California students have big dreams. Unfortunately. some students face a much tougher road to achieve them. It’s up to us to remove barriers in the education system that get in their way. Working with Alliance for Continuous Improvement partners, Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation developed this video as a way to help local educators, families, students and community groups engage with their schools, districts and counties in important conversations to better understand and meet the needs of every student.
- Download: Discussion Question ideas for use with the video.
- Note: To view the video with captions in multiple languages, click on the settings icon at bottom right.
Together, let’s advance educational equity in California.
California is moving forward with essential work to transform our public education system. Major policy changes in recent years include: raising the bar for what we expect all students to learn and do; targeting more funding for students with higher needs; improving the ways we use data to measure progress; and providing greater opportunities for students, parents, families, educators and local communities to be more active partners in shaping the ways their schools are educating all students.
The work is difficult and requires much more progress. Advancing equity is a guiding principle that must continue to drive all of the work. This involves addressing historic inequities among different groups of students, including by aligning resources and approaches to meet the different needs of students and to close opportunity and achievement gaps.
All California students—regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, disability, family immigration status or income level, housing situation, foster care status, or other considerations—must have the resources and supports needed so they can participate fully in safe, inclusive school environments that nurture their personal and academic development.
Resources
- National Equity Project Featured Resources
- Why Race and Relationships Matter in California Schools: A powerful report from Californians for Justice that provides practical recommendations for disrupting racism in relationship-centered schools.
- Six Things Schools Staff Can Do To Interrupt Unconscious Bias: Practical ways educators and staff can acknowledge, monitor and
control their bias and empower all students to thrive, developed by
Californians for Justice. - ACSA Equity Project: Offers a wide range of valuable resources for educators.
- Equity in Action: Study by the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators (CAAASA) identifying barriers and evidence-based solutions to improving the academic and social-emotional learning of African American students in California.
- Educational Equity: The Need for Boards to Support Equity-Based Decisions: Governance brief from the California School Boards Association.