont.

• Suggested components of a race equity PD program for central office staff:1. Needs assessment

2. Adopt and adapt

3. Examine the impact

4. Organizational development and performance measurements

5. Transformation and sustainability

Significance and implications

• 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 policy in my career.

Acknowledgements

• 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