Case Study of Surrey Schools
PSA is partnering with the Surrey Schools (British Columbia) and the Center for Global Education at Asia Society to develop a case study of strategies that support the implementation of equity-driven, anti-racist policies and practices, grounded in the experiences of Surrey schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. This case study is designed as a practical resource that offers concrete exemplars of how to implement and operationalize a commitment to equity in the day-to-day practice of instruction and supports for children and families.
System Strategies to Advance Educational Equity
PSA reported on lessons from a learning cohort of districts focused on strategies for dismantling systemic barriers facing students, families, and educators for the Center for Global Education (CGE) at Asia Society, in partnership with Digital Promise and support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. During the 2019-20 school year, CGE invited teams from ten districts—members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools—to join a learning cohort focused on policies and practices to foster more equitable school systems. This learning cohort fostered dialogue and peer-sharing through a series of webinars and a two-day study tour of the Toronto District School Board. PSA documented the reflections of system leaders and emerging strategies for articulating and operationalizing the district commitments to equity. The PSA report provides concrete examples of the ways in which districts are taking steps toward designing more equitable school systems.
System Strategies to Advance Educational Equity: Lessons from a District Cohort
ESSA Leadership Learning Community (ELLC)
Since 2016, PSA has played a central role in documenting the work of the ESSA Leadership Learning Community (ELLC), a national collaborative that promotes leadership for equity in state and city education policies. Funded by The Wallace Foundation, and managed by the New York City Leadership Academy, the ELLC represents a partnership between the National Urban League, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and the Council of the Great City Schools. ELLC partners from 10 states—including State Education Agencies, school districts, and Urban League affiliates—convene to identify policy priorities, develop common messaging, and determine strategies for promoting equity in school leadership and outcomes.
Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium
PSA served as the evaluator of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium. A federally-funded Equity Center, the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium provides technical assistance to help districts tackle the work of identifying inequitable policies and practices and developing and implementing new, more equitable ones. The Consortium’s work targets racial, gender, sexual orientation, and language inequities. The PSA evaluation explored the effectiveness of the Consortium’s work in achieving its goals of raising awareness of equity issues and in helping school and district leaders adopt and implement policies that address some of the root causes of access and outcome gaps in student academic engagement and performance.
Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Midwest
Under subcontract to the federally-funded Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Midwest, PSA implemented an equity training for school board members in Wisconsin. In recognition of stark racial disparities in educational achievement, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has made closing educational outcomes gaps between Black students and their white peers a state priority. This training for school board members—among the state’s key educational policymakers— focused on applying research to make evidence-based decisions about ways to produce more equitable outcomes for students.