There is a huge push statewide through the California Department of Education, and both the University of California (UCs) and California State University System (CSUs), to structure our entire public school system around identifying and boosting outcomes for traditionally under-served population groups. Classically, these "target groups" include Low-Income, Homeless, Foster, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, "People of Color"), English Learners, and others.
It is certainly true that, statistically speaking, when students are broken down along these lines it is easy to see variances in performance on standardized test results, G.A.T.E. participation, AP classes, graduation rates, suspension rates, college completion and other measures. Obviously, the reasons for these gaps are many and varied, but there is broad agreement that we should do whatever we can in public education to provide authentic support to students who would benefit from an extra boost. Some of the above-mentioned institutions (SATs, ACTs, GATE, and graduation requirements) are being dramatically altered, "dumbed down" or even eliminated by universities or public school systems in order to bring these "equity" statistics into alignment. Chico Unified should avoid drastic measures such as these, while striving for a balanced, reasonable approach, and our effective teaching of core subjects should never be compromised.
This past year I've taken a leadership role in the School Board's development and passage of a brand-new policy for the district that modernizes our utilization of student data to recruit professionals and allocate district resources to try and narrow these differences. This new initiative -- "Equity: Educational Excellence for Every Student" -- is, in my opinion, a balanced approach to this issue which is now shaping all aspects of education in California, both in K-12 as well as college level. My hope is that this policy (which can be viewed HERE) will strengthen our District's ability to reach these populations in new and effective ways
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