February 2018 Edition of Envision Equity

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ENVISION EQUITY FEBRUARY 2018 for future success, but we are hindering our economic stability as a city. We are now a majorityminority school district, which means that fewer than half of our students are White. If we are to sustain economic growth and vitality of our city, we cannot keep perpetuating a system that keeps students of color from achieving to their full potential. Culture and Climate For all measures reported in the Scorecard, Black students are the least likely group (out of Black, White, and Latino students) to report feeling positively about their school environments. Interestingly, Latino students report more positive feelings than White students. Culture and Climate are related to suspension rates (Bottiani, Bradshaw, & Mendelson, 2016) so addressing one should improve the other. An overly punitive environment can foster anxiety and create distrust. This, in turn, can impede the learning environment for all students, even those who do not get suspended. This anxiety hinders academic performance (Perry & Morris, 2014). Thus, improving culture and climate may decrease the suspension disparities described above. Acting Superintendent Marty Pollio has prioritized school culture and climate, which is a hopeful sign that we might see more resources and support for schools. A positive school climate should increase student engagement and be reason for more teachers to continue teaching. Opportunities and Access One of the most important updates to the Scorecard will be the section on Opportunities and Access. Included are the following data points: teacher ethnic diversity, enrollment in Gifted programming, years of teacher experience, and participation in Advanced Placement. Continue on next page 10
ENVISION EQUITY FEBRUARY 2018 Teacher ethnic diversity Most (84%) of the teachers in JCPS are White, but fewer than half of our students are White. This is troubling for a number of reasons. Black teachers tend to have higher expectations for Black students than non-Black teachers do, when comparing the same students (Gershenson, Holt, & Papageorge, 2016), and there is evidence that when students share demographic characteristics with their teachers, they perform better academically (Dilworth & Coleman, 2014; Egalite, Kisida, & Winters, 2015; Pitts, 2007). At a handful of JCPS schools there are no teachers of color. This is an example of disparate impact, in that the school setting itself will theoretically impact student groups differently, with White students experiencing more favorable outcomes than other student groups. Further, Black students are more likely to be referred to Gifted and Talented programs (discussed below) if they have a Black teacher, even if controlling for assessment scores (Grissom & Redding, 2016). Photo, google images. JCPS teachers are largely dedicated and devoted to their students. This discussion is by no means meant to condemn individual teachers. Rather, we should continue to support teachers through ongoing cultural competency training; intensify our efforts at improving school culture and climate so teachers, staff, and students all benefit; and expand existing efforts to recruit and retain teachers of color. Gifted programming KPREP scores are, unsurprisingly, higher among students enrolled in Gifted and Talented programs. However, Black and Latino students are underrepresented in gifted programming. In JCPS, nearly 20% of White students are identified as G&T, but only 8% of both Black and Latino students are. This is not unique to our District. Research has found that even after controlling for social factors and assessments, Black and Latino students are less likely to be referred for gifted programming (Grissom & Redding, 2016). However, a Black student is more likely to be identified as gifted if his or her teacher is also Black (Ford, Moore, & Scott, 2011; Grissom & Redding, 2016). (As is pointed out elsewhere on this Scorecard, we know that JCPS has few Black teachers.) Scholars point to diversified curriculum Continue on next page 11
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February 2018 Edition of Envision Equity

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