SISI - Standards and Indicators

Standard 1 - Academic Performance – Curriculum
1.1c The district initiates and facilitates discussions between schools in the district in order to eliminate unnecessary overlaps and close gaps.

Standard 2- Academic Performance- Classroom Evaluation/Assessment
2.1d Test scores are used to identify curriculum gaps.
2.1e Multiple assessments are specifically designed to provide meaningful feedback on student learning for instructional purposes.
2.1h Samples of student work are analyzed to inform instruction, revise curriculum and pedagogy, and obtain information on student progress.

Standard 3 - Academic Performance – Instruction
3.1b Instructional strategies and learning activities are aligned with the district, school, and state learning goals and assessment expectations for student learning.
3.1c Instructional strategies and activities are consistently monitored and aligned with the changing needs of a diverse student population to ensure various learning approaches and learning styles are addressed.
3.1f Instructional resources are sufficient to effectively deliver the curriculum.
3.1g Teachers examine and discuss student work collaboratively and use this information to inform their practice.

Standard 4 - Learning Environment - School Culture
4.1a There is leadership support for a safe, orderly, and equitable learning environment (e.g., culture audits/school opinion surveys).
4.1b Leadership creates experiences that foster the belief that all children can learn at high levels in order to motivate staff to produce continuous improvement in student learning.
4.1e Teachers recognize and accept their professional role in student success and failure.
4.1f The school intentionally assigns staff to maximize opportunities for all students to have access to staff's instructional strengths.
4.1i Multiple communication strategies and contests are used for the dissemination of information to all stakeholders.

Standard 5 - Learning Environment - Student, Family, and Community Support
5.1a Families and the community are active partners int the educational process and work together with the school/district staff to promote programs and services for all students.
5.1c The school/district provides organizational structures and supports instructional practices to reduce barriers to learning.
5.1d Students are provided with a variety of oppurtunities to receive additional assistance to support their learning, beyond the initial classroom instruction.
5.1e The school maintains an accurate student record system that provides timely information pertinent to the students' academic and educational development.

Standard 6 – Learning Environment- Professional Growth Development and Evaluation
6.1a There is evidence of support for the long-term professional growth needs of the individual staff members. This includes both instructional and leadership growth.
6.1b The school has an intentional plan for building instructional capacity through on-going professional development.
6.2a The school/district provides a clearly defined evaluation process.
6.2b Leadership provides the fiscal resources for the appropriate professional growth and development of certified staff based on identified needs.

Standard 7 - Efficiency – Leadership
7.1b Leaderhip decisions are focused on student academic performance and are data-driven and collaborative.
7.1d There is evidence that the school/district leadership team disaggregates data for use in meeting the needs of a diverse population, communicates the information to school staff and incorporates the data systematically into the school's plan.
7.1i Leadership provides a process for the development and the implementation of coucil policy based on anticipated needs.
7.1j There is evidence that the SBDM council has an intentional focus on student academic performance.

Standard 8- Efficiency- Organizational structure and Resources
8.1a There is evidence that the school is organized to maximize use of all available resources to support high student and staff performance.
8.1c The instructional and noninstructional staff are allocated and organized based upon the learning needs of all students.
8.1d There is evidence that the staff makes efficient use of instructional time to maximize student learning.
8.2d State and federal program resources are allocated and integrated (Safe Schools, Title I, IDEA, FRYSC's, ESS) to address student needs identified by the school/district.

Standard 9 - Efficiency – Comprehensive an defective Planning
9.2a There is evidence that a collaborative process was used to develop the vision, beliefs, mission, and goals that engage the school community as a community of learners.
9.3a School and district plans reflect learning research and current loacl state, and national expectations for student learning and are reviewed by the planning team.

Scenario

Howard is in first grade, and everyone thinks he needs to be placed in special education classes. Among his other academic problems, he seems totally unable to do even the simplest mathematics worksheets. During a unit on money, determining the value of nickels and dimes seems hopelessly beyond him. I agree with the general assessment of him until I get to know something about his life outside of school.

Howard is seven-years-old. He has a younger sister who is four and afflicted with cerebral palsy. His mother is suffering from a drug problem and is unable to adequately care for the children.  Therefore, Howard is the main caretaker in the family. Each morning, he gets his sister up, dressed, and off to school. He also does the family laundry and much of the shopping.

To do both of these tasks, he has become an expert at counting money and knowing when or if the local grocer is overcharging. Still, he is unable to complete what appears to his teachers to be a simple worksheet. Without his teachers having knowledge of his abilities outside of school, he is destined to be labeled mentally incompetent (Delpit, 1995).

Introduction

As this scenario demonstrates, knowing students is one of the first steps toward creating an equitable learning environment. Without knowledge of Howard’s family life and background, teachers will mislabel Howard instead of providing him with the environment and curriculum he needs.

Howard’s situation suggests that a curriculum, and schools in general, must assimilate and use students’ real life experiences and must be able to respond to various learning styles that do not always fit within the instructional method of a "worksheet" or the planned curriculum. All students, no matter how diverse their needs, must have access to an equitable learning environment.

Providing an equitable learning environment involves more than just teachers knowing their students; it involves knowing themselves as teachers, as well as considering how and what they teach. Moreover, it also involves understanding the way that school culture functions to create or inhibit a congenial atmosphere of sharing and community.  In particular, Secada defines equitable learning as making a distinction between equal and equitable.

Equitable learning provides more specifically for the individual needs of a student. "Equality is quantitative and concerns parity among groups along some index, e.g., access to computers. Equity is qualitative and concerns issues of justice; equity may demand inequality, being even-handed may not always be the answer. For some groups to have an even chance may require special efforts” (Secada, 1989).

In other words, equity ensures that, not only will students have equal access to materials, they will also have the special instruction and environment they might need, above and beyond what other students might need at that particular time, or for that particular subject or skill. In this scenario, Howard needs something above and beyond a worksheet, which may work fine for most other students. He is capable of doing math, but the traditional curriculum in the same old format just does not work for him as a student with a unique background and diverse skills. In terms specific to Kentucky’s Department of Education:

Equitable learning is defined as the way that, "practices, policies, academic support, curriculum, language, school resources, school culture, and school climate are structured to support academic success for all students, regardless of race, socio-economic status, gender, disabilities, language, national origin, religion, or other characteristics. 

Ongoing educational and social supports ensure that all students’ needs are met, and particularly for historically marginalized student populations in public schools.

It is clear that the tendencies to skip school are often set in the early grades and exacerbated by parents who may be unable to ensure their child’s continuous attendance. By fifth or sixth grade, many children demonstrate their loss of faith in the schooling system by staying out of school. If they are not completely dropping out, they often begin the habit early by missing one or two days every two weeks (Kozol, 1991).

The fact that many elementary students are turned off to school at such an early age points to the difficulty in creating a curriculum and school environment that represents all learners, especially for those who attend schools that are vastly different from one another in terms of resources. From the textbook to the classroom, teachers, administrators, and schools must attempt to develop a school culture and atmosphere that provides for equitable learning experiences, despite disparate conditions.

All children, no matter what their  cultural or personal background, must have access to an environment and curriculum that responds to their specific needs. This idea goes above and beyond the notion of equality, or providing equal access. Providing an equitable learning environment implies an understanding of individual needs, including students who come from diverse and exceptional experiences.

Providing an equitable learning environment involves more than just teachers knowing their students; it involves knowing themselves as teachers, as well as considering how and what they teach. Moreover, it also involves understanding the way that school culture functions to create or inhibit a congenial atmosphere of sharing and community.  Louis & Smith (1996) describe four distinctive types of teacher engagement for vital and effective teaching:

• Engagement with the school as a social unit
• Engagement with students as unique, whole individuals rather than as "empty vessels to     be filled"
• Engagement with academic achievement
• Engagement with a body of knowledge needed to carry out effective teaching
  

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Strategies

There are many different ways in which equitable learning can and should be encouraged in schools. According to Sonia Nieto, however, a successful equitable learning environment implies a multicultural education that encompasses all aspects of the schooling experience: "A true multicultural approach to education is pervasive.

It permeates everything: the school climate, physical environment, curriculum, and relationships among teachers and students and community" (Nieto, 1998). Therefore, equitable learning strategies can be approached through all stages of the educational process, including school culture, classroom structure, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development.

Strategy #1                                      School Culture

See "Resources" to find ordering or web access to all the materials or references identified throughout this document not otherwise indicated.

The culture of a school and the way it works together as a community can greatly affect the way students feel about their education. If the school takes pride in its appearance and the accomplishments of all its students with wall displays, reward ceremonies, and honorable mentions in public settings, students begin to feel connected to the goals of the school as a whole, and part of something larger. Equitable learning involves a close tie with outside communities supporting the schools, and strong bonds between parents, teachers, and administrators within the school.

Culture shapes the lens through which we see the world and how we interact with it.  It forms the bases for our perceptions and affects how we learn.  Culture consists of the following components:

• Value (worth, assessment, cost, importance, appreciation, price)
• Beliefs (conviction, principles, confidence, ideas, faith)
• Attitudes (approach, stance, outlook, manner, position, feeling, thoughts, mindsets, ways of thinking)
• Language (communication, ways of communicating including verbal/non verbal, actions, and reactions)

These components interact and systemically impact each other.  They are further influenced by our environment, experiences, and relationships and are reflected in our behavior.  Sometimes this behavior can be misunderstood when the hidden rules of one culture are assumed understood by all cultures.  School culture can clash with home/community culture.  For instance, some Navajo students found it embarrassing to be singled out when their names were displayed on a high achievement board in a classroom and their parents complained (National Research Council, (2000).

School culture can be either accidental or intentional.  Accidental culture is largely based on assumptions and misinformation; connections are made at random, and relationships are mandated, not valued.  These traits are in sharp contrast to desirable, intentional culture:

• Driven by an understanding of its value
• Celebrates differences
• Connection constantly sought
• Relationships valued
• Often measured, constantly monitored

Intentional culture influences focus and efforts.  The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has developed standards for school culture.  The traits listed above are reflected in the standards:

Standard 4 - Learning Environment - School Culture

The school/district functions as an effective learning community and supports a climate conducive to performance excellence.

Performance Expectations:
The school leader sets high expectations for all students to learn higher-level content.
Standards for this Indicator:
4.1a - Leadership support for safe, orderly environment
4.1b - Leadership beliefs and practices for high achievement
4.1c - Teacher beliefs and practices for high achievement
4.1d - Teachers and non-teaching staff involved in decision-making
4.1e - Teachers accept their role in student success/failure
4.1f - Effective assignment and use of staff strengths
4.1g - Teachers communicate student progress with parents
4.1h - Teachers care about kids and inspire their best efforts
4.1i - Multiple communication strategies used to disseminate information
4.1j - Student achievement valued and publicly celebrated
4.1k - Equity and diversity valued and supported

The school culture refers to norms cemented over time that become the history of the school.  School culture is often majority driven, intangible, and hard to describe.  It can be difficult to change, especially in a short period of time (Stolp, S., & Smith, S. C., 1995). Stolp & Smith (1995) distinguish between school culture and school climate.

 School climate is the shared perceptions and communication of a school's norms, beliefs, and values through various behaviors and interactions of staff and students.  The daily interactions of leadership, staff, students, and parents drive school climate.   It is often leadership driven, more easily manipulated than culture, and sensitive to change. 

Presence, absence, or degree of school collegiality, communication, decision-making, trust, expectations, ideology, leadership, recognition, celebration, support, and experimentation are traits through which climate can be monitored.

If the school climate reflects pride in its appearance and the accomplishments of all its students with wall displays, reward ceremonies, and honorable mentions in public settings, students begin to feel connected to the goals of the school as a whole, and part of something larger.

Equitable learning involves a close tie with outside communities supporting the school, and strong bonds between parents, teachers, and administrators within the school. In middle school, it is especially important to help students feel a part of a community because they are facing many transitions and many changes in their lives and are often beginning to feel the outside pressure of peers in the form of cliques and gangs. In addition, they are attending a new school with different classes and teachers throughout the day, which adds to an already unstable environment.

Following are some strategies to improve school climate and culture:

Develop Relationships with Students

Payne states, "When students who have been in poverty (and have successfully made it into middle class) are asked how they made the journey, the answer nine times out of ten has to do with a relationship-a teacher, counselor, or coach who made a suggestion or took an interest in them as individuals." (p. 143). 

She cites the work of Steven Covey in explaining how to develop these relationships.  Successful relationships occur when emotional deposits are made to the student, and emotional withdrawals are avoided.  Following is a synopsis of deposits to be made and withdrawals to be avoided:

• Seek first to understand rather than first to be understood.
• Keep promises rather that break promises.
• Show kindness and courtesy rather than unkindness and discourtesy.
• Clarify expectations rather than violate expectations.
• Show loyalty to the absent rather than disloyalty and duplicity.
• Apologize rather than display pride, conceit, arrogance
• Be open to feedback rather than reject feedback (p.144)

School Pride Award Ceremonies and School Displays

Schools should try to hold pep rallies, display school achievements, and hold recognition ceremonies where school community can be established and maintained. These types of activities can also be open to parents and the community and can help build bonds between the school and home.

Beware that certain types of award ceremonies may make certain groups feel left out. There is a danger that athletic award ceremonies outnumber academic ceremonies, and that the students who may really need a boost will feel ignored.

Uniforms

While research is inclusive, some success has been found with school uniforms. Uniforms have been found to help create a sense of community and discipline in schools. Uniforms do not have to be dull or boring, and a number of schools have adopted more fashionable, easy-to-wear uniforms that students like. Jefferson County Schools and their success and strategies with regard to uniforms are documented in a news article from the Courier Journal.

Workshops for Students and Teacher/Equity Awareness

Both teachers and students can benefit from awareness workshops that might address a number of topics, such as sexual harassment, gangs, violence and drugs, and other areas that specifically address at-risk groups and their specific needs in middle school.

Business Partnerships/Community Partnerships

Connections with community businesses can help schools to develop partnerships and programs that can help at risk students through unique projects and educational programs. Kentucky Country Day School in Louisville, Kentucky is increasing their connections to the local community.

Strategy # 2                           Classroom Structure

School structure can also greatly affect the equitable learning environment. For instance, it is considered a best practice to create mixed and flexible groupings of students within the classroom rather than a class-by-class ability grouping. (Walser, 1998)  Other larger school changes can be employed to make learning more equitable for all students, such as longer school years, year-round schooling, and schools-within-schools. It is also notable that some students have improved significantly in settings that offer more homogeneity, such as single-sex institutions. For all these practices, flexibility and commitment are fundamental to ensure that students receive an equitable education.

Multiage, Flexible Ability Grouping

Most current research points to the efficacy of providing rich opportunities for learning in different and diverse learning groups. (Walser, 1998)  These groups can be arranged through a mixture of ages or abilities, but in general, the key is flexibility, and not the static, single-tracked system found in many traditional schools.  For instance, the best plans involve differential class groupings for reading or mathematics, such as the Joplin Plan (see link below).

 This plan keeps students heterogeneously grouped for most of their normal class work, but divides students according to reading ability, and may include students from three different grades depending on their reading level. Ability Grouping in Elementary Schools (Hollifield,, 1997) provides a short description of five different types of ability grouping plans, including ability-grouped class assignment, non-graded classrooms, the Joplin Plan, Regrouping for Reading and Mathematics, and within-class ability grouping.

The Perception of Ability Difference in U. S. Education (Schweingruber) provides descriptions of the most common organizational arrangements (i.e., ability grouping, tracking, and streaming) adopted by schools to handle individual differences among students.

Enhancing Learning Through Multiage Grouping (Johnson & Fox, 1998) offers a good general overview of multiage grouping and its issues with some examples of schools that have successful multiage classrooms.

Nongraded and Mixed-Age Grouping in Early Childhood Programs (Katz) provides information to help distinguish between some of the more confusing terms, such as ungraded or nongraded classrooms.

Strategy #3                              Curriculum and Materials

The curriculum is also another way that inequities can be reinforced or transformed in schools. From the gender bias in textbooks to the computer-student ratio, the material artifacts of schools are an important part of the ways a "hidden curriculum" can be passed along. Foremost among these, in terms of gender differences, are the resources allocated to different athletic programs, and the materials that schools use to promote extra-curricular activities, such as art and band.

Overall, the curriculum should be closely tied to students’ own personal experiences and backgrounds, and should attempt to engage the student through a variety of flexible approaches to curriculum. Resnick, L. B. (as cited in National Research Council, 2000) reported three major differences between everyday settings and the school environments that impact how students learn:

School environments place much more emphasis on individual work than most other environments.  In everyday settings people often must work collaboratively. Tools are heavily used to solve problems in the everyday setting, compared with mental work in the school environment.  In practical environments, people use tools to work almost error free.

Abstract reasoning is often emphasized in school, whereas contextualized reasoning is often used in the everyday environment.  Problem solving is done in concrete contexts.

Textbook Selection

One of the first steps in creating an equitable learning environment is to understand the subtle bias in text and curriculum materials. For example, textbooks can present a one-sided or distorted view of gender by the stories that they include and by the roles that characters play in these stories. Unfortunately, what is left out of textbooks can often be just as damaging. See Some Practical Ideas for Confronting Curricular Bias by D. Sadker to evaluate school textbooks for stereotypes using seven forms of bias in instructional materials.

Connecting Curriculum to Everyday Life Experiences

As in the scenario above, connecting the curriculum to what students already know is essential for their assimilation of knowledge. Students bring many different kinds of experiences and expectations to the classroom, and sometimes, in schools, knowledge is packaged in different ways. Research suggests that schools are more likely to reach at risk students if they vary the curriculum and connect it to the real life experiences of students (Buckingham, 1998).

Vision in Progress is a program where businesses work with Elizabethtown Independent Schools to create stronger bonds through such activities as visits by local police and fire fighting organizations.  These activities increase awareness of public safety and citizenship. Contact Marlane Youngblood by phone at (270) 765-6146 or by email at: myoungbl@etown.k12.ky.us.  A description of the program can by found in the February, 2002 issue of Kentucky Teacher.

Increasing Access to Technology

Research suggests that access to technology in schools will help prevent an information or knowledge gap among disparate groups. Computer proficiency and knowledge of the Internet are increasingly becoming essential components of a well-rounded education in this technological world. However, Johnson (2002) states that the "technology divide" has the potential to perpetuate a gap between those that have and have not.  This is not only in the area of hardware, but more importantly, by denying large numbers of students exposure to the kinds of software that gives them access to high levels of knowledge.  Kohl (as cited in Johnson, 2002) discusses the technology divide:

Schools with predominantly minority enrollments are more likely to use their state-of-the-art technology for drill, practice, and test-taking skills.  Meanwhile, white students in more affluent communities are creating Web sites and multimedia presentations.  The computers become nothing much more than trivial workbook and control mechanisms for kids in the heavily minority schools….  In other communities, they are instruments used toward the success and the futures of kids (p. 5).

It must be our goal as educators to prevent the technology divide.  The National Research Council (2000) identifies five ways that technology can be used to help meet the challenges of establishing effective learning environments:

• Bringing real-world problems into classrooms through the use of videos, demonstrations, simulations, and Internet connections to concrete data and working scientists.
• Providing "scaffolding" support to augment what learners can do and reason about on their path to understanding, allowing them to participate in complex cognitive performance.
• Increasing opportunities for learners to receive feedback from software, tutors, teachers, and peers; engaging in reflection on their own learning processes; and receiving guidance toward progressive revisions that improve their learning and reasoning.
• Building local and global communities of teachers, administrators, students, parents, and other interested learners.
• Expanding opportunities for teachers' learning (p.243).

Following are some successful practices and programs for increasing access to technology:

Closing the Equity Gap in technology access and Use: A Practical Guide for K-12 Educators provides an overview of technology use, checklists for technological inequities, and funding search strategies.

Kentucky Department of Education Technology Page provides valuable resources related to how technology is a part of standards, curriculum documents, teaching and learning strategies, and assessment instruments.

Developing and Encouraging Extra-Curricular Activities

While some argue that a back-to-basics curriculum provides the best sort of educational experience for students, it seems to be the case that extracurricular activities are essential for providing students with non-academic connections to the school.  These activities make it more likely that the students will achieve in other, more academic, endeavors, and will have a positive effect on social behavior and self-esteem.  Extracurricular activities also provide enrichment for students in at-risk situations.   The Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (as cited in Schargel, F. P. & Smink, J., 2001) distinguishes among three different types of out-of-school arrangements:

1). Daycare Programs-Daycare programs provide a safe, supervised environment for children whose parents are working or otherwise engaged.  They do not necessarily have an academic focus; instead, they tend to emphasize recreational and cultural activities.

2). After-School Programs-These are more likely to emphasize academic as well as nonacademic, recreational activities.  Examples include Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA and YWCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, 4-H, ASPIRA, church programs, and municipal parks and recreation programs.

3). School-Based Extended Day Programs-These programs, housed in a school, are directly connected to what takes place during the school day.  Most extended day programs have an academic focus but may also include enrichment, recreational, and cultural activities (p.128).

Schargel & Smink (2002) explain that high-quality programs should include the following components: academic, recreational, and cultural/social. 

The following factors are critical in order to implement effective out-of-school programs:

• Train staff and volunteers
• Create a program with structure
• Evaluate the program
• Include families and children in planning
  an advisory board

Following are some links that highlight components of successful out-of-school programs:

Afterschool.Gov connects to federal resources that support children and youth during out-of-school hours. 

Afterschool Alliance is a non-profit organization that raises awareness of after-school programs.

Kentucky's 21st Century Community Learning Centers are school/community partnerships for after-school programs. These partnerships are supported by U. S. Department of Education grants. The focus of this partnership, re-authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the No Child Left Behind Act, is to provide expanded academic enrichment opportunities for children attending low performing schools.

Tutorial services and academic enrichment activities are designed to help students meet local and state academic standards in subjects such as reading and math. In addition, 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs provide youth development activities, drug and violence prevention programs, technology education programs, art, music, recreation programs, counseling, and character education to enhance the academic component of the program.

Title IX states that:

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal assistance.   (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964)

What Is Title IX?  provides a good description of the components of Title IX.

Developing a Multicultural Curriculum

A multicultural curriculum should be pervasive and extend throughout the school’s entire curriculum through an attention to alternative cultural history in science, language, and art. Gorski (2003) wrote:

There are a multitude of differing conceptualizations of multicultural education.  Several shared ideals provide a basis for its understanding. While some focus on individual students or teachers, and others are much more "macro" in scope, these ideals are all, at their roots, about transformation:

• Every student must have an equal opportunity to achieve to his full potential.
• Every student must be prepared to competently participate in an increasingly intercultural society.
• Teachers must be prepared to effectively facilitate learning for every individual student, no matter how culturally similar or different from himself.
• Schools must be active participants in ending oppression of all types, first by ending oppression within their own walls, then by producing socially and critically active and aware students.
• Education must become more fully student-centered and inclusive of the voices and experiences of the students.
• Educators, activists, and others must take a more active role in reexamining all educational practices and how they affect the learning of all students: testing methods, teaching approaches, evaluation and assessment, school psychology and counseling, educational materials and textbooks (Gorski, 2003, section: The Challenge of Defining a Single "Multicultural Education").

Gorski's Web site, Multicultural Supersite, holds a wealth of information on multicultural education.

Walk A Mile in My Shoes: Multicultural Curriculum Resources is a year-long language curriculum that uses literature to teach children to know, understand, and respect one another by recognizing similarities among all peoples while appreciating human differences.  It includes a variety of Web sites and Internet resources that may be used in the classroom to enhance a multicultural curriculum.

Strategy #4                                     Instruction

Researchers have noted that many teachers are not even aware of their biases in their instructional techniques and can often favor one group of students over another by unwittingly or unconsciously responding in different ways (Sadker and Sadker, 1994). There are also a number of important ways that teachers can improve their overall effectiveness for reaching all students, such as team teaching and bilingual education programs.

Team Teaching

In many cases, team teaching can be beneficial for students because it allows students to work with two different role models with differing teaching styles. The combination of different teaching methods and authorities helps to establish a more diverse approach to learning and can help teachers work together to create an equitable learning environment.

Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students

Language instruction for limited English proficient and immigrant students is generally classified in one of two ways: English immersion or bilingual education. In English immersion programs, such as those seen in California and Arizona, students receive all instruction in English; thus the term “immersion.” 

In California, scores on standardized tests given in English have risen dramatically for the past several years, since the state passed a proposition to switch from bilingual education to English immersion. Introducing English immersion programs is on the ballot in a number of states (e.g., Massachusetts, Colorado). Bilingual education, on the other hand, is the gradual introduction of the English language whereby students learn math, science, and other subjects in their native language as they slowly receive instruction in English.

The Kentucky Department of Education page for Title III Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students provides information about funding allocations, program requirements, and resources.

Self-Monitoring of Classroom Instruction

This technique involves an awareness of the ways that calling on students can isolate certain individuals and further entrench gender, class, or race-specific ways of interacting with students. For instance, Myra and David Sadker (1994) found that, in mathematics instruction, teachers call on boys more often, and that teachers are more willing to push boys to work harder. Their 2003 book, Non-sexist, Non-racist Schools, provides suggestions on classroom organization, cultural cues, and interaction strategies.

Hands-on Activities

This strategy often works to engage students who learn better through activity and action. Many students think differently or like to see and handle objects in order to understand. Group projects can help get students involved with another form of classroom work.

Group Work

Group work helps peers to learn from each other and is essential for building the strong cooperative relationships and sense of tolerance and understanding that are necessary to live in a democratic and equitable society.

Strategy #5                                   Assessment

For students, one of the most obvious hierarchical measures is grades and tests that are often indicators of only socio-economic status. If done well, assessment can help schools to identify the special needs of all students; if done badly, assessment can serve to perpetuate systems of disparity already in place. Alternative assessments should attempt to evaluate students on the basis of ongoing development over a long period of time.

Alternative assessments for equitable learning take into account the process of student development rather than a single standard at any one particular point in time. In addition, equitable assessment is committed to a large body of assessment information, such as the portfolio, in combination with other methods.

Ruth Johnson (2002) proposes a strategy of self-examination for all schools.  She explains that a data-based evaluation can:

• highlight the gaps between rhetoric and reality by breaking data down by race and grade to determine the schools most meaningful learning opportunities.
• point to the steps that must be taken to close achievement gaps.
• bond teachers together in a common understanding that they are part of a larger team of professionals responsible for creating a culture of high achievement for all students (p.xii).

Alternative Portfolios

In Kentucky, alternative portfolios attempt to bridge the gap between state testing mandates and the individual needs of diverse students. This additional flexibility allows for all different kinds of testing requirements.

Alternative Grading Systems

Teachers might find that their daily grading tasks help students more if they use alternative assessment strategies, such as using a check mark instead of a grade or a percentage. In doing so, these types of assessments might help to reduce the anxiety that students often have around the notion of grades and evaluations.

Strategy #6                                 Professional Development

Equitable learning can also be addressed through attention to professional training and development. Perhaps, of most use are professional resources for ongoing theory in diversity and equity management through means of workshops and professional development. Other aspects of professional development that may increase attention to an equitable learning environment are the informal and formal networking and sharing possibilities that may occur through professional organizations and other teacher networks and communities.

According to the U. S. Department of Education (as cited in Schargel & Smink, 2000) a high-quality professional development program:

• is focused on teachers as central to student learning, yet includes all other members of the school community
• is focused on individual, collegial, and organizational improvement.
  respects and nurtures the intellectual and leadership capacities of teacher, principals, and others in the school community.
• reflects the best available research and practice in teaching, learning, and leadership.
  enables teachers to develop further expertise in subject content, teaching strategies, uses of technologies, and other essential elements in teaching to high standards.
• promotes continuous inquiry and improvement in the daily life of schools.
• is planned collaboratively by those who will participate in and facilitate that development.
  requires substantial time and other resources.
• is driven by a coherent and long-term plan.
• is evaluated ultimately on the basis of its impact on teacher effectiveness and student learning, and this assessment guides subsequent professional development efforts (p.148).

Both teachers and students can benefit from awareness workshops that might address a number of topics, such as multicultural awareness, gender awareness, sexuality, and other areas that specifically address at-risk groups and their specific needs.

Teachers or administrators can take the Equity Quiz to determine the gender-awareness of their school.

KDE's Equity page provides a link to Resources for Schools. This site has other links for teacher learning. View the following topics for a wealth of information: What's New?, Equity Links, Conference Registrations, Underground Railroad, Jewish American Heritage, Multicultural Curriculum Resources, Diversity Clubs, and Division of Equity E-source Center.

Constructing Professional Associations

Professional associations help teachers bond on important issues having to do with equity. For instance, teachers may use these organizations to find out more information about conferences on multicultural education, symposiums, or current theory dealing with gifted or talented students. The following is a link to the Kentucky Education Association, (NEA Division).

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Barriers

Barriers for Best Practices presented in Strategy #1

• Certain types of award ceremonies may make certain groups feel left out. There is a danger that athletic award ceremonies outnumber academic ceremonies, and that the students who may really need a boost will feel ignored.
• Uniforms are sometimes strongly resisted by students, and enforcement can become difficult for teachers and administrators.
• Workshops take time and planning to work well. Sometimes, one-shot workshops are insufficient to address the ongoing problems that are complex and deeply embedded in attitudes and dispositions.
• Business Partnerships/Community Partnerships require time and effective planning on the part of teachers, businesses, and administrators and, therefore, adds additional responsibilities to an already demanding profession.

Barriers for Best Practices presented in Strategy #2

More research needs to be conducted on the relatively new developments in nongraded class environments. Within-class ability grouping also requires a lot more planning and teacher preparation.

Barriers for Best Practices presented in Strategy #3

• Bias is subtle and can be difficult to ascertain. Most textbooks have some form of bias, no matter how hard publishers attempt to eradicate it. Thus, often the task becomes helping students to critically read texts by themselves.
• It is difficult for schools to meet the curriculum requirements of all students when states and districts are mandating textbook curriculum. There are also limitations with respect to finances and what schools can reasonably afford.
• Financial concerns are perhaps the most obvious concern, but technology also brings about new problems as many teachers and professionals may lack training to implement technology in their schools, and software and systems are constantly undergoing upgrading.
• Some activities are natural to evolve into girl- or boy-centered activities, and it is difficult to adjust and negotiate the demands of equity. Even Title IX’s recommendations are vague and difficult to implement due to their necessary flexibility.
• Multicultural programs often focus on sensationalistic or "easy-to-understand" concepts, such as holidays and types of food, without addressing some of the important cultural differences or continuing problems of racism.

Barriers for Best Practices presented in Strategy #4

• Team teaching is often confusing for students who might not understand how they are being graded. Different styles may lead to different expectations. 
• Self-monitoring is difficult to do well. Most teachers have no real way to account for all of the classroom interactions that they experience throughout the day. Other strategies, such as videotaping and classroom observation by other personnel may help to alleviate some of these problems.
• There is a danger in small group work that a few students will do the work for the entire group. This instructional method, therefore, requires that teachers carefully plan out the assignment and monitor all aspects of the group work, making sure students understand part of the assignment is to learn to work well with each other.

Barriers for Best Practices presented in Strategy #5

• Alternative portfolios require unique training sessions and utilize a large number of personnel.
• They also introduce a certain amount of vagueness and ambiguity into cross-test comparisons.
• Students always find different systems ambiguous and vague.
• Students like the achievement of receiving good grades, and alternative systems can remove the feeling of reward.

Barriers for Best Practices presented in Strategy #6

• Training can be fragmented and inconsistent. Diversity training is often voluntary and so does not always reach those who need it most.
• Associations can sometimes seem impersonal and too large to be of any direct use. Teachers may feel that joining associations connect them with political issues that they are not necessarily willing to support.
  

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Resources

Kentucky Resources:

Equity.  Retrieved on June 22, 2003, from the Kentucky Department of Education Web Site: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Equity/default.htm

This site provides equity resources from the Kentucky Department of Education.

Middle School. Retrieved on June 22, 2003, from the Kentucky Department of Education Web Site: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Middle+School/default.htm This site provides a list of middle school resources from the Kentucky Department of Education.

Kentucky Information in Cyberspace: Education. Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.wku.edu/Library/KIIC/ed_info.htm

An excellent listing of Kentucky institutions including links to all schools, at all levels, virtual schools, and Council on Postsecondary Education, etc.

Kentucky Department. of Education.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.kentuckyschools.org/  

Use this as a starting point for information related to schools in Kentucky.

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Kentucky's 21st Century Community Learning Centers.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from:  http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Community+Engagement/Kentucky%27s+21st+Century+Community+Learning+Centers+.htm

This program supports school/community partnerships for after-school programs.

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Program guidelines for multicultural education.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the KDE Web site: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Equity/Program+Guidelines/Multicultural+Education.htm 

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Standard 4 - Learning environment - School culture.  Retrieved June 23, 2003 from: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Administrative+Resources/School+Improvement/Standards+and+Indicators+for+School+Improvement/Standard+4/default.htm

Kentucky Department of Education (2003).  Technology.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the KDE Web site: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Technology/default.htm

In these pages you will find valuable resources related to how technology is a part of standards, curriculum documents, teaching and learning strategies, and assessment instruments.

The Kentucky Department of Education.  Title III Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students. Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the KDE Web site: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/High+School/Language+Learning/English+Language+Learning/Title+III%3a++Language+Instruction+for+Limited+English+Proficient+and+Immigrant+Students.htm

This page provides information about funding allocations, program requirements, and resources.

Kentucky Teacher.  Retrieved on July 5, 2003, from: www.kyschools.org/KDE/HomePageRepository/Publications/Kentucky+Teacher.htm

Kentucky Virtual High School. Retrieved on June 22, 2003, from the Kentucky Department of Education Web Site: http://www.kvhs.org

The Kentucky Virtual High School is a statewide educational service delivering high school courses and online learning opportunity to Kentuckians. A PowerPoint tour of KVHS may be viewed at http://www.seirtec.org/Academy2001/KYVHS01.ppt  

YES (Youth Enhancement Services). Retrieved on June 22, 2003 from Jefferson County Delinquency Prevention Council Web Site: http://www.oyes.org/about.asp 

Provides information on a diverse range of quality prevention and intervention services that support the development and well-being of children and youth, and their families.

Other Resources:

American Association of University Women.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.aauw.org/

Provides information and resources on sexism in schools.

American Association of University Women (2003).  Equity quiz.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003, from http://www.american.edu/sadker/equityquiz.htm

Teachers or administrators can take the quiz to determine the gender-awareness of their school.

Buckingham, D., ed. (1998). Teaching Popular Culture: Beyond Radical Pedagogy. Bristol, PA: UCL Press.

Campbell, P. B. (1995). One project, many strategies: making pre-service teacher education more equitable, The Teacher Education Equity Project (TEEP), Campbell-Kibler Associates, Inc. Retrieved June 22, 2003 from http://www.wri-edu.org/equity/teep.html 

This project assisted instructors in teacher education programs nationwide with materials, resources, and teaching activities for instructing their preservice (student) teachers in gender equity.

Cameron, P., Madden, K., & Flanagan, J., (2002).  The cost of education:  Two classes in one room (ISBN 0-9580475-1-0).  Australia:  Anglicare Tasmania Inc.

Email: j.flanagan@anglicare-tas-org-au .  This is an excellent resource on the school costs passed onto families and the significant barriers it causes to low-income children's participation in school.

Center for Instructional Development and Research at the University of Washington.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/inclusive/

This site provides a great guide for strategic ways of being inclusive in the classroom with many resources on diversity and good online articles.

Childs, R. A. (1990). "Gender bias and fairness." ERIC Digest. The Education Resources Information Center, Washington DC. ED328610

Closing the Equity Gap in technology access and Use: A Practical Guide for K-12 Educators.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.netc.org/cdrom/equity/html/index.htm

This site provides an overview of technology use, checklists for technological inequities, and funding search strategies.

Delpit, L. (1995). Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. New York: The New Press.

Equity Assistant Centers.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from: http://www.edgateway.net/pub/docs/262

These 10 regional centers provide assistance in the areas of race, gender, and national origin to public schools to promote equal educational opportunities.

Everybody counts! Helping your child succeed: Gender equity, multicultural links (2003). Retrieved on June 22, 2003 from the New Mexico State University Web s ite: http://mathstar.nmsu.edu/teacher/multi_links.html 

This site includes many good multicultural resources, including bilingual resources.

GEAR UP Program (2003).  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the University of Kentucky Web site: http://www.louisville.edu/edu/collaboration/gear.html 

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federal initiative that encourages young people to stay in school, study hard and take the right courses to go to college. The program provides a range of services to low-income students by creating new or expanded initiatives to strengthen schools. It also offers professional development opportunities for teachers.

Greatschools.net. Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.greatschools.net/

A resource for test scores and student demographics for most schools in Kentucky or anywhere in the U.S.

Ginorio, A. and M. Huston. (2001). Si, Se Puede! Yes, We Can: Latinas in School. Washington, DC: American Association of University Women Educational Foundation.

Hoff Sommers, C. (1996). Where the boys are. Education Week, June 12. Retrieved June 22, 2003 from the Education Week Web Site: http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-15/38sommer.h15#author

This article explores the gap in reading proficiency between males and females [favoring girls].

Hollifield, J. (1987). Ability grouping in elementary schools (ED290542). Urbana IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed290542.html

Jackson, A.W., and G.A. Davis. (2000). Turning Points 2000: Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century. New York: Carnegie Corporation.

Jacobson, C. (1995). Non-sexist language, Purdue University. Retrieved June 22, 2003 from the Stetson University Web site: http://www.stetson.edu/artsci/history/nongenderlang.html

Provides notes on using non-gender specific language.

Johnson, D., & Fox, C. L., (1998). Enhancing learning through multiage grouping.   Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory Web site: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/instrctn/in500.htm 

This site offers a good general overview of multiage grouping and its issues with some examples of schools that have successful multiage classrooms.

Johnson, R. S. (2002). Using data to close the achievement gap. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc., http://www.corwinpress.com .

Katz, L. G. Nongraded and mixed-age grouping in early childhood programs (EDO-PS-92-9). Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from the ERIC/EECE Web site: http://ericeece.org/pubs/digests/1992/katzn92.html 

This link helps to distinguish between some of the more confusing terms, such as ungraded or nongraded classrooms.

Kozol, J. (1991). Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools. New York: Crown.

Louis K. S., & Smith B. (1996).  Teacher engagement and real reform in urban schools.  In Williams, B. (Ed.), Closing the achievement gap (pp. 120-147). Alexandria, VA:  Association for Supervision and curriculum Development.

McGroarty, M. (1993). Cross-cultural issues in adult ESL literacy classrooms. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education for Limited-English-Proficient Adults, Washington DC. ED358751

Moses, B.  The algebra project.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from http://www.algebra.org/index.html 

Myra Sadker Advocates for Gender Equity. Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.sadker.org/

This is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting equity in and beyond schools.

The National Research Council (2000).  How People Learn ( Expanded ed.)..  Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press.

Nieto, S. (1998). Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education, 2nd ed. White Plains, NY: Longman.

No Child Left Behind Act. Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/

This is the official Web site with information about this new education law.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL). The Fourth R: Responsibility ensuring educational excellence through equity and effective school practices: An equity handbook for learning communities.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.nwrel.org/cnorse/booklets/4thr/index.html

This booklet on responsibility provides some general information on equity principles.  It includes summaries of laws Title VI, Title IX, Civil Rights Act, Education Acts, Goals 2000

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL).  Preparing teachers for the new mainstream: Pre-service preparation (2001).  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from the NWREL Web site: http://www.nwrel.org/cnorse/booklets/educate/9.html#2

Discusses diversity issues in teacher training.

Orenstein, P. (1995). School Girls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap. New York: Anchor Books.

Payne, R. K. (1998). A framework for understanding poverty. Highlands, TX: RFT Publishing.

The Public Policy Assessment Society, Inc. (December, 1997). Gender equity - secondary education in the ACT. Retrieved June 22, 2003 from The Public Policy Assessment Society Inc. Web Site: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~polsoc/ppas_ed6.htm .

Research, A. I. f. (1998). Gender gaps. Washington, D. C., AAUW Educational Foundation: 21.

Sadker, D. (1999). "Gender equity; still knocking on the classroom door." Educational Leadership (April, 1999): 22-26.

Sadker, D., Some practical ideas for confronting curricular bias.  Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from the American Universities Web Site: http://www.american.edu/sadker/curricularbias.htm 

This site identifies seven forms of bias that can be used to evaluate instructional materials.

Sadker, M. & D. Sadker (2003).  Non-sexist. non-racist teaching.  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.american.edu/sadker/teachingtips.htm

Sadker, M. & D. Sadker. Failing at fairness: How America’s schools cheat girls. New York: Scribners.

Sanders, J. (1997). "Teacher education and gender equity." ERIC Digest. ED408277

San Francisco Schools.  The middle school program.    Retrieved on June 25, 2003 from http://www.sfschool.org/programs/middle/index.shtml 

Saphier, J., & King, M. (1985). Good seeds grow in strong cultures. Educational Leadership, 42(6), 67-74.

Schargel, F. P., & Smink, J. (2002).  Strategies to help solve our school dropout problem.  Larchmont, N. Y.:  Eye on Education. 

This book offers hope and suggestions on how to resolve the dropout problem using effective strategies taken from research and observations of dropout prevention programs in many school settings across America.

Schweingruber, H. The perception of ability difference in U. S. Education. Retrieved on June from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Research5/UnitedStates/perception.html .

Provides descriptions of the most common organizational arrangements adopted by schools to handle individual differences among students known variously as ability grouping, tracking, and streaming.

Secada, W.G. (1989). Educational equity versus equality of education: An alternative conception. In W.G. Secada (Ed.), Equity in Education (pp. 68-88). New York, NY: Falmer.

Sistermentors.  Retrieved on June 23, 2003 from http://www.sistermentors.org/home.htm  

A program that offers mentors for girls of color in middle and high school in the Washington D.C. area.

Slavin, R. E. (1986).  Ability grouping and student achievement in elementary schools.  Baltimore, MD: Center for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools,

Stolp, S., & Smith, S. C. (1995).  Transforming school culture (ED No. 386783).  ERIC/Clearinghouse on Educational Management.

United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/

The mission of the Office for Civil Rights is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights.

Walser, N. (January/February1998) Multi-age Classrooms: An Age Old Grouping Method is Still Evolving. Retrieved June 27, 2003 from the Harvard Educational Letter on Multiage Classrooms  Web site: http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/1998-jf/multiage.shtml

Wellesley College Center for Research on Women (1992). How schools shortchange girls. Annapolis Junction, MD, AAUW Educational Foundation: 8.

What Is Title IX?  Retrieved on June 27, 2003 from http://www.american.edu/sadker/titleix.htm

This link supplies a good description of the components of Title IX

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Key Words

School Culture, Equitable Environment, Elementary,Curriculum,Equal,Academic,Engagement,Multicultural,School Climate,Resources,Community,Leadership,Relationships,Celebrations,Ceremonies,Partnerships,Classroom,Ability Grouping,Textbook,Technology, Programs,Title IX,Team Teaching,Language,Immigrant Assessment,Professional Development,Alternative Portfolios, Barriers,Best Practice

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