Equity

Purpose The Governing Board strives to create inclusive and supportive environments for all learners: all abilities, all ethnicities and cultural identities, LGBTQ +, and Multilingual Learners. The Governing Board believes in the unique strengths and gifts of each individual student to achieve high intellectual performances for personal success and acknowledges that disparities exist in learning outcomes based on unintentional or implicit bias and prejudices toward students perceived as "less". As respectful and caring adults we affirm our collective responsibility for cultivating engaged community members. This regulation specifically advises RCSD staff regarding issues related to dismantling institutional barriers that negatively impact student learning and ensure an equity consciousness lens in creating policies and administrative regulations across Departments. The Governing Board recognizes the need for ongoing review of policies and recommends that each department regularly conduct a review of department policies, procedures, and programs with an equity consciousness lens to ensure these policies result in fair and just outcomes for all students, staff, and their families. The district's vision and goals address the needs of all students, particularly those students who have been most underserved by the education system. The Governing Board recognizes the inherent value of diversity and acknowledges that educational excellence requires a commitment to equity in the opportunities provided to all students and community members. The Governing Board gives direction to the Superintendent to establish a district-wide Equity Consciousness standing committee that meets regularly to address issues of equity and ensure the Board Vision and Mission goals are met. Updates will be provided to the Board at regularly scheduled Board meetings. It is the Board's interest to create the most diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace for our staff and educational environment for our students, so that our mission is achieved and each Department takes collective action toward equitable outcomes for all students, with particular attention given to historically underserved and underrepresented community members. The Governing Board requests each Department regularly monitor the impact of district policies and decisions on all students in order to safeguard against disproportionate or unintentional impact on access to programs and achievement goals for specific student populations in need of services. Business Services Department The Business Services Department commits to differentiating resource allocations, within budgetary limitations and in accordance with state and federal funding requirements, to eliminate systemic disparities in access to the resources that all students need to reach high intellectual performances. Existing financial resources include, but not limited to: LCFF Sources Federal Grants State Grants Parcel Tax Revenues Donations and other local revenue sources The following procedures outline the process for achieving educational equity and the elimination of personal biases, racism, and discrimination. The Business Office will ensure information related to students is used in the allocation of funding to each school site and department. Allocation of funding and other financial resources will be developed and implemented based upon: student enrollment as a baseline data; and if applicable, a differentiated funding formula for schools with significant percentages of students with greater needs. The Business Office will use data analysis and stakeholders' input in determining the needs of students for purposes of establishing priorities in the use of the District's limited resources. The stakeholders' input can collectively be referred from the Board, Superintendent, Cabinet and other existing oversight and advisory committees. The Business Office staff will intentionally prioritize services and assistance to teachers and school administrators so they can deliver timely and proper support to students. Business Office staff shall be more intentional and conscious in the choice of words or labels in communications and financial reporting so as not perpetuate discrimination and racism. Communications Department The Communications Department commits to increasing Family/Community Involvement given that "a substantial body of research demonstrates that family and community participation in schools is important for improving student achievement, motivating school improvement, and building inclusive school cultures for students of color" (Learning Policy Institute, 2021). RCSD commits to increasing parent voices including those of parents who are most impacted by the decisions at hand. In order to ensure high level customer service that honors and respects all stakeholders, the Communications Department commits to providing annual training of new parent leadership on multi-communication strategies to create a culture of strong school home partnerships that includes providing support/training/best practices to school parent groups (PTO, PTA, SSC, ELAC) on how to lead or be members of site and district committees. The Communications Department will support District and Site level efforts to engage community members. The following are suggestions to increase the capacity of all members: Create unified messaging around district initiatives to expand the classroom at home and align common messages on district initiatives (i.e. Social Emotional Learning themes.) Provide guidance training to new district families on the various district and site communication strategies and channels (i.e. where to look for what, RCSD webpage, Facebook, etc.) District and site leadership strive to provide a range of opportunities for family participation that includes one-time participation opportunities to year long committee work (i.e. naming committee meetings for facility naming to the ongoing Superintendent Advisory Council meetings. Whenever possible, provide interpretation services at site and district level committees, meetings, and written communications Whenever possible, provide a space and time for parents to hear information in Spanish prior to the general meeting held or provide sessions bilingually. In order to maximize academic achievement among all significant student groups through family and community outreach the Communications Department will utilize, but not be limited to, the following activities: Community Conversations School Board Meetings Principal Coffees Parent Advisory Councils, such as District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC), Budget Advisory Committee (BAC), District Advisory Committee (DAC), School Site Council (SSC), English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC), Parent Teacher Student Associations/Organizations and other district and school site committees Published and translated correspondence Communications tools such as RCSD Webpage, site level webpages, and social media platforms targeting the specific needs of each audience Communications strategies such as how-to videos as needed (i.e. How to use PowerSchool). Community Partnerships The Governing Board acknowledges where strong staff–family relationships exist, parents are engaged as valued experts and there are regular exchanges between home and schools. The RCSD includes Community-based partnerships to provide support for children's healthy development to address barriers to learning. Our partnerships encompass mental health, essential services to address food and shelter insecurities, legal aid and other services that are identified by families and sites to be of need. The Department of Community Partnerships creates the link between the instructional school day to the extended learning programs. "A substantial body of research demonstrates that family and community participation in schools is important for improving student achievement, motivating school improvement, and building inclusive school cultures for students of color" (Learning Policy Institute, 2021). To better support the academic needs of the students served through the community partnerships, the department will create a stronger alignment of the regular instructional day curriculum to the extended day programs. In this way there will be sharing of the curricular expectations and academic outcomes with parents during family meetings hosted by the community partnerships to make transparent the academic outcomes of all students, particularly those served in the Community Schools. Efforts will be made to replicate existing wrap around services and develop a structure for supporting high needs students from non-community schools. Formal connections between non-community schools and community schools will be developed to ensure all students, especially those historically underserved, receive the services needed. The Community Partnerships' department is committed to creating environments that are supportive, welcoming and inclusive for all families. One way to create and maintain positive relationships with our families, whenever possible, is to provide a physical space school sites for parents to meet, participate in family development sessions and engage with one another and site staff during the school day. In this way parents can receive the support they need as well as begin to connect with one another and their school community. The department will publish, and if needed, develop and publish clear procedures and protocols for how support and/or organizations are provided to schools and families. The department will establish clear procedures for allocating community school resources(financial, personnel and partnerships) throughout the district to create equitable distribution; thereby, creating school structures and programs that are aligned to the needs of the community. The Community Schools will increase partnerships relative to physical health, the arts and college and careers. Efforts will be made to foster positive youth development, student voice, and leadership through extended day partnerships focused on building student strengths, interests, and passions that provide enrichment opportunities for students that extend learning across multiple disciplines including the arts, STEM, and physical education. Educational Services Department The Educational Services Department believes that each student brings experience, assets, and background knowledge to school each day. It is the responsibility of all Redwood City staff to acknowledge and build on these assets and strengths so that each student, regardless of language, socio-economic status and race, achieves high intellectual performances The Ed Services department will foster and maintain a districtwide culture of inclusion and belonging for each student, particularly students from historically underserved populations, staff and their families. The Educational Services Department commits to providing a full and comprehensive curriculum using engaging instructional practices utilizing the following activities: Providing sustained coaching and feedback to teachers in the areas of equitable practices and social justice mindset Analyzing any new curriculum to be adopted for antiracism philosophy and descriptions Reviewing current curriculum for an emphasis on social justice and critical pedagogy that ncludes diverse voices and perspectives in all subject areas Incorporating stories of families and their experiences in the curriculum, with teachers paying special attention to "who is being left out" of the stories that highlight the "funds of knowledge" from families Cultivating a students' multilingualism through the use of assetsbased, high quality instruction that promotes cultural pride and strengthens self-esteem Developing student agency through student centered and student driven learning opportunities Expanding the definition of "assessment" to include the inclusion of multiple intelligences/abilities/talents and higher order skills/high operational practices Incorporating enriching activities on the foundational belief that each student is gifted in several areas to maximize and enhance student strengths Incorporating the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards in order to integrate the "4Cs" creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking in the development of instructional activities, with the outcome of understanding that what we do has an effect on the world outside the classroom Health and Wellness Department The Health and Wellness Department seeks to provide supportive learning environments for all students that attend to students' physical and emotional health and wellbeing. The Governing Board acknowledges that there is a direct connection between learning and students' physical and mental health and will implement a cohesive, comprehensive and focused effort for supporting the physical, social emotional and mental health needs of students. The Health and Wellness Department will prioritize services to promote emotional health and wellbeing across all sites, with particular focus on the historically underserved youth. The Department will work with district and site level leadership to develop and implement a set of strategies to identify and address the mental health and physical needs of the students, including mental health counseling, nutrition, trauma informed instruction, and restorative practices . The services will be equitable across the district with developed criteria for mental health services at each site. The Health and Wellness department will annually review mental health data, budget allocations and student needs to determine equitable services across the district. Each site will utilize the developed criteria to best meet the needs of families and students. Periodic training will be provided for new or existing members of the site leadership teams, Multi-systems of Support teams (MTSS), or other similar site level teams to ensure the criteria are met and result in positive support for students and families. The Health and Wellness Department will work closely with the Departments of Student Services and Community Partnerships to align the services available. The Governing Board seeks to ensure that school environments are places that allow students, staff, and other community members to be treated with fair and inclusive practices so that they feel safe, valued, heard, and respected. The Governing Board understands that students develop a sense of agency and a healthy sense of identity from those around them, most especially with the adults in schools. To provide the adults with the professional development and skill set they need to respond to all students and learn more of how their actions influence students, the district will align actions to the current research on trauma informed instruction, restorative practices, and social emotional development. The current research will guide the schools in the development of the Safe and Healthy School Plans to create inclusive and supportive environments for all learners. The Health and Wellness Department will work with the school sites to provide physical health services as needed. Nutrition education, mindfulness practices that develop self-care and resiliency in students will be emphasized and up to date Immunizations will be a priority. Site nurses will work with the Department Director and site administrators to ensure the physical health of students is monitored. Human Resources Department The Human Resources Department commits to making decisions from an equity consciousness lens to eliminate inequities and provide for equitable human resource allocations to the fullest extent possible given state or federal guidelines regarding certification and/or other credential and licensure requirements. Given research shows that strong connections exist between teacher and principal quality and student success, the Human Resources Department commits to an ongoing review of employment practices that lead to equitable outcomes for all students, understanding that RCSD takes collective responsibility to ensure that all RCSD Staff are the voice of encouragement to dismantle barriers. The Human Resources Department will recruit and retain high-quality, credentialed teachers and leaders, particularly educators that reflect the diverse Redwood City School District community and culture of the student population. The employment practices, from recruitment, the interview process, and moving to hiring will include equity conscious language and strategies at all junctures of the process including interview questions, job descriptions, and panel interviews. RCSD Employment Practices: Vacancies are advertised widely and internally within the organization, as well as through outreach to targeted groups. Recruitment, interview, selection, training and promotion practices and procedures are non discriminatory. The district will recruit, hire, support and develop staff that are most qualified to help students achieve standards, exceed job level performance outcomes and reflect the community served. The most qualified staff is assigned to serve students most in need. Prioritize the allocation of district's human resources in a manner that achieves equitable outcomes for all students The application process will be equitable by making sure the platforms are understood by all applicants with embedded information on the website available to all. When needed, the HR Department personnel will support applicants with the website or platforms used for hiring or make available the electronic devices for applying. Professional development will be provided to all educators to build the capacity of employees regarding student learning and development and about the racial, ethnic, and cultural communities served. The onboarding process for all staff will include specific training on implicit bias, the historical implication of racial inequalities on students, the need for more trauma informed instruction, social-emotional learning and restorative practices. A more focused professional development session will be offered to non-teaching staff that also highlights specific topics of implicit bias, the historical implication of racial inequalities on students, and the staff role in taking collective responsibility to honor all members of the staff and community. The Department will periodically review data to evaluate for the efficacy of their equitable hiring practices that include to follow data sets: Percentage of teachers fully certified for the courses they teach, by school and by student race Percentage of National Board Certified Teachers, by school Racial diversity of teachers, by school Teacher retention rates, by school Percentage of teachers with more than 3 years of experience, by school Average class size and pupil load, by school and by course Student Services Department The Students Services Department seeks to build a positive school culture where all students feel understood, respected and accepted. The Student Services Department will work with RCSD staff and community members so that all will be the voice of encouragement to dismantle barriers and provide students with learning strategies needed for personal confidence and future success. RCSD has developed Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports systems that are the foundation of creating nurturing and supportive environments for all students. The Department of Student Services will work closely with the site Multi-system of Support Teams or other similar site leadership teams to review site behavioral data by each significant student group to ensure all students are receiving the appropriate levels of support. The Student Services Department will provide professional development for new site members that encourage positive student to student and teacher to student relationships that are the foundation for significant learning to take place. Restorative Justice practices will also be developed and utilized that promote self-confidence, student leadership, and develop resiliency in students. Ongoing professional development will be provided that develops staff skill sets to develop respectful and caring relationships for all students, especially those who exhibit challenging social emotional behaviors. The Student Services Department will provide frequent communication to the sites regarding social emotional themes/topics from the adopted SEL curriculum. Ideas for newsletter items regarding districtwide restorative practices, PBIS strategies will be shared with families to strengthen home and school connections and reinforce lessons learned during the school day. Activities such as "restorative circles" will be promoted across the district for students and staff to develop a deep understanding of how their actions affect others and lead to an inclusive, equitable community. Technology and Innovation Department The Department of Technology and Innovation is committed to offering the resources students need to engage in classroom experiences that develop digital literacy, facility with online learning platforms and the use of technology applications and platforms that leads to deeper learning. The Department of Technology and Innovation working with community partners has developed a process for equitable network access for students across the district. The Department of Technology and Innovation seeks to work closely with the Business Department to equitably fund school sites with the devices and infrastructure needed to eliminate disparities across the district regarding technology access. Equitable funding across the sites will support the goals of the Department that include: Needed access points in unincorporated areas of Redwood City Improved perimeter of connection beyond school campuses that may include city parks as access sites Stable funding for districtwide adopted technology applications or platforms Funding for teachers' educational opportunities to develop digital skills The professional development for teachers and staff, including administrators and families, will ensure the tools provided lead to greater outcomes for all students. The Department will work with the Education Services Department to align professional development opportunities so that all staff have the knowledge base to utilize technology in daily instructional practice specifically targeting school sites with student populations who have less access to connectivity and devices in the home.