Cultivating Austin ISD’s Equity Ecosystem
Mission
Support the district in consistent and equitable resource allocation, evaluation, development and implementation of tools, policies and practices to achieve racial and social equity for students, teachers, staff and the community, regardless of race, national origin, ability, socioeconomic status, language, religion, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity & expression, and other human differences.
What We Do
Our team assists Austin ISD leadership, students, community, staff and departments build capacity to identify and change policies, practices and processes that create inequities. We do this in collaboration and for long-term, sustainable change with the hope of creating culturally responsive, inclusive, and welcoming learning environments for students.
AISD’s Definition of Educational Equity (Adapted from the National Equity Project)
Educational equity means that each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential.
What working towards equity means:
- Ensuring equally high outcomes for all participants in our educational system; removing the predictability of success or failures that currently correlates with any social or cultural factor;
- Interrupting [Disrupting] inequitable practices, examining biases, and creating inclusive multicultural school environments for adults and children; and
- Discovering and cultivating the unique gifts, talents and interests that every human possesses.
Seven Conditions for Student Success
We operate with the understanding that equitable systems of education strive to create the following conditions in order to promote student success:
- Culturally proficient, experienced teachers and staff
- Recognition and cultivation of gifts, talents and interests
- High expectations and support to meet those high expectations
- Positive relationships with teachers and peers
- A sense of belonging, empowerment, connection and identity safety
- Rigorous, relevant and inclusive curriculum centering their language, racial and cultural identities
- Well-maintained facilities that support state of the art instruction and support cultural identities and safety