Seven Conditions for Student Success
We operate with the understanding that equitable systems of education strive to create the following conditions in order to promote student success:
- Culturally proficient, experienced teachers and staff
- Recognition and cultivation of gifts, talents and interests
- High expectations and support to meet those high expectations
- Positive relationships with teachers and peers
- A sense of belonging, empowerment, connection and identity safety
- Rigorous, relevant and inclusive curriculum centering their language, racial and cultural identities
- Well-maintained facilities that support state of the art instruction and support cultural identities and safety
Ten Practices for Organizational Transformation
- Develop leadership for equity and inclusion
- Practice transparent & effective communication with all stakeholders
- Collect, analyze & use disaggregated data
- Develop non-discriminatory, inclusive & supportive policies
- Engage students & families
- Engage all communities, particularly underserved & underrepresented
- Apply research & evidence-based practices
- Engage in ongoing cultural proficiency & inclusiveness development & training
- Support & engage in culturally relevant teaching
- Develop & implement equity-focused strategic planning, evaluation & budget allocations
Historically Underserved Students & Communities *
- African American/Black Students - Lack of academic support for their success; disproportionately placed in ISS; district not supporting high outcomes; no systemic change to support participation in Gifted & Talented (GT); culture in classrooms for rigorous academics described as “oppressive and alienating;” and with low expectations.
- Asian & Asian American Students - Microaggressions and bullying ignored in the system; unrealistic expectations; academic stressors; some students struggling academically, but undetected.
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students - Provisions for supports intermittent at some schools; unaddressed academic needs.
- Emerging Bilingual Students - Lack of translators & no timely translations; language access barriers unaddressed; multilingual programs inconsistent and not appropriately assessed; quality is inconsistent.
- Hispanic/Latinx Students - Lack of academic support for their success; overly placed in ISS; district not supporting high outcomes; no systemic change to support participation in GT; culture in classrooms for rigorous academics described as “oppressive and alienating.
- Immigrant Students - Religious bigotry, language access barriers; unidentified academic & social emotional support; disproportionately identified for special education services.
- Indigenous Students - Failure to recognize & address concerns; racist & marginalizing language in curricula & racist mascots; peer pressure to deny identity; unaddressed bullying.
- Girls/Young Women - Participation in STEM and some not encouraged and supported, no discussion of data or goal setting.
- Students who are identified with mental, cognitive & physical disabilities - Needs unidentified at some schools; bullying unaddressed at some schools.
- Refugee Students - Lack of language access; not enough people identifying needs at all schools; bullying unaddressed.
- Students who identify as LGBTQIA+ - Unaddressed bullying & stress; not enough data collected to provide systemic change for support; system does not prepare teachers and staff to support students.
- Students identified as Economically Disadvantaged - Lack of support with inexperienced teachers in Title I school; no systematic ways to support participation in rigorous courses; closing schools & disrupted school communities and learning.
- Students who access Special Education Services - Not receiving appropriate and timely testing, supports & services; some have been “misplaced” and do not need services; disproportionately placed in ISS (or ISS alternatives); teacher shortages call quality of services into question; what are goals for graduation?
- Students who are experiencing Homelessness and/or are in Foster Care - Not enough attention paid on how to communicate with caregivers.
* This evolving list has been generated by input from community stakeholders and identity group members.
Equity Action Plan
In partnership with students, community members, families, and staff, the Equity Action Plan outlines areas of growth and change for ϱ. The Equity Action Plan was developed in 2019, publicly released in 2021, and archived in 2023 as it informed various district planning efforts, including the district strategic plan, the Long Range Plan, and the equity assessment.
- Equity Action Plan (PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Arabic, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Burmese, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Dari, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Kinyarwanda, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Pashto, PDF)
- Plan de acción de equidad del ϱ ISD (Español, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Swahili, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Vietnamese, PDF)
For any further information on the office's work from 2019-2022, please reach out to Sundal Ali at sundal.ali@austinisd.org.