VSBA Equity Definition
(shared with VSA and VPA)
Each student receives the resources and educational opportunities they need to learn and thrive.
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Equity means that a student's success is not predicted nor predetermined by characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion, family economics, class, geography, ability, language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or initial proficiencies.
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Equity means that every school provides and every student has access to high quality culturally responsive curriculum, programs, teachers and administrators, extracurricular activities and support services to meet the needs of each and every student.
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Equity goes beyond formal equality where all students are treated the same. Achieving equity may require an unequal distribution of resources and services.
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Equity involves acknowledging and disrupting inequitable practices, acknowledging biases, employing practices that reflect the reality that all students will learn, and creating inclusive multicultural school environments for adults and children.
VSBA Resources
Reviewing Policy with an Equity Lens: As described in this video introduction, educational equity should be at the center of all decision-making; the use of an equity lens tool can provide a common vocabulary and protocol for developing and adopting policies that result in equitable outcomes for all students. This tool is intended to provide boards with guidance and resources to apply an equity lens tool to their policy work.
Educational Equity Resources & Tools
According to NonprofitAdvancement.org, "The purpose of an equity lens is to be deliberately inclusive as an organization makes decisions. It introduces a set of questions into the decision that help the decision makers focus on equity in both their process and outcomes." Here are some tools that may help your board facilitate an equity review.
Vermont AOE Educational Equity Page
Mid Atlantic Equity Consortium
National Equity Project Lens of Systemic Oppression
Additional Resources
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Vermont Ethnic and Social Equity Standards Advisory Working Group
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OutRight Vermont
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State of Vermont Racial Equity Advisory Panel - Equity Toolkit
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Report of the Vermont Racial Equity Task Force (2020)
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Arizona School Boards Association - Leading for Equity Framework
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Learning Policy Institute DARE (Districts Advancing Racial Equity) Tool
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MAEC, Equity Audit Tool, Released Winter 2021
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Equity in a Divided Community, Talking Points for Leaders (Spring 2021)