Historically Underserved Students & Communities *
- African American/Black Students - Lack of academic support for their success; disproportionately placed in ISS; district not supporting high outcomes; no systemic change to support participation in Gifted & Talented (GT); culture in classrooms for rigorous academics described as “oppressive and alienating;” and with low expectations.
- Asian & Asian American Students - Microaggressions and bullying ignored in the system; unrealistic expectations; academic stressors; some students struggling academically, but undetected.
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students - Provisions for supports intermittent at some schools; unaddressed academic needs.
- Emerging Bilingual Students - Lack of translators & no timely translations; language access barriers unaddressed; multilingual programs inconsistent and not appropriately assessed; quality is inconsistent.
- Hispanic/Latinx Students - Lack of academic support for their success; overly placed in ISS; district not supporting high outcomes; no systemic change to support participation in GT; culture in classrooms for rigorous academics described as “oppressive and alienating.
- Immigrant Students - Religious bigotry, language access barriers; unidentified academic & social emotional support; disproportionately identified for special education services.
- Indigenous Students - Failure to recognize & address concerns; racist & marginalizing language in curricula & racist mascots; peer pressure to deny identity; unaddressed bullying.
- Girls/Young Women - Participation in STEM and some not encouraged and supported, no discussion of data or goal setting.
- Students who are identified with mental, cognitive & physical disabilities - Needs unidentified at some schools; bullying unaddressed at some schools.
- Refugee Students - Lack of language access; not enough people identifying needs at all schools; bullying unaddressed.
- Students who identify as LGBTQIA+ - Unaddressed bullying & stress; not enough data collected to provide systemic change for support; system does not prepare teachers and staff to support students.
- Students identified as Economically Disadvantaged - Lack of support with inexperienced teachers in Title I school; no systematic ways to support participation in rigorous courses; closing schools & disrupted school communities and learning.
- Students who access Special Education Services - Not receiving appropriate and timely testing, supports & services; some have been “misplaced” and do not need services; disproportionately placed in ISS (or ISS alternatives); teacher shortages call quality of services into question; what are goals for graduation?
- Students who are experiencing Homelessness and/or are in Foster Care - Not enough attention paid on how to communicate with caregivers.
* This evolving list has been generated by input from community stakeholders and identity group members.
Community Input
- Equity Action Plan (PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Arabic, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Burmese, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Dari, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Kinyarwanda, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Pashto, PDF)
- Plan de acción de equidad del Austin ISD (Español, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Swahili, PDF)
- Equity Action Plan (Vietnamese, PDF)