Modesto City Schools set equity goals in spring. When will leaders report progress?
School leaders have set concrete steps to provide students in Modesto’s largest district with equitable access to education.
Trustees approved six goals in April to better serve marginalized students in Modesto City Schools. On Monday, the board was informed of the people assigned to each project and the dates at which they will report progress.
“It’s important that we’re held accountable to these measures,” said trustee Adolfo Lopez, who is part of the committee that crafted the goals.
The district’s Equity Committee will meet four times throughout this school year, according to a presentation at the board meeting. School officials plan to launch a website this year with updates on the committee’s work, said Mark Herbst, associate superintendent for student support services.
Modesto City Schools alumna Fallon Ferris joined the district in August as its first equity and intervention specialist. She’ll provide input as teams work toward each goal.
Here are the timelines and project leaders Ferris and Herbst presented to trustees Monday.
Goal: Analyze grading policies — Senior Director of School Leadership William Nelson will lead efforts to analyze grading policies and implement “grading for equity,” a practice that accounts for students’ backgrounds and resources to assign fair grades without bias. The district also will contract with Douglas Reeves, a nationally known education author and consultant, Ferris said.
Expect updates: Oct. 18, Feb. 7, June 6
Goal: Analyze course offerings — Senior Director of Professional Development Kim Newton and Social Science Curriculum Coordinator Janeen Zambo will look into adding ethnic studies as an elective course, Ferris said. The district offers a dual enrollment ethnic studies course through Stanislaus State University this school year.
Expect updates: Oct. 18, April 18
Goal: Conduct equity audits for marginalized student groups — Herbst and Associate Superintendent for Educational Services Brad Goudeau will evaluate the district’s programs for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Gifted and Talented Education, or GATE.
They will use enrollment data to determine whether groups of students are being left out of these advanced academic programs and then establish actions to boost representation where needed, Herbst said.
Expect updates: April 1, May 16
Goal: Increase teacher diversity, analyze teacher placement — Associate Superintendent of Human Resources Mike Henderson is in charge of increasing teacher diversity and analyzing where teachers are placed.
During an April board meeting, Herbst said, “We definitely have a strong Caucasian teaching force within Modesto City Schools, and that doesn’t necessarily match the demographics found within our district.” He added that teacher placement was looked at through two lenses: “one, the teacher-to-student ratio at school sites in terms of ethnicity, but also an analysis of where we place our veteran experienced teachers and where they are in relation to some of our highest-needs schools.”
Expect updates: Feb. 7
Goal: Improve communication with parents of color — Chief Communications Officer Krista Noonan is responsible for improving communication with parents of color. Ferris also will reach out to parents of color to collect feedback on the “wins and downfalls” of their experiences, she said.
Expect updates: April 1, May 16
Goal: Develop trust through improved customer service — Noonan will manage this project as well. She’ll focus on improving first impressions with families, Ferris said. At the same April board meeting at which Herbst addressed teacher diversity and placement, he said the community feels strongly that communication from the district and school sites to people of color is “lacking.”
Expect updates: April 1, May 16
This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Modesto City Schools set equity goals in spring. When will leaders report progress?."
