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An openBEAM 5+1 proposal to address school disciplinary dispairty

 
Public Pinned Report on Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) led by Rochester Public Schools
Last modified: January 05, 2016

Contents

Highlights

 

 The Rochester Public School District is taking the first steps to address a disproportionate disciplinary rate for black and Hispanic students. A community engagement session to get input and solicit involvement from community members will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at Riverside Elementary School. I believe that conversation is necessary but not sufficient. We need to follow up with actions. Here is a 5+1 action plan.

 

Contents

Background

 

The Rochester Public School District is taking the first steps to address a disproportionate disciplinary rate for black and Hispanic students. A community engagement session to get input and solicit involvement from community members will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at Riverside Elementary School. I believe that conversation is necessary but not sufficient. We need to follow up with actions.

Here is a 5+1 action plan.

According to the following 2015-12-09 PB Report and 2016-01-04 PB Editorial

The Rochester Public School District is taking the first steps to address a disproportionate disciplinary rate for black and Hispanic students.

The Rochester Public School District is taking the first steps to address a disproportionate disciplinary rate for black and Hispanic students.

Black and Hispanic students are disciplined at a higher rate than white or Asian students, according to an Office of Civil Rights report released in September, after a five-year look at district disciplinary data. Though OCR found no evidence of "intentional discrimination or any wrongdoing by RPS."

But with growing concern about the results, community members say regardless of if the district is at fault, the results are worrisome — and some hope to become involved in the process of solving the problem.

"I guess I should take comfort in the fact that there are other districts that share the commonality of disproportionality, but I don't," said board Vice Chair Gary Smith. "It may be a national problem, but I think we have to own this and take local responsibility to get some results."

Smith said he wants to prioritize engaging with community members to come up with solutions.

Kolloh Nimley, with the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage was one of the first to respond with concern. She and Assistant Superintendent Brenda Lewis have set the date for a community engagement session to get input and solicit involvement from community members. The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 with a location to be determined.

The district will present the data and discuss ways to solve the problem, but one of the outstanding questions is why this disparity is happening in the first place, said Don Barlow, a community member and pastor with Rochester Community Baptist Church. Barlow addressed the board Tuesday night in the public comments portion.

The compliance review ended in a compliance agreement with OCR, the specifics of which are being implemented. Already the district created a new special assignment principal position for "culturally responsive teaching and learning." It is possible the district will re-assess its disciplinary policy, and it is continuing to implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Support.

The district is working with Great Lakes Equity Center, an Indianapolis-based Department of Education initiative that provides "technical assistance, resources and professional learning opportunities related to equity, civil rights and systemic school reform," for the Midwest, according to its website.

The specifics of that partnership will be discussed at the community meeting as well as looking at possible causes for the higher rates of suspension.

"I think it is important before a strategy can truly be developed the reasons for the suspensions or expulsions should be identified," Barlow said. He expects the board will be "highly responsive and highly accountable" to sharing the data and the reasons behind it.

Of the students who received office referrals in the 2014-15 school year, 63 percent of those came from less than 5 percent of students, according to the district's analysis.

Of the district's almost 17,500 students, 64 percent are white; 14 percent are black; 9 percent are Hispanic and 12 percent are Asian.

But Rochester is not alone, the district looked at comparable districts, including Mankato, North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale and South Washington County, all of which had similar rates of disproportionate discipline.

But school board members weren't exactly comforted by that Tuesday night.

"Let's be a leader, and let's be proactive and be a leader about remedies we can do to move in the right direction here," Smith said.

 

"I guess I should take comfort in the fact that there are other districts that share the commonality of disproportionality, but I don't," said board Vice Chair Gary Smith. "It may be a national problem, but I think we have to own this and take local responsibility to get some results."

"Let's be a leader, and let's be proactive and be a leader about remedies we can do to move in the right direction here," Gary Smith said.

 "Let's be a leader, and let's be proactive and be a leader about remedies we can do to move in the right direction here," Gary Smith said.

 

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openbeam-5-step---1-plan

 

I believe that the above kind of community conversation is important but not enough.

We need to follow up with actions.

How about as part of the community engagement session, let's engage community organizations such as: Diversity Council ; IMAA ; Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) ; Rochester-area Chamber of Commerce ?

 

1. Review and analyze root causes and contributing factors - do a thorough social determinants analysis

2. Review what organizations are missioned to address the root causes and what projects aim to address the root causes?

3. How well are these organization/projects doing? And why?

4. How can they better work together?

5. What are missing?

 

And last but not least, don't invent, go back to review what Olmsted County 21st Century Diversity Taskforce has suggested before: which ideas work and didn't?

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Table of Content

 

 

 

Impact Levels

  Impact Lvl 1: Children & Youth ; Diversity and Inclusion ; Education ; Governance/Public Policy

 

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Related Reports

 

Other Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) Pinned Reports

September 15, 2023 : RPS Board Consider Updating District Equity Policy
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2: C2C: 3rd Grade Reading, C2C: 8th Grade Math, C2C: Post-Secondary, C2C: Workforce Participation

RPS Board Study Session video recording; Proposed Equity Policy; PB Reporting


July 26, 2023 : 2022-2023 RPS Disipline Data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

According to the district’s data, suspensions increased from 1,224 in 2021-22 to 1,523 in 2022-23, representing a jump of 24.4%."


July 20, 2022 : Outcome and Discipline Data 2021-2022
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

RPS 2021-2022 Monitoring Reports


July 21, 2020 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) 2019 -2020
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2019 and 2020 RPS Data: July 14, 2020 School Board Meeting, 2019-2020 First Semester, Achievement and Integration Plan Updates 2020

 


September 23, 2019 : Analysis of RPS referal data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Phil Wheeler analysis of RPS referral data.


July 17, 2019 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights)
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2018-2019 Report presented to RPS school board and comparison with 2018 reporting. 


August 24, 2017 : August 2017 Update of June 27 RPS Board Study of 2016-2017 discipline data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

August updating the 2017-06-27 RPS Board Study of discipline data with school breakdown. 


March 09, 2016 : Consultant interim identification on barriers
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Great Lakes Equity Center has identified 6 barriers for equity progress.


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Pinned Rochester Public Schools organization and project reports

. Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : September 29, 2023 : Technology Referendum for the Rochester schools
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Commitment, Education, Governance/Public Policy, STEM, Technology Enablement
Impact Lvl2:

1. Post Bulletin: Rochester 10 Year, $ 10M+ school funding referendum Op ED PB: Kent Pekel: "Why I recommended a technology referendum for the Rochester schools"; 2. School Board Study Session; 3. Official YouTube Presentation


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : September 15, 2023 : RPS Board Consider Updating District Equity Policy
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2: C2C: 3rd Grade Reading, C2C: 8th Grade Math, C2C: Post-Secondary, C2C: Workforce Participation

RPS Board Study Session video recording; Proposed Equity Policy; PB Reporting


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 26, 2023 : 2022-2023 RPS Disipline Data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

According to the district’s data, suspensions increased from 1,224 in 2021-22 to 1,523 in 2022-23, representing a jump of 24.4%."


Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : April 25, 2023 : Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan 2022
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2: C2C: 3rd Grade Reading, C2C: 8th Grade Math, C2C: Post-Secondary, C2C: Workforce Participation, Higher-Education

1. 2022 Strategic Plan and extracted sections. 2. RPS Strategic Plan Building Blocks 


Project Report of RPS American Indian Education : October 06, 2022 : American Indian Education at RPS
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Food
Impact Lvl2:

 October 10, 2022 Indigenous Peoples' Day


Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : August 09, 2022 : Plans to Strengthen Belonging and Behavior During the 2022-2023 School Year
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Commitment, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Governance/Public Policy
Impact Lvl2:


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 20, 2022 : Outcome and Discipline Data 2021-2022
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

RPS 2021-2022 Monitoring Reports


Organization Report: March 29, 2022 : Rochester Public Schools Board Self-Evaluation
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2022 RPS School Board Self Evaluation Framework; Video Recording


Project Report of Rochester Public Schools Strategic Plan : March 28, 2022 : RPS School Board Meeting - 3/22/22
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Strategic Action Plan - Focus Group and Survey Results


Project Report of Family and Community Engagement (RPS) : January 12, 2022 : Family and Community Engagement (RPS) Report
Impact Lvl1: Caring Relationship, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

January Family Engagement Video Recordings


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 21, 2020 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) 2019 -2020
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2019 and 2020 RPS Data: July 14, 2020 School Board Meeting, 2019-2020 First Semester, Achievement and Integration Plan Updates 2020

 


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : September 23, 2019 : Analysis of RPS referal data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Phil Wheeler analysis of RPS referral data.


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : July 17, 2019 : Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights)
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

2018-2019 Report presented to RPS school board and comparison with 2018 reporting. 


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : August 24, 2017 : August 2017 Update of June 27 RPS Board Study of 2016-2017 discipline data
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

August updating the 2017-06-27 RPS Board Study of discipline data with school breakdown. 


Project Report of Closing referral disparities (resolution agreement with Office of Civil Rights) : March 09, 2016 : Consultant interim identification on barriers
Impact Lvl1: Children & Youth, Diversity and Inclusion, Education
Impact Lvl2:

Great Lakes Equity Center has identified 6 barriers for equity progress.


Back To Top

 

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Community Beam (dmcbeam.org) is a registry of private and public resources (organizations, projects, initiatives, programs) that underpin economic and social developments of greater Rochester:

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