The Common Core Standards: A Civil Rights Perspective Bradley Scott, Ph.D. Director IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity [email protected].

The Common Core Standards:

A Civil Rights Perspective

Bradley Scott, Ph.D.Director

IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity

[email protected] Antonio, Texas

Sixth Generation of Civil Rights and Educational Equity

2012-Future

Systemic Equity

Transformed ways systems and individuals habitually operate to ensure that every student has the greatest opportunity to learn supported by the appropriate resources.

Quality Schools Action Framework

“A Quality Schools Action Framework – Framing Systems Change for Student Success,” IDRA Newsletter, Nov-Dec 2005.©2005, Intercultural Development Research Association

Parent Involvement/Community Engagement

TeachingQuality

Student Engagemen

t

Curriculum Quality and

Access

Actionable Knowledge

Community Capacity Building

CoalitionBuilding

School Capacity Building

Governance Efficacy

StrategicAdministrative

Leadership

Fair Funding

School Holding PowerGraduation and College going

Student Success• College Graduation• Life success• Global competence

Levers of Change

Change Strategies

School SystemFundamentals

School System

Indicators

OutcomeIndicators

What do we need? How do we make change happen?

Which fundamentals must

be secured?

Where do we focus systems

change?

What outcomes will result?

Engaged Citizens

Accountable Leadership

Enlightened Public PolicyE

qui

ty L

ens

an

d

Go

als

of E

duca

tiona

l Eq

uity

Equity Lens and

Goals of Educational Equity

The Equity Context and Lens

The Lens

The optic through which all of the business of the organization is filtered.

Focusing the Equity Lens How does this (activity) impact all

learners? What might create a negative or

adverse impact on any identifiable population?

How do we address any adverse impact?

How might that adverse impact be avoided?

What precautions should we take as we move forward? and,

How do we monitor our work and comparable outcomes for all students?

This lens: Protects the civil rights of every learner;Guarantees equitable educational opportunity for all; Provides appropriate supports for school success.

The Equity Context and Lens The Equity Context

The systems and structures that are put in place ensure that no learner is denied the fair and equitable benefit afforded to all other students regardless of race, gender, national origin, economic level, and disability .

The Sixth Generation of Civil

Rights and Educational Equity Equity Concerns:Strategic and focused implementation of the Goals

Goal 1: Comparably High Achievement and Other Student Outcomes

Goal 2: Equitable Access and InclusionGoal 3: Equitable TreatmentGoal 4: Equitable Opportunity to LearnGoal 5: Equitable Resource DistributionGoal 6: Equitable Shared Accountability

Pre-k through 20 education and school completion

Resolution of persistent “gap” issues

Institutionalizing innovations

Eradicating barriers that block high achievement

Transformed curriculum that is relevant, meaningful, powerful, and dynamic

Mastery of English language literacy

Mastery of core content at a global competence level

Technology equity for management, instruction, creation and development

Heightened stakeholder collaboration

Parental involvement and engagement

Safe, secure, non-hostile learning environments

Reformed, expanded, and targeted professional development, staff renewal and staff support systems

Confronting new discrimination Confronting “isms” in school Embracing the civil rights concerns Creating cultures of positive change Building 21st century efficacy

Creating good community and school health

Creating a cradle to college and career pipeline

Eradicating the cradle to prison pipeline

. . .

The Common Core Standards The Common Core Standards lay a foundation

for system-wide education reform The standards reflect knowledge most critical

for college and career success The standards bring consistency across states The standards are more rigorous than most

state standards. The standards increase the coherence and rigor

of what is expected of American students.

BUT . . . There Are Some Concerns

By their own admission, the standards:1.Do not address interventions for students well below grade level;2.Do not delineate the full range of support for English language learners;3.Do not describe how teachers should teach

(CCSSO and NGA)

There are Other Civil Rights Concerns

The equity lens needs cleaning How does this (activity) impact all learners? What might create a negative or adverse impact on any

identifiable population? How do we address any adverse impact? How might that adverse impact be avoided? What precautions should we take as we move forward?

and, How do we monitor our work and comparable outcomes

for all students?

The equity context is perforated

The systems and structures that are put in place ensure that no learner is denied the fair and equitable benefit afforded to all other students regardless of race, gender, national origin, economic level, and

handicap . Race to the Top Other competitive grants

The performance field is uneven

Where do ELLs start? Where do the Low performers start? What do these standards look like in rural and remote

areas? What do these standards really look like in inner city

(distressed urban) versus suburban areas? What do they look like in tribal settings on and off

reservations? What do these standards look like in alternative school

settings?

The goals of equity are fractured

Goal 1: Comparably High Achievement and Other Student Outcomes

Goal 2: Equitable Access and InclusionGoal 3: Equitable TreatmentGoal 4: Equitable Opportunity to LearnGoal 5: Equitable Resource DistributionGoal 6: Equitable Shared Accountability

Teaching quality may fail some students

Knowledge and skills in first and second language acquisition

Skills for teaching the challenged learner Pedagogy that supports success in low

performing learners The use of culturally competent pedagogy PD for the “challenged pedagogue” Mis-alignment of practice, and Skewed expectations

Quality leadership may fail to manifest itself

Teacher evaluation systems The principal as Learning Leader Assurance of protection of civil rightsunder

the law for non-discrimination Guarantees of equal protection under the

law and equal treatment The right to learn The appropriate distribution of resources to

support excellence for all (not just some) Accountability – Who’s responsible, who’s to

blame?

In Truth . . .

Transforming systems requires: Moving from a different place to a

different place with the right intentionality

Dislodging our habits Seeing with a different lens Acting in a different way Being a professional who asserts “the

right”

Creating schools that work for all children

Intercultural Development Research Association5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101

San Antonio, Texas 78228

www.idra.org

[email protected]

[email protected] 210.444.1710