The Denver Public Schools Board of Education adopted 11 recommendations submitted by the African American Equity Task Force (AAETF), all of which were the result of findings from the Bailey Report.

Accomplishments and work in progress were highlighted during the first of two, semi-annual meetings scheduled in 2018. More than 90 partners from across the community participated, including community members, parents and families, educators, DPS senior leadership and Board of Education members.

The leaders of the five AAETF implementation teams led small group discussions focused on a problem-of-practice protocol to address a challenge they currently face in their respective work. The five recommendation areas are:

• District and School Structures to Promote Equity
• Culturally Responsive Instruction, Engagement and Communication
• Targeted Supports for Students
• Community and Family Resources
• Equitable Employment Practices and Work Environments

The Implementation Team Leads and Wisdom Team members were introduced during the AAETF Community Meeting on June 12, 2018.

“Tonight’s meeting is a way for members of the community to re-engage in the conversation and the ongoing work, and to offer perspectives we may not have considered,” said Leslie L. Juniel, Senior Program Manager of Equity Initiatives. “We’re providing collaborative spaces for diverse voices to be included – we all bring personal experiences, levels of expertise and a desire to ensure our students succeed.”

 

Learn more about the Community Meeting: Watch DPS Features video: Task Force Pursues Equity for African American Students, Educators

The next steps for the Implementation Team Leads include leveraging the feedback and ideas from the community meeting to further inform the work of the AAETF. Stay tuned for a future update with details on how the feedback is being utilized per recommendation.

Resources from the AAETF June 2018 Community Meeting:

• District and School Structures to Promote Equity
  • Progress and Accomplishments Overview with Problem of Practice and 18-19 Focus (.pdf)
  • Turning the Page on the Equity Debate in Education article (.pdf)

• Culturally Responsive Instruction, Engagement and Communication
  • Progress and Accomplishments Overview with Problem of Practice and 18-19 Focus (.pdf)
  • Culturally Responsive Teaching Definition and Mindsets for DPS (.pdf)
  • Culturally Responsive Community Meeting Presentation (.pdf)

• Targeted Supports for Students
  • Progress and Accomplishments Overview with Problem of Practice and 18-19 Focus (.pdf)
  • Targeted Supports for Students Community Meeting Presentation coming soon

• Community and Family Resources
  • Progress and Accomplishments Overview with Problem of Practice and 18-19 Focus (.pdf)
  • Notes from Community and Family Resources session, June 2018 (.pdf)
  • Center for Family Opportunity flyer with list of services (.pdf)

• Equitable Employment Practices and Work Environments
  • Progress and Accomplishments Overview with Problem of Practice and 18-19 Focus (.pdf)
  • Diversifying the Teaching Profession: How to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color Report (.pdf)
  • Equitable Employment Practices Community Meeting Presentation (.pdf)