Moving Towards Equity:Addressing Disproportionality at the Local Level

Shana RitterTHE EQUITY PROJECTCenter for Evaluation & Education Policy at Indiana UniversityGreen Bay, Wisconsin August 15, 2006

Leaving No Child Behind…

“The purpose of schooling – no matter how daunting that purpose may be – is to struggle with the tensions that will always exist around the twin goals of providing learning opportunities that are excellent and equitable for all, not some,”.

(Cochran-Smith, 2001, 93)

Equity in education

A principle that guides policy and practice holding high expectations and providing appropriate resources so that all students can achieve at a rigorous standard.

Diversity & Cultural Competence

Valuing Diversity is a necessary step along the continuum of cultural competency and culturally responsive pedagogy, but it is not enough.

Cultural Competency requires knowledge, skills and experience and the ability to transform these into practice which results in improved services and outcomes.

Cultural Competence

A developmental process.

A set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.

Having the capacity to function effectively in cultural contexts that differ from your own.

ProficiencyCompetencePre-Competence

IncapacityDestructiveness

Blindness

Cultural Competence ContinuumCommunity Anti-Drug Coalitions

Profoundly Multicultural Questions- Sonia Nieto

“Multicultural education needs to be accompanied by a deep commitment to social justice and equal access to resources…, in short it needs to be about much more than ethnic tidbits and cultural sensitivity.”

“It is easier to adopt a multicultural reader than to assure all children learn to read, to have a concert of ethnic music than to give all children instruments.”

Profoundly Multicultural Questions

Who’s taking calculus?

Which classes meet in the basement?

Who’s teaching the children?

How much are children worth?

IN OTHER WORDS

AS R.D. Laing stated crazy is believing that you can continue to repeat the same actions and arrive at different results.

Lenses of Inequity

Disproportionality in Achievement

Disproportionality in Discipline

Disproportionality in High School Graduation

Disproportionality in Special Education

National NAEP Percent Scoring Basic or Above: 2003

40

69

4247

74

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Black Asian Latino Native Am White

Percent Basic and Above Grade 4 Reading

39

78

46

54

79

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Black Asian Hispanic Native Am White

Percent Basic and Above Grade 8 Mathematics

Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, 2002

National Graduation Rates by Race in 2002

57%

79%

53%55%

76%

69%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

1

Race

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Native American

Asian

Hispanic

African-American

White

Total

Discipline Rates by Race

10.11

0.5

40.47

1.17

18.77

0.74

4.93

0.13

14.87

0.48

16.89

0.6705

1015202530354045

Inci

den

t R

ate

Per

100

Stu

den

ts

White Black Hispanic Asian MultiRacial NativeAmerican

Racial Category

OSS

EXP

National Data on School Discipline

2.84

2.47

1.23

1.50

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

Rel

ativ

e R

isk

Rat

io (

Co

mp

ared

to

Wh

ite

Stu

den

ts)

Black Hispanic

National School Discipline: 2002-2003

Out-of-School Suspension

Expulsion

Equity Line

Disproportionality in Special Education

In addition to the problems the students experience in their personal lives away from school, the schools create a whole new set of problems for children they deem different. As schools become more wedded to psychological models, students are recruited into new categories of pathology. Students who do not conform to particular behavioral expectations may be labeled "disabled" in some way, that is, suffering from attention deficit disorder, emotional disability, or cognitive disabilities. Students do in fact confront real mental and emotional problems, but we need to consider the way students' racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic characteristics are deployed to make their assignments to these disability categories more likely.

Gloria Ladson Billings

How Much More Likely Are African American Students to Be in Special Ed.?

• Relative Risk for Indiana’s AA students:

– Mild Mental Disability 3.29 x more– Emotional Disturbance 2.38 x more– Moderate MD 1.91 x more– Communication Disorder 35% less– Learning Disabled 6% less– Regular Class Placement 35% less– Separate Class Placement. 2.84 x more

Relative Risk in MIMD

Community Schools: Trends in Relative Risk for Special Education, MIMD, & MOMD 1998-2004

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2002-2003 2003-2004

School Year

Rela

tiv

e R

isk

African AmericanStudents in SpecialEducation

African AmericanStudents LabeledMIMD

African AmericanStudents LabeledMOMD

Composition Index of AA students in general and special education

Community Schools: General vs. Special Education 1998-2004

20.0%

22.0%

24.0%

26.0%

28.0%

30.0%

32.0%

34.0%

36.0%

1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2002-2003 2003-2004

School Year

Per

cen

tag

e

African American Student in Corporation

African American Students in SpecialEducation

LRE

• Not only are African Americans being placed in special education at disproportionate rates but, they are also being disproportionately placed in more restrictive settings.

• Consequently, they are being denied access to some of their deserved educational opportunities.

• Blaming the Victim: Disproportionality due primarily to characteristics of minority populations (e.g. Herrnstein & Murray)

• Critical Race Theory: Disproportionality as a decision to maintain the structure of white privilege (e.g. Bell, Delgado)

• Cultural Reproduction: Racial/economic inequity maintained by roles and actions of individuals within institutions, perhaps unconsciously (e.g., Bowles & Gintis, Oakes)

• Maybe We Shouldn’t Talk About It...

Responses to InequityResponses to Inequity

OR TAKE ACTION

Data driven decisions

Research based approaches

Cultural competence

The Equity Project

• Collaboration of IDOE and The Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at I. U.

• Document status of minority disproportionality in Indiana

• Use that information to guide remediation

Project History and Timeline

• Phase I (1999-2000): – Developing Measures of Disproportionality

• Phase II (2000-2001): – Understanding What Contributes to Special Ed.

Disproportionality• Phase III (2002-2006):

– Addressing Disproportionality in Local School Districts

– Develop New MeasuresOwnership, RER, Cultural Competence

Qualitative Study – The Context of Disproportionality

• Interviewed across 7 corporations:– 28 teachers– 14 principals, 8 assistants (deans)– 9 school psychologists– 7 directors of special education

• 7 African American, 59 Caucasian

• 12 male, 54 female

The Effects of Poverty

“Is the ethnicity the problem or is poverty the problem?” --Principal

“You look at the students that we are identifying and for some reason they are disadvantaged.”

--Principal

The Effects of Poverty on Classrooms

“There are days that I walk away with like 200 pounds on my shoulders thinking ‘it keeps getting worse.’ The stories are more bizarre, more traumatic; how can we possibly meet all these needs?”

--Classroom Teacher

“I’m tired. It gets harder and harder and there is less and less help for us.”

--Classroom Teacher

What the Data Say: IDP Analyses

• Conducted analysis of Indiana’s disproportionality data controlling for poverty

• Found that economic disadvantage does not account for racial disparities– In some cases low poverty predicts increased AA

overrepresentation– Poverty seems to magnify racial disparity

02

46

8P

roba

bilit

y of

Iden

tific

atio

n

0 20 40 60 80Percent Receiving Free Lunch

African American Children Other Children

Race and SES: Identification of MIMD

School Factors: Resources & Classroom Management

Sometimes we tend to put middle class values and expectations on another group, another culture. And when you look at the school setting the majority of teachers are Caucasian, middle class, I find a lot of my African American boys need movement. I’ve talked with teachers about that, it isn’t ADHD or any of those things, this is just a kid who has to move and you need to provide them with the opportunity to do that. – Principal

School Factors: High-Stakes Testing

“Our expectations for youngsters have sky-rocketed, more and more aren’t attaining the standards the feds and state think should occur. A lot of stressed teachers feel tremendous pressure to get kids to a certain level and if I don’t then by gosh I better [get them tested] and find a reason why.”

--Special Ed. Director

“This year we were told that we had to refer anyone who didn’t pass ISTEP. So I had to refer 13 kids to [the prereferral team] and I don’t really need that…I know what their problem is.”

--Classroom Teacher

Problems with Referral and Decision Making

“I think because they know that something is not working for a child and they feel that they can’t tap into some resources. One stable resource that they have to tap into is special education. It has funding to support it, it’s a process that is in place. So it is an easy tap into subsystem.”

--Special Ed. Director

Referral and Decision MakingTeacher Perspective

“I am pretty open to referring any child that is not finding success. My goal is for every child to be successful.”

--Classroom Teacher

“If there’s a chance they might qualify, it’s always to their benefit to have them checked.”

--Classroom Teacher

The Difficulty of Talking About Race

““When you say minorities, are you, what are you speaking of?...[INTERVIEWER: Ethnic and racial minorities]...Oh....OK...Alright...We have like...I guess we have about half and half. I don’t know that I’ve ever really paid attention to it .”

--Classroom Teacher

Local Equity Action Development: The LEAD Projects

• Recognize that mistakes will be made

• Difficult conversations must take place

• The process of change can only be clearly mapped in retrospect.

The LEAD process

Developed as a result of the collaboration of those districts with the Indiana Disproportionality Project, enables school personnel at the local level to make use of their own data and resources to better understand and address issues of disproportionality and equity. The model is based upon four assumptions:

All plans must be local, addressing local realities and local needs. In order to address the complexity of disproportionality issues for culturally and linguistically diverse students in a way that is meaningful and appropriate to the culture of that district, plans must originate from within the district. While IDP staff provide guidance and technical assistance, decisions on plan design and implementation are made by the district planning team.

LEAD

• Planning and evaluation must be based upon local data. Local data on equity provide a framework that can motivate and guide local remediation efforts, and the success of any systems change efforts can be judged only by changes in those data.

• LEAD must be a collaborative effort • Conversations about race, disproportionality, and equity

are awkward and sometimes difficult, but necessary. Part of the role of the team is to ensure that team meetings are a safe place for having honest and “courageous” conversations

LOCAL EQUITY ACTION DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

ONGOING QUESTIONS What do we know about disproportionality in our district? What changes in school-based processes will have the greatest impact on disproportionality in our

schools? How do we involve others in the process of creating ownership for and bringing about change? How will we know if our efforts are working? What impact will this have on other issues of equity?

PROCESS STEPS

Form a Planning Te am Form a preliminary planning team Review existing data Name the issue Expand the planning team to include other key district stakeholders Gather and analyze new information

Identify the Action of Greatest

Potential Impact Hold focus groups to examine the issue and possible actions Examine and discuss input from the focus groups Gather research and information on best practices and models Engage in honest conversations about expectations for ALL students and staff

Develop a Plan

Design a LEAD pilot Provide professional development, time, and other supports Develop an Action Plan for Implementation Pilot in a few places Gather feedback Adapt the pilot Plan for expanded implementation

Implement, Assess, Adapt

Expand the team to include representatives from all sites to assure two-way communication Provide professional development as needed for best practice Clarify links and communicate with other district initiatives and ELL, Title, School Improvement etc. Use data consistently Deepen conversations about equity and culturally responsive pedagogy Include parents and community Ongoing assessments continue to inform implementation

Indiana Disproportionality Project Initiative on Equity &Opportunity

CEEP at Indiana University

Ongoing Questions

• What do we know about disproportionality in our district?

• What changes in school-based processes are perceived to have the greatest impact on disproportionality in our schools?

Ongoing questions

• How do we involve others in the process of creating ownership for and bringing about change?

• How will we know if our efforts are working?

• What impact will this have on other issues of equity?

What do you know about your district?

The LEAD Process

Form a preliminary planning team

key leaders in the district

general & special education

building level & central office

• Ask: What are our greatest areas of concern with respect to equity in our district?– What practices might contribute to disproportionality?

Examine the data

ASK: What do we know? What else do we need to know to understand

and apply the data? How will we find out more? How do we share what we know?

Key Roles for Data

1. Improving the quality of criteria used in problem solving and decision making

2. Describing institutional processes, practices and progress in schools and districts

3. Examining institutional belief systems, underlying assumptions, and behaviors

4. Mobilizing the school or district community for action

5. Monitoring implementation of reforms

6. Accountability-Using Data to Close the Achievement

Gap

Identify the action of greatest potential impact

ASK: What actions, programs or interventions do we believe would be the most promising in addressing the potential causes of disproportionality?

What have others done to address these issues?

What impact do we expect this action to have, how will we measure it?

Expand the planning team

ASK:• Is the team representative of your district?

• How can we find ways to continually incorporate other voices into the planning? (focus groups, surveys, site based meetings)

Develop a plan

• That will meet the needs and culture of the schools• Reflect best practices

• Identify data that will assess the impact of the project • BEGIN SMALL

ASK: What support do we need (Professional Dev., time, materials?)How will incorporate a focus on cultural competence?How will we know the effect on disproportionality?How will we encourage ownership and involvement?

Develop an Action Plan for Implementation

include as many voices as possible

And necessary professional development – cultural responsiveness

– leadership

– family involvement

– differentiated instruction

– using data effectively

Implement, Assess, Adapt

• Pilot in a few locations• Gather data• Gather feedback• Adapt• Re- Assess • Use evaluative measures• Continue conversations

ASK: How will we incorporate feedback?How will we share information about our LEAD

project with others in the district?How do we ensure that the project continues to

address the org9nal question of ethnic disproportionality?

What does it look like in the districts?

• Ten districts currently participating in Local Equity Action Development Projects– Reform the GEI Process– Peer Coaching– K-2 Instructional Project– Family Involvement– Cultural Competence

• Develop Standardized Measure to Track Disproportionality– Referral Assessment Placement

The Referral to Eligibility Ratio

• Tracks 3 steps of the referral to eligibility process: referral, assessment, eligibility

Measure the effectiveness of the GEI (or other Measure the effectiveness of the GEI (or other intervention) process intervention) process

Where in the process is disproportionality most likely to Where in the process is disproportionality most likely to occur?occur?

Track short term (e.g. yearly) changes in disproportionalityTrack short term (e.g. yearly) changes in disproportionality

GEI

Districts addressing minority disproportionality through the General Education Intervention Process are:

• Researching best practices • Developing a “Flexible Template” which includes case

manager, regular meetings, advance paper work, family involvement, follow up, and research based strategies

• Or adapting an approach, such as Creative Problem Solving

Family Involvement

• Creating a strategic plan for involving

all families

• Action research by teachers

• Cultural Competency for building administrators

• Community Wide Task Force on the Achievement Gap

Early Intervention: Direct Instruction

• Implementing an early reading intervention based on scientifically based reading research and information gained from DIBELS assessments

• Including special education and other at-risk students in the intervention

Lessons from the Field

Create a Culture of Inquiry

• Relevant data

• Probing questions

• Examining beliefs about school culture and equity– Issues of access– Opportunities to learn– Expectations of students, staff and community

DATA

Data is an integral part of the process when a school is willing to ask itself about the expectations it holds for children and about culture and power it begins to bring accountability for equity inside.

DIFFICULT DIALOGUES

Conversing about issues of equity, especially race, is a developmental process; ample time to build trust is necessary.

This is an essential step in becoming culturally responsive and gaining an understanding of IDENTITY, POWER & PRIVILEGE, CHANGE and the application in creating equitable access for all students.

OWNERSHIP

Ownership of the process grows through action: ongoing dialogue with colleagues, gaining a deeper understanding of the issues, design, implementation, and assessment.

SUSTAINABILITY

Addressing issues of equity is more likely to be ongoing:

• When it is viewed as an effort that benefits all children.

• When incorporated into the district’s overall plans for school improvement and other initiatives.

• When the community is involved.

LEADERSHIP

It is by questioning assumptions that a leader is able to influence change. Leadership that is willing to examine their own beliefs, and empower those they work with to do the same, is essential to the process of creating equitable change.

Disproportionality must be understood contextually

The disproportionality of students of color in educational programs cannot be fully comprehended as long as it considered a singular event, somehow divorced from the broader context of American education and American society.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Facilitates and supports the achievement of all students through cultural competency at three levels:

The Institutional

The Instructional

The Personal

Institutional

• School organization

• Policies and procedures

• Community Involvement

InstructionalBanks & Banks, Gay, Ladson-Billings, Nieto

• Acknowledge students’ differences as well as their commonalities

• Validate students’ cultural identity in classroom practices and instructional materials

• Educate students about the diversity of the world around them

• Promote equity and mutual respect• Assess students’ ability and achievement validly• Encourage students to think critically • Challenge students to strive for excellence as defined by

their potential

PersonalGay, Villegas & Lucas

• Engage in reflective practice• Explore personal and family histories• Acknowledge membership in different groups• Learn about the history and experiences of

diverse groups• Visit students’ families and communities• Visit or read about successful teachers in diverse

settings • Participate in reforming the institution

Whether you call it multicultural education, a diversity perspective, cultural competence or culturally responsive pedagogy the elements are the same

Belief in your students

An Empowering

SchoolCulture

CulturallyResponsivePedagogy

Prejudice Reduction

Knowledge Construction

Content Integration

EQUITY

Creating change

“The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you can alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change the world.”

James Baldwin

Center for Evaluation and Education Policy

Indiana University

Dr. Russ Skiba – Director skiba@indiana.edu

Shana Ritter – Coordinatorrritter@indiana.edu

Indiana Disproportionality Project

Initiative on Equity & Opportunity