Strategies to Gain Support for District Equity Initiatives

Demonstrated commitment from district leadership generates district-wide engagement with equity initiatives. Administrators at profiled districts launched equity initiatives by creating standard, clear, and comprehensive definitions of equity and inclusion. Further demonstration came from their commitment to hire staff to support the initiatives, create district and school equity committees, and integrate equity goals into the annual budget process.

This report explores considerations for implementing a district-wide equity plan, including securing and demonstrating support from district leaders and creating comprehensive equity policies. Explore details and highlights of professional development strategies used to facilitate equity initiatives and how to assess equity and inclusion initiatives through chosen metrics, surveys, and teacher evaluations.

Implementing a district-wide equity plan

When launching any equity and inclusion initiative, district administrators will likely face criticism from individuals who perceive that initiatives serve limited population groups (e.g., students of color). The criticism often stems from a general misunderstanding of how the multiple facets of a person’s identity influence their life and educational journey. A student’s identity is not solely defined by their race. Other aspects of identity (e.g., socioeconomic status, mental health, gender identity) play a significant role in how a student experiences education and learning. Equity and diversity initiatives exist to create a learning environment that supports and enriches the education of all students, regardless of attributes of individuals’ identities.

District C, District D, and District E successfully created and sustained momentum around improving equity and inclusion in their districts because district administrators demonstrate their support for equity and inclusion across the district. District leaders identified equity and inclusion as focus areas for each district and continue to work closely with equity departments to support ongoing initiatives and projects.

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Professional learning opportunities on equity and inclusion

To launch a district commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive learning environment for all students, administrators should consider offering full-day, district-wide professional development that introduces topics in equity and inclusion, defines common terms, and describes the district’s commitment and efforts to achieve long-term equity goals. Administrators at District A and District E worked with experts in the equity and inclusion field to create large-scale professional learning opportunities to help administrators, teachers, and staff become familiar with equity and diversity topics.

To fundamentally change the culture of a district, administrators should consider integrating conversations about equity and inclusion into each professional development opportunity offered to teachers and staff, regardless of topic and audience. Contacts at profiled districts note that incorporating equity and inclusion conversations into all professional development opportunities helps ingrain the creation of equitable learning environments into the culture of the district. This also demonstrates administrators’ commitment to these issues.

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Assessment of equity and inclusion initiatives

Administrators at District A and District D use a free survey created by Panorama Education, an educational consulting company, to assess students’ perceptions on nineteen topics including the quality of teaching and learning, school engagement, and sense of belonging. Administrators use the Panorama Student Survey to gauge students’ perception of belonging and the districts’ movement toward an inclusive learning environment. Administrators at both profiled districts distribute the digital survey to students in grades three through twelve each fall and spring.

Administrators at District E incorporate equity and inclusion expectations into teacher evaluations to provide standards of individual accountability related to the district’s equity goals. For example, administrators could highlight inclusive classroom environments as an area for improvement on teacher evaluations for those not already incorporating these efforts into their work.

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