Wisconsin’s vision for racial equity in education

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Objectives

Understand the intersections of race and disability in Wisconsin’s educational context Understand Wisconsin’s framework for addressing race in education Understand how Wisconsin evaluates projects related to racial equity Take-away detailed information to design full or partial projects

Anything else?

Wisconsin student demographics

 ….taught by an overwhelmingly white and female teaching force

Racial disproportionality in education

 Academic achievement  Discipline  Special education

Wisconsin’s framework for addressing race in education

 Department of Public Instruction  Cooperative Educational Service Agencies  School Districts  Two- and four-year colleges and universities  Community-based organizations

Current initiatives

 Federal mandates through special education law  Technical assistance (beginning in 2005)  Annual institute on disproportionality (beginning in 2005)  Mini-grants to school districts (2006, 2009)  Demonstration grants (beginning in 2007)  Practice grants (beginning in 2007)  Statewide systems-change initiative (beginning in 2008)

Federal special education law

 3/20 Indicators focus on disproportionality:  Suspension/expulsion (Indicator 4B)  Prevalence in special education (Indicator 9)  Prevalence in specific disability categories (Indicator 10)  Required use of 15% of funds in general education to address disproportionality in special education (Significant disproportionality)

District Level Technical Assistance

 Review of Policies, Practices and Procedures  Data Analysis  Hypothesis Development  Development of Improvement Plans  District Liaison

The 2005-2009 Summer Institutes on Addressing Disproportionality

 Technical Assistance  Data Analysis  Improvement Plan Development

Mini-Grants (FY 06 – FY 07)

 Small competitive grants  Awarded to districts and consortia of districts identified as having ‘Significant Disproportionality’  Funded product, process, or tool that could be replicated  Grant summaries online at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/spp-disp.html

Demonstration Grants (FY 07 – Ongoing)

 Medium competitive grants  Awards to districts and consortia of districts identified as having ‘Significant Disproportionality’  Funds institutionalization and replication of data-based, successful project, process, or tool  Grant summaries online at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/spp-disp.html

Project Grants (FY 06 - Ongoing)

 Small to medium noncompetitive grants or contracts  Awards to experts  Funds develop tools or products based on need of Wisconsin educators  Examples of Project Grants 

Racial Disparity in Special Education: District Profile Workbook

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Guiding Questions: Differentiating Disordered Behavior from Cultural Mismatch

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Culturally Responsive Practices in Schools: Checklist to address disproportionality

Systems-Change Initiative (FY 09 – Ongoing)

 Large noncompetitive grant  Award to Cooperative Education Services Agencies  Funds implement projects to address disproportionality and racial equity  www.createwisconsin.net

Reflections

 On being black and female  On being white and female  Specific project successes and challenges  Recommendations

For More Information:

 WDPI Special Education Team’s Disproportionality Webpage: http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/spp-disp.html

 Donna Hart-Tervalon, Ph.D.

Chairperson, Disproportionality Workgroup [email protected]

 Courtney Reed Jenkins Chairperson, Disproportionality Workgroup [email protected]

Discussion