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The Pleasanton school board is set to participate in the last of four equity workshops and vote to approve an updated equity statement and policy at this Thursday’s board meeting.
The statement and policy will be part of the discussion during the workshop, which is designed to address equity gaps within the district.
“This entails support with various aspects of strategic facilitation and equity impact planning focused on identifying, implementing and monitoring actions that are contributing to achievement gaps, student disengagement and disproportionality in Special Education and discipline for identified student groups within our district,” a staff report states.
During the workshop, board members will be asked to assess themselves as a whole as a precursor to the examination, revision and creation of equity-focused policies and practices.
They will also follow a guiding governance equity action plan to create the conditions for sustainably addressing and closing educational equity gaps in schools.
Some of the plans to address inequities are outlined in the updated equity statement, which will be presented to the board.
This includes providing opportunities and resources based upon individual needs to African American, Latinx, LGBTQIA+ students, special education students and students with disabilities.
The statement also outlines the goal of, “Ensuring equally high outcomes for all in our educational system by removing the predictability of successes or failures that currently correlates with social or cultural factors, while promoting access to all pathways that build college and/or career readiness.”
The virtual workshop will be this Thursday (June 16) from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The full agenda can be accessed here.
In other business:
The school board will also receive a report on the PUSD Dual Language Immersion program and discuss new goals of expanding the program, increasing enrollment and developing an additional program for Mandarin.
According to the report given to board members, in 2018 the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, presented Global California 2030, which aims to expand teaching and learning of world languages by the year 2030.
“The aim of this initiative is to better prepare California students for the 21st Century economy, broaden their perspectives of the world and strengthen the diversity of backgrounds and languages that make California a vibrant and dynamic state,” the report reads.
Some of the goals are to increase the percentage of students participating in programs leading to proficiency in two or more languages to 50% and triple the number of students who receive the State Seal of Biliteracy statewide.
Currently, the PUSD Spanish language program focuses on getting students to receive the State Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish.
The other goals are quadrupling the number of dual-language programs and doubling the number of bilingual teachers statewide.
