ACSA’s iLead Equity Team Lab Professional Learning Network finished its eight sessions of networking June 9, and participating schools achieved their goal of identifying causes of inequities and developing strategies to correct them. School site teams from Clara King Elementary School in Cypress School District, Hendrick Ranch Elementary in Moreno Valley Unified School District, Marshall Fundamental Secondary School in Pasadena Unified School District and Bell High School in Los Angeles Unified School District began gathering in Ontario in September. The teams used data to identify a “problem of practice” they were experiencing in their schools, and worked together to identify what produced those inequitable outcomes. After COVID-19 closed schools, the sessions continued virtually. Marshall Fundamental Principal Mark Anderson said the academic systems at the school were not equitable for all students — students in Advanced Placement classes received a better education. After speaking with the public, stakeholder groups, staff and students, Anderson said his team found that there was a perception of “two schools within one school.” “There was one where everyone is excelling, and one for everyone else,” he said. “We wanted to make a concerted effort to provide a high-quality education.” Joining the PLN helped the school identify root causes that led to that inequity, said Marshall English Learner instructional coach Lilia Romero. “The root causes were perception of our classes and how they are viewed by students, teachers, parents and the community, and the inconsistency of expectations, as well as the inconsistency in student engagement and lack of common understanding of rigor,” Romero said. At Clara King Elementary, teacher Cheryl Milkes said the inequity the site team identified was that students with disabilities and economically-disadvantaged students with academic, behavioral and socio-emotional needs were not being served with a data-driven lens. Teacher Colleen Ferreira said they identified the problem by viewing California School Dashboard data and distributing teacher and parent surveys, as well as a social/emotional learning survey for students. “It’s so apparent that those students don’t do as well as their peers,” said Principal Jacki Teschke. “What is it we can do as a school to meet everyone’s needs?” Ferreira said causes for the inequity included lacking site-specific resources to identify and support student needs and lacking progress-monitoring data. The site team from Hendrick Ranch Elementary also said the school did not effectively promote academic growth for students with disabilities. Teacher Christina Jackson said data from the California School Dashboard helped identify the problem, and the school also used local district testing and individual assessments through the online diagnostic program i-Ready.

“We noticed there was a lack of communication between our special education department and general education teachers,” said Hendrick Ranch teacher Jennifer Fuerte. The site teams have all planned to implement changes in their schools to address the causes of inequity, particularly with professional development and equity trainings. They hope to have success data to share in the future. “I can say regarding success that, even though it’s uncomfortable, my staff knows this is something that can be done, and we are working through the resistance,” said Hendrick Ranch Principal Marie White. Mary Stevens, an English teacher at Marshall, said she felt the school’s work has just begun. “It’s been enlightening, but also kind of a painful experience,” she said. “We’re wrapping our minds and hearts around what we have to change. We have to take it back to our sites.”