Using a Student Equity Need Index to Understand and Address In-District Inequities

• In Event: The Role of Grassroots Organizers, Federal Policy Makers, Intermediary Organizations, and Policy Making Toward Educational Equity

Abstract

Education is often seen as a key equalizer, providing opportunities for children and youth of all races to make the most of their talents. It’s therefore deeply concerning that racial disparities in both opportunities and outcomes are so prevalent in the California public education system. Although student outcomes are improving, California students continue to do more poorly on standardized tests than their peers nationally and gaps persist across race and socio-economic status (Reardon et al., 2018). A new report adds additional context to these disparities by providing city and county-by-county data across a range of school indicators, including test scores and school discipline practices, such as suspensions. Making progress on these disparities will require adopting equity-based funding approaches that direct extra support to the school sites with the greatest numbers of high-need students.

This panelist will discuss ongoing work conducted by one Los Angeles-based research and policy organization and its grassroots partners to develop a framework for understanding in-district inequities. These organizations have produced a rigorous, research-based ranking of schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) that best meet the criteria for additional funding under the Local Control Funding Formula. This Student Equity Need Index (SENI) not only measures how targeted student populations specifically highlighted in LCFF (e.g., low-income students, foster youth, and English learners) are doing in the classroom, but also considers neighborhood conditions that can negatively impact a student’s academic success. For example, in addition to including many of the more traditional measures of student achievement, such as English Language Arts and math test scores and high school graduation rates, the SENI also measures exposure to violence and asthma prevalence and incorporates those rates into its calculations. In April 2018, through their research and organizing efforts, groups were successful in moving the LAUSD School Board to distribute $25 million in funding based on how schools were ranked on the Student Equity Need Index. At the time, the board also committed to allocating $263 million based on the Index for the 2019-20 school year.

This example demonstrates the impact and potential of the community engagement provisions in LCFF to change the conversation and to change practices within districts. By leveraging the engagement provisions of LCFF, these grassroots organizations and their research and policy partner pushed the envelope on equity in Los Angeles Unified, proposing a formula that looked beyond the confines of the school campus to assess need and target resources. In detailing this effort, the panelist will also offer insight into how a state-level engagement requirement, such as exists in LCFF, can be leveraged by grassroots organizations to advance community-identified needs and goals. In doing so, they elevate “outside the box” solutions and strategies and build a sense of shared ownership for equity-focused change.

Author

• Chris Ringewald, Advancement Project, California