Board Policy 0101 - Educational Equity

POLICY STATEMENT
1. The Prince George’s County Board of Education (Board) is committed to educational equity within its schools and worksites in order to foster conditions that reduce disproportionality in student achievement and performance. The Board further affirms the right of all students to have equitable access to a quality education that promotes college and career readiness, social/emotional learning, and supports the holistic wellbeing of the student.
2. It is the intent of the Board that the students and staff members throughout Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) work, learn, and interact in schools and worksites that affirm diverse The Board also expects that staff members acknowledge the historical disparity of opportunities for both the students and communities the system serves, and to promote educational equity in achievement and performance.
3. It is the Board’s belief that closing the achievement gap is not just about instruction; it is the way that we think about, understand, and believe in the potential and capabilities of our students, as well as their families and communities, and how we effectively interact with them.
4. The Board recognizes that students who may have certain social identifiers, have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and/or live in communities that lack certain performance index measures will need access to resources that other students do not need, or have access to, in order to get the full benefits of the school district.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to establish standards of behavior that affirm the right of all students to have equitable access to a quality education that empowers them to receive a student-centered education and promotes college and career readiness.
DEFINITIONS
1. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) – This term may be applied to students who face circumstances that could jeopardize their ability to complete An adverse childhood experience involves, but is not limited to, the following:
  1. physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, either direct or witnessed;
  2. mental illness of a household/family member;
  3. unplanned/unintended pregnancy;
  4. homelessness and/or frequent residential mobility;
  5. problematic drinking/alcoholic usage of a household/family member;
  6. illegal street/prescription drug use of a household/family member;
  7. divorce/separation of parents/guardians;
  8. domestic violence towards household/family members;
  9. incarceration/deportation of a household/family member; and/or the
  10. death of a household/family member
2. Community Performance Index (CPI) measurables - Consist of, but are not limited to, the following:
  1. 1. the quality, affordability, and residential longevity of housing options;
    2. the economic development and workforce availability;
    3. the accessibility and quality of fresh, nutritional food items;
    4. the reported violent crime rates of the community; and,
    5. the access to affordable and quality
3. Cultural proficiency - The intentional application of comprehended education-related cultural competence, which is the usage of cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and performance styles of diverse students with the goal of making education more understandable and appropriate through responsive instruction, curriculum, and learning environments.
4. Educational Equity - An educational system that ensures that every student has access to the opportunities, resources and educational rigor they need throughout their educational career to maximize academic success and social emotional well-being and views each student’s individual characteristics as valuable. These characteristics include but are not limited to:
  1. 1. ability (cognitive, social emotional and physical);
    2. ethnicity;
    3. family structure;
    4. gender identity and expression;
    5. language;
    6. race;
    7. religion;
    8. sexual orientation; and
    9. socio-economics.
5. Holistic Academic Wellbeing - A sustainable mindset, characterized by predominantly positive feelings and attitude, positive relationships in school, resilience, self-optimism, and a high level of satisfaction with learning experiences.
6. Social Identifiers - The demographic factors identified as, but not limited to, age, ability (cognitive, social/emotional, and physical), ethnicity/race, family structure, language, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and socioeconomics.
STANDARDS
1. The goals of educational equity within PGCPS consist of:
  1. Equitable educational outcomes for high academic achievement through opportunities in academic programs, activities, and supports, as well as rigorous courses of study;
  2. Equal treatment of students and staff members by embracing, valuing, and respecting their differences;
  3. Equitable distribution of resources to schools and programs to support the academic growth of students;
  4. Shared accountability for all educational stakeholders responsible for every student having equitable access to a quality education, qualified staff members, a challenging curriculum, and appropriate academic supports;
  5. Elimination of structural and institutional barriers to educational opportunities; and,
  6. Eradication of discriminatory acts of hate, violence, insensitivity, and disrespect at schools and worksites throughout PGCPS.
2. PGCPS shall foster welcoming learning environments where diverse cultures and experiences will be acknowledged, valued, and affirmed, as well as provide students with equitable access to high quality, culturally diverse instruction, curriculum, culturally relevant pedagogy, instructional materials, supports, and other educational resources that focus on the understanding and appreciation of culture, language, ethnicity, poverty, ability, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as well their social identifiers, adverse childhood experiences, holistic academic wellbeing, and social/emotional learning, and community’s CPI measurables.
3. PGCPS shall endeavor to recruit, hire, support, develop, and retain a culturally proficient workforce that reflects the diversity of the student body and communities of each respective school and shall provide professional development to strengthen their knowledge and skills for eliminating multiple disparities in learning and opportunity gaps that lead to academic disparities.
4. PGCPS shall welcome and empower all families to engage in their child(ren)’s education, including the intentional involvement of stakeholders that reflect the system’s demographics in order to better inform decisions made regarding the narrowing and elimination of achievement opportunity gaps through academic course offerings and wraparound services.
5. PGCPS shall review and modify policies, procedures, and/or practices that may impede the equitable access of students to fair discipline, extracurricular activities, before and after school day and school year academic resources and services, as well as academic programs, including but not limited to, the system’s Talented and Gifted, Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Specialty, and Public Charter School programs.
6. PGCPS shall direct that educational equity be addressed in the system’s local Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidation Plan and that the Superintendent shall designate an administrative staff member responsible for the facilitation, monitoring, and implementation of the systemic equity initiatives within the Local ESSA Consolidated Strategic Plan.
7. PGCPS shall consider a community’s CPI measurables in all plans for new construction and/or renovation of existing facilities, as well as the distribution of physical and electronic academic supports for the weighted application of equitable access to twenty-first-century learning environments.
8. PGCPS will address student behavior through the use of appropriate behavior interventions, such as restorative practices and positive behavior intervention supports (PBIS). Evidence-informed practices will be utilized to address students’ holistic academic well-being and social/emotional learning to assist students in developing a sustainable mindset, characterized by predominantly positive feelings and attitudes, positive relationships in school, resilience, self-optimism, and a high level of satisfaction with learning experiences.
9. PGCPS will prioritize equity training by providing one day of mandatory professional development to all staff, including transportation and food services The professional development will address equity, diversity and belonging.
Implementation Responsibilities
1. The Board directs the Superintendent to develop action plans with clear accountability metrics, as well as administrative procedures to implement the goals, desired outcomes, and strategies outlined throughout this policy.
2. The Superintendent is also charged with proposing the necessary allocation of Capital Improvement and Operating budgetary funds and the hiring and professional development of the necessary staff members to implement said goals, desired outcomes, and strategies.
3. The Board also directs the Superintendent to formulate the PGCPS Equity Plan, which shall be a required submission to the full Board by the start of each academic year, as identified by the Board-approved academic calendar, with a formal vote of affirmation by the Board required no later than October 1st of the same academic year.
4. The Board requires the Superintendent to establish and maintain an administrative office dedicated to the implementation of the PGCPS’ Equity Plan.
REFERENCES
1. Legal
  20 U.S.C. §§ 6301, et seq., Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as reauthorized by Every Student Succeeds Act;
  COMAR 13A.01.06, Educational Equity;
  COMAR 13A.08.01.21, Reducing and Eliminating Disproportionate/ Discrepant Impact
2. Other Board Policies
  1. BP 0102 - Culturally Proficient Schools and Central Offices
  2. BP 0125 - Nondiscrimination
3. Superintendent’s Administrative Procedures
  BP 0102 - Culturally Proficient Schools and Central Offices
4. Other
  Report of the 2017-2018 Joint Taskforce on Educational Equity for PGCPS Transformation 2026 – Equity and Excellence
HISTORY
Policy Adopted as 1213
6/10/76
Policy Amended
5/28/87
Policy Amended and Renumbered 102
2/25/00
Policy Amended and Renumbered 0102
5/12/03
Policy Reviewed – No Revisions Required
11/9/04
Policy Amended
4/20/06
Policy Amended
8/16/06
Policy Amended and Renamed
3/27/14
Policy Adopted and Dissolved Policy 0102 and Policy 0103
4/25/19
Policy Amended 08/26/24

Documents

Board Policy 0101- Educational Equity.pdf