3. As part of the Diversity Strategies Project, the Kirwan Institute agreed
to:
Conduct technical appraisal of EEO Policy and evaluate current
challenges to integration in Ohio (February – April 2010)
Conduct presentations at four regional meetings to obtain feedback
from districts on their experience and the principles and strategies
that will guide the new State Policy (March - April 2010)
Formally present initial findings to the Capacity Committee for
directional feedback on crafting Diversity Strategies policy
recommendations (State Board Meeting May 10, 2010)
Prepare Diversity Strategies Policy recommendations (May- July
2010)
Assist ODE staff with the development of a concept paper outlining
the Diversity Strategies Webinar (May – July 2010)
4. Assist ODE staff with the development of a draft policy
implementation plan (May- July 2010)
With ODE staff, formally present to the full State Board of Education
membership the Diversity Strategies Policy recommendations; the
Webinar concept paper; and the draft policy implementation plan
(State Board Meeting July 13, 2010)
Assist ODE staff with the development of the Diversity Strategies
Webinar (July – October 2010)
Assist ODE staff with the review of Webinar participant feedback
and preparation of evaluative summary (November – December
2010)
Along with ODE staff, formally present to the full Board membership
the evaluative summary of district participation, feedback and
possible next steps. (State Board Meeting December 12, 2010)
5. Educate on building assignment practices in
the U.S.
Explain the State Board’s intent to provide
district with diversity strategies
Present findings about the diversity issues
and challenges Ohio districts face
Present a set of viable diversity strategies
for feedback
6.
7. Section 1 summarizes relevant constitutional provisions and
court decisions pertaining to racial segregation in public
schools.
Section 2 outlines assessment procedures designed to
identify schools maintaining de jure or de facto racially
segregated schools.
Section 3 recommends the following monitoring activities:
◦ Assignment of Pupils, Assignment of Staff, Building and Boundaries,
Counseling, Curriculum and Instruction, Discipline, Extracurricular
Activities, Funding, Leadership, School Community Relations, Staff
Development and Human Relations, Testing, and Transportation of
Students
8. In preparing our recommendations, we
wanted to evaluate diversity plans
implemented under the 1980 Policy.
We reviewed over 60 files held by the ODE
from 1998-2001
◦ Each file contained statistical information of the
racial composition of the district and indicated the
number of racially isolated schools of that district.
These plans were largely statistical in nature,
and did not contain detailed evaluative
component.
9. From 1998-99 to 2000-01, 41 school districts
responded to ODE’s Racial Isolation Questionnaire
◦ Schools were selected if the district maintained one or more
racially isolated school buildings
◦ Responses ranged from candid refusals to take “reasonable
action” to submissions of detailed reports and plans
◦ Districts reported the following activities:
race-based student assignment plans, race-conscious transfer
procedures, inter-district transfer programs, school building
closures/openings, re-zoning, grade restructurings, magnet
programs, collaborative schools. Others expressed a need to
continue the requirements of prior court orders.
10. Based upon the limited number of files provided,
we were unable to determine the full impact of
these plans.
We administered an electronic survey administered
to the 41 school districts soliciting feedback about
the efficacy and responses to their plans.
11. Generally, student assignments to schools
other than a student’s neighborhood were
supported by school officials.
Most districts employed diversity strategies
that focused on the staff or building,
including multicultural curriculum, staff
development and school-community
relations.
12.
13. Update and Revise 1980 Policy
to comply with law and reflect
21st century needs
Must learn from what is already
in place and successful in Ohio
Must have flexibility for the
varying districts and unique
strengths and challenges
Need to connect mandates to
funding, but be cost-effective
15. Social: Racial and cultural fluency promotes
cross-racial friendships, increases comfort
levels, helps break down racial stereotypes,
positively impacts attitudes towards students
of other racial groups.
Educational: Exposure to racially diverse
cultural knowledge and social perspectives
promotes development of critical and
complex thinking skills.
Civic: Children with greater cultural fluency
live and work in more integrated settings,
and have higher levels of civic engagement.
15
16. Educators and administrators throughout
Ohio unequivocally affirmed the value and
importance of diversity in the regional
meetings.
Emphasize the importance of diversity and
the harms of racial isolation.
Define diversity inclusively to encompass a
range of individual, familial, and community
characteristics.
20. The location of a school is the chief
determinant of student diversity, and
a major determinant of the level of
diversity in the district as a whole.
Only 1927 schools were opened in
2007-2008 school year in the U.S.
New schools influence the levels of
diversity in the district for an entire
generation.
21. A new school strategically sited to promote
diversity can draw students from racially
isolated neighborhoods into a diverse
educational environment.
A new school sited in a racially isolated
neighborhood will not only produce a
homogenous student body, but may reduce
the overall level of diversity within the district
by drawing students from other, more
integrated schools.
22. Unfortunately, more schools are closing than
opening, but the same principles apply.
Strategic site selection for school openings and
closing reduce the need for more elaborate student
assignment policies.
In considering school sites for opening or closure,
this board should require districts to assess the
diversity impact as an explicit criteria.
23.
24. Diverse staff serve as role models for
students of color, and have a direct,
measureable impact on student achievement.
Virtually every district in the state described
this as a major challenge.
It’s both a pipeline and a retention problem
for most districts. Of the 111,000 teachers
in the state:
94% white
5% black
0.6% Latino
0.4% Asian
25.
26. All districts reported significant challenges
with respect to professional development and
staff support.
Many districts reported attempts to prepare
teachers for cultural fluency and sensitivity
with programs and trainings.
At the same time, many districts stated that
there were not enough support systems to
train and prepare staff for teaching in diverse
environments.
27.
28. Suspensions, expulsions, and arrests are
correlated with higher dropout rates.
Disparate use of disciplinary policies results
in denial of equal educational opportunities
for students of color.
Thirty years ago, Black students were twice as
likely to be suspended as their white
counterparts. Today, they are more than
three times as likely to be suspended.
29. Studies show that African-American students
are far more likely than their white peers to
be suspended, expelled or arrested for the
same kind of conduct at school.
Students of color also receive longer
suspension and expulsions than their White
peers for the same behavior.
Students of color are also more likely to
attend schools that have harsh disciplinary
policies and extensive security forces, making
them more susceptible to zero-tolerance
policies.
30. According to a recently published study
based on ODE data:
◦ Blacks make up 17 percent of Ohio public-school
students but receive nearly half of all disciplinary
actions.
◦ White students made up nearly 79 percent of
public-school enrollment yet accounted for slightly
less than half of expulsions, suspensions and in-
school discipline.
Source: Children’s Defense Fund,
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/0
6/29/blacks-disciplined-most-often-in-schools.html?sid=101
31.
32. Ohio has often led the way with exemplary
magnet programs. Districts throughout the
state with experience using magnets attest to
their value.
The Cincinnati School for the Creative and
Performing Arts was recognized as a “Blue
Ribbon School” by the US Dept. of Ed.
The Metro School was so successful that the
General Assembly committed $200 million to
9 more STEM programs, 4 of which are
Regional (Inter-district).
33. Magnets (often called ‘alternative’ schools)
were a popular alternative to court-ordered
busing because they preserved individual
choice while achieving integration goals.
Today, much (if not most) of the existing
school segregation exists between districts,
rather than within them.
Regional magnets bring students together
from across district lines and alleviate these
patterns.
34.
35. Tracking contributes to in-school segregation
Lower income students of color are 7x as
likely to be in the lowest tracks, and ½ as
likely to be in gifted classes
Must monitor referral rates & referrers
Detracking suggestions:
◦ Provide rigorous teacher/student support
◦ Establish pilot programs
36.
37. •Create systemic change
through leadership and
advocacy.
•Requires collaboration with
students, teachers, parents,
community members, and
administration.
•Results in improved
academic achievement and
school climate.
38. Nationally Recognized
36 states have adopted ASCA Model Programs
Comprehensive (RAMP) in Ohio
Counseling Programs. •Albert Champman Elementary
OSCA has developed a School
model for the state of
•Powell, OH (2007)
Ohio to adopt. •Griffith Thomas Elementary
School
1980 diversity policy •Dublin, OH (2007)
addresses the foundation •Liberty Center Middle School
of CCP but does not •Liberty Center, OH (2006)
address implementation,
management, or
accountability.
39. ◦ Finalize Recommendations Report
◦ Draft Policy Implementation Plan Based Upon Board
Feedback
◦ Online Professional Development Tool
Continue to work with ODE to develop, publish, and
distribute
43. J. Kennedy, Concurring
That the school districts consider these plans to
be necessary should remind us that our highest
aspirations are yet unfulfilled. School districts
can seek to reach Brown’s objective of equal
educational opportunity. But the solutions
mandated by these school districts must
themselves be lawful.
In my view, the state-mandated racial classifications at
issue, official labels proclaiming the race of all persons
in a broad class of citizens – elementary school students
in one case, high school students in another – are
unconstitutional as the cases now come to us.
44. “If school authorities are concerned that the student-
body compositions of certain schools interfere with the
objective of offering an equal educational opportunity
to all of their students, they are free to devise race-
conscious measures to address the problem in a
general way without treating each student in a different
fashion soley on the basis of systematic, individual
typing by race.
School boards may pursue the goal of bringing together students of
diverse backgrounds and races through other means, including strategic
site selection of new schools; drawing attendance zones with general
recognition of the demographics of the neighborhoods; allocating
resources for special programs; recruiting students and faculty in a
targeted fashion; and tracking enrollments, performance, and other
statistics by race. These mechanisms are race-conscious but do not lead
to different treatment based on a classifications that tells each student he
or she is to be defined by race.
44
