The Bellevue School District Mission: To provide all students with an exemplary college preparatory

education so they can succeed in college, career, and life. 1

Equity Department Board Report10/03/2017Shomari Jones, Director of Equity and Graduation Success

Purpose

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Align policies and practices with our mission of achievement for each and every student.

Identify and examine critical disparities in our educational system to ensure that opportunities and supports exist for high achievement by each and every student regardless of special needs, race, ethnicity, or financial status.

Provide a rigorous (challenging academic environment) education for each and every student.

Expect and support relevant, culturally competent learning environments.

Why Examine and Address Race?Race matters – in society and in our schools. It is critical for educators to address racialissues in order to uncover personal and institutional biases that prevent all students,and especially students of color, from reaching their fullest potential. COURAGEOUSCONVERSATION serves as the essential strategy for school systems and othereducational organizations to address racial disparities through safe, authentic, andeffective cross-racial dialogue.

Agenda

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1. Highlights & Summary Statements2. Additional Information & Data3. Follow‐Up to Inquiry From Last Report4. Next Steps5. Q & A6. Background Information

Highlights(1/2) How is SOAR (Students Organized Against Racism) aligned with 

district initiatives?• Keeping students at the center• Providing a platform for students to work alongside building 

administration to combat issues that perpetuate the marginalization of some of our most vulnerable students.

• Positive and productive life: students will become ambassadors towards ensuring building and district leaders adhere to the needs of their fellow classmates. 

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How are our students supported by Grad Success Coaches doing? • We now have 5, including 4 High school staff and 1 Middle school staff• Last year: Online Credit Recovery by Graduation Success caseload 

students (BHS, Interlake, NHS, SHS) amounted to 72 students earned credit in at least one district‐hosted online course

• 133 courses recovered in total by these 72 students

Slides N/A

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Highlights(2/2)

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What role do Family Service Specialists play in establishing a culture of service in our schools?

• Approximately 36% of all BSD students have received at least one service or support as provided by a Family Service Specialist in 2015‐16.

• Approximately 95% of families that returned a survey on the Family Service Specialist are positive about the support they receive.

Slides 16‐18

How is BD1 for ALL aligned with district initiatives?• We moved to a monthly BD1 offering this year with 1 school thus far, 

electing to include their entire school in the 2 day training (Ardmore)• Offering BD1 through our affiliate (PEG Trained) staff allows us to serve 

a projected 500+ staff this year, providing them with tools to begin their transformative journey 

Slides# 9, 15, 16 

How did the BEAT team support the organizations movement towards racial equity? 

• Last year the BEAT team constructed the draft version of the BSD Racial Equity in Education Policy.

• This document, once approved, will provide a foundation from where we can develop procedures in the interest of self accountability as we strive to serve ALL equitably.

Slides # 18

AdditionalInfoandData

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FocusAreasfortheEquityDepartment

• Adult‐focused work on racial equity (Krischanna Roberson)o BD1o School Based Equity Teamso Brown Bag Serieso Equity Speakers Series• STUDENT‐focused work on racial equity (Ken Wong)o SOARo BOOM and SHOUTo Credit Retrievalo Student Affinity Groups• Assessment tool for Measuring success (Whole Team)• Annual Regional Summit (Whole Team)

DELT’sWork

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Thisyear,alongwiththesupportofNaomiCalvo,DirectorofEvaluationandAssessment,wearedevelopingaresourcetoaidinidentifyingdistrict‐widegrowthinracialconsciousnessamongstourstaff,selfadvocacyamongstourstudents,andcommunityawarenessoftheracialequityworkhappeningwith‐inBSD.

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HowareyoumeasuringImpact:

Follow‐UpToInquiries

NextStepsEquityWorkfor2016‐2017

• Affiliate training for six additional staff (Currently at 10)• Action Teams for Partnership (ATP) conversion to Partnership for Academically Successful Students (PASS)

• District‐wide monthly inter‐session trainings • Toolbox of equity strategies to support schools• Student‐focused training for student equity teams:              Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR)

• Student‐focused field trips:                                                             Latino/a Educational Achievement Project; Young, Gifted and Black

• Creation of student equity advisory group• Launch of Latino/a parent affinity group• Implementation of Equity and Inclusion Teams13

Questions/Answers

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For additional information regarding this presentation contact:

The Bellevue School District Mission:   To provide all students with an exemplary college preparatory 

education so they can succeed in college, career, and life. 

Name:  Shomari JonesEmail:  joness@bsd405.orgPhone: (425)456‐4027

Background:EquityDepartmentsuccessessince2015

• Parent Alliance of Black Scholars (PABS)

• Breaking Out Of the Margins (BOOM)

• Sista’s Having Outstanding Uniqueness Together (SHOUT)

• BHS Girls & NHS Boys Affinity Groups 

• Race In America Class• Bellevue Equity Action Team (BEAT) 

• ALL Schools have E‐Teams

• Black  Staff Leadership Group 

• Equity in hiring • Equity Presentations at National Summit 

• Action Teams For Partnership (ATP) in 12 Schools

• Latino staff and community advisory group

• Formation of Quarterly Employee events

PEGAffiliateProgramThe PEG Affiliate Program provides a certification process to develop educators to lead Courageous Conversations About Race (CCAR) at the practitioner level. This process develops educators to facilitate PEG’s foundation seminar, Beyond Diversity I (BD) in their own districts and organizations to build system capacity and sustainability for racial equity transformation. Current PEG Affiliates:

Krischanna Roberson – Supervisor of Equity Scott Hetherington – Principal, Spiritridge Elementary Nicole Shimizu – ELL, Curriculum Developer Silvia Honores – Supervisor, Community and Family EngagementLiz Mizrahi – Assistant Principal, Highland Middle SchoolMonica Davies – Curriculum Developer, AVIDChristian Paige – Equity Specialist (NEW)John Eklof – Equity Specialist (NEW)Tracy Myers – Equity Specialist (NEW)Kristen McChesney – Director of Student Services (NEW)Ali Sameti – Assistant Principle, Enatai (NEW)

Testimony(ArdmoreAllStaffBD1,8/2017)

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Thank you.For everything.  Your patience and passion were an absolute blessing to my team.  So grateful to have the support from a powerhouse such as the Equity team.  Lives were altered in the last two days and that will lead to the lives of our kids being altered and that is the very best, most encouraging, and inspiring thought to start this year.  Absolutely overwhelmed.Looking forward to more work to be done.Joy AndersonThird GradeArdmore Elementary

*SeveralschoolhaveexpressedaninterestinhostingALLstaffBD1trainings,andthedistrictisworkingtodevelopastructuretosupporttheopportunityforwholeteamstolearn,andgrow,togethertowardssystemictransformation.

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TheBellevueEquityActionTeam

Purpose: The Bellevue Equity Action Team (BEAT) works to engage the school district community in the creation and implementation of an equity plan, with the purpose of closing the opportunity and achievement gaps, especially for students of diverse racial backgrounds.

In addition, the Bellevue Equity Action Team collaborates with the Director of Equity to affect direct change for students in marginalized populations. The team provides specific recommendations to the district community which address district policies, practices and procedures within all aspects of the organization, to ensure that the principles of diversity, social justice and equity are upheld.

A core belief of the founders of this group is that the people who have historically wielded power must be active leaders in shifting the balance of power. Acknowledging that a majority of Bellevue School District personnel are white, this group is purposefully designed to proportionally represent the population it seeks to engage in leading for social justice.