• Policy ACIB: Educational Equity

    Philosophy

    The School District of Clayton is committed to the success of every student in each of our schools. We commit to fostering an environment where race, color, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, genetic information, or other personal characteristics, do not hinder the success of any student. To fully realize our mission to educate all students, it is imperative we recognize the institutional barriers, including racism and bias, that contribute to the pervasive, disparate educational outcomes within public education. We will take action to eliminate barriers as we strive for Educational Equity for all student groups.

    We define Educational Equity as creating and/or eliminating policies, systems, and practices in schools that impact the experiences, outcomes, and access to resources for students experiencing inequities. In order to take action, we must work tirelessly to achieve Equity Literacy. Equity Literacy is defined as having the knowledge and skills to disrupt and dismantle inequities within our own spheres of influence for the betterment of our students, staff and greater community.

    The responsibility for student success is broadly shared by the Board of Education, district staff, administrators, instructors, communities, and families. We are all charged with recognizing and holding one another accountable when we are not meeting our vision of achieving Educational Equity.

    This work, and the language used to describe it, is rapidly evolving. This policy will be reviewed at least annually to reflect current practices, language, and the District’s strategic plan.  

    Core Vision and Beliefs

    Our core vision and beliefs are founded on the following:

    1. We will ensure all learners, regardless of their identity, feel safe and valued.
    2. We will commit to the educational growth of our learners through an equitable, personalized and individualized learning experience.
    3. We will be dedicated to the personal growth of our learners in their social, emotional, and physical well-being.

    We believe that a student's value and potential are not determined by race, color, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, genetic information, or other personal characteristics.

    We believe that eliminating inequities begins with the individual responsibility of each person in the district.

    We believe each student has a right to equitable educational opportunity and access, and we will identify and change any policy or practice that denies this right.

    We believe that affirming a student’s culture, history and identity is more important than relying solely on numerical data.

    We believe equity-centered curricula balance the truth about injustice and oppression with the resilience, joy, and resistance of all kinds of humans; past and present.

    We believe in maintaining classroom learning environments that are culturally responsive and reflect the perspectives of all students.

    Focus and Accountability

    In order to achieve Educational Equity for all students in the School District of Clayton we will focus on the following:

    1. Student, Community, and Family Engagement
    2. Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
    3. Hiring and Staffing Practices
    4. Professional Learning and Growth
    5. Distribution of Resources
    6. Institutional Structures

    The School District of Clayton strives to be humanistic in its approach to Educational Equity, while still understanding the importance of quantitative and qualitative data in its journey. As such, we commit to review disaggregated data that includes, but is not limited to - race, color, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, genetic information, or other personal characteristics. The School District of Clayton will review said data on an annual basis as a part of program evaluations, equity audits, and Strategic Plan updates. The School District of Clayton will examine the data in the above categories to identify areas of potential inequity and to monitor future progress toward greater Educational Equity.

    The disaggregated data may include, but is not limited to, the following: 

    1. Social Emotional Learning and Student Wellness Surveys
    2. Focus Groups and other Qualitative Resources
    3. Student, Family, and Community Engagement Activities
    4. Students Referred for Interventions and Special Education
    5. Gifted Screening and Identification
    6. Honors, Dual Credit, and AP Classes
    7. Discipline Data
    8. State Test Scores
    9. Staff Hiring, Retention, and Promotions
    10. Building and Course Staffing 

    District Cross-Reference

    Policy AC - PROHIBITION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, AND RETALIATION

    Policy ACA - SEXUAL HARASSMENT UNDER TITLE IX

    Policy AF - ACCOUNTABILITY/COMMITMENT TO ACCOMPLISHMENT