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Dear Partners,
This release of information has three components: A) Essential Information B) Background and Details C) Frequently Asked Questions.
Essential Information
- ODE has developed a professional learning series that lives into the commitments of the Student Success Act.
- The new series is universal in design and can be accessed in a few different ways.
- ODE recommends schools, districts, ESDs, and partners begin to explore this resource by considering the design of the learning series and arranging for facilitation support this spring, ahead of potential larger scale use this summer and fall.
- Where feasible, ODE also recommends a central coordinating leader or team be tasked with stewarding the overarching arc of the professional learning series.
- Additional information and access information is available in the details of this message and on this landing page.
Background and Details
When the Student Success Act (SSA) passed in May 2019, it was designed to provide the resources districts need for support. Beyond the formula dollars for grants, over the last three years, ODE has also done work, in collaboration with community and education leaders, to provide better tools and resources to meet the promise of SSA. The Engaging Equity: Equitable Mindsets, Practices, and Systems professional learning series is one of those tools.
This new professional learning series is open, universal, and invitational. The series equips educators to create positive connections and strengthen community and learning conditions to improve student outcomes.
This professional learning series is for adults, with the aim to improve educational conditions for each and every student given the changing demographics in Oregon. It is not a curriculum for students. Across Oregon, school communities are growing increasingly diverse. As of the 2022-23 Fall Membership Report, Oregon is serving 552,380 students, with students of color and native students making up at least 41% of the total. On average, between 11% (teachers) and 21% (educational assistants) of Oregon’s educators and administrators identify as people of color or Indigenous. This is the moment to leverage the strength of that diversity to make sure students are able to reach their full potential. By developing and disseminating this important, innovative, and evidence-based learning series, Oregon’s state education agencies are demonstrating a strong leadership stance in promoting educational equity.
Racial Equity Foundations, the first cluster of four modules within this professional learning series, was designed to help districts respond effectively to emerging needs of their school communities — while taking steps to mitigate some of the systemic disparities experienced by many students and families. Gaining skill in culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy and practice within instruction is all about meeting every student where they are — in their strengths and needs. Every student can benefit from these universal and targeted approaches.
To learn more about the Engaging Equity professional learning series:
Frequently Asked Questions
What anticipated outcomes are intended and hoped for?
This professional learning series aims to support educators respond proficiently, and work proactively to meet the emerging needs of their school communities while resolving long standing harms that many students and families have experienced.
What is the best way to engage with the modules?
The professional learning series features a design that allows districts to situate, adapt and undertake the modules in the ways that makes the most sense for their unique strengths and needs. The series features both synchronous and asynchronous components that can be customized. The modules themselves are standalone online units that can be taken at any time. Learners can go through these at their own pace to engage and digest the content as they need to based on their learning needs.
In addition to these modules, a facilitators guide is provided to supplement these modules with synchronous components, i.e. a meeting where learners can come together to dive into and reflect on the modules for collective learning and deeper integration of the content. These synchronous components can also be adapted for district needs, including the size of the learning cohort taking the modules, desired learning outcomes, and scheduling/bandwidth needs.
It is recommended that a central coordinating leader or team be tasked with stewarding the overarching arc of the professional learning series. This includes planning design work (e.g. identifying desired outcomes; mapping out the learning series timeline; identifying the learners that should be involved) as well as coordinating the series itself once it begins (e.g. tracking learner needs/absences/make-up work; attending to key questions that arise; adjusting synchronous agendas to respond to needs).
What is the right timeline for preparing staff and then using the learning series?
ODE recommends that administrators and professional learning leaders first take some time to completely review the modules throughout spring 2023. This will give them a preview into the design and content of the modules, spurring ideas for how they might use the professional learning series for the 2023-24 school year. These modules are permanently available and their utilization can also be coordinated with the school or district’s locally developed professional learning calendar.
There are a few pathways for accessing the content that administrators should also consider this spring.
- Option 1 - Access the content in ODE’s Canvas platform
- Option 2 - Upload the modules into the district’s own Canvas platform
- Option 3 - Reach out to ODE.EII@ode.oregon.gov to learn more about facilitation options with WestEd
What role have local community members played in the development of the learning series?
Several community leaders have been a part of the development of the professional learning series starting with the kickoff meeting in November 2021. As the first cluster of modules was designed, WestEd worked with ODE to identify content reviewers for each module. Content reviewers included Education Service Districts staff and community leaders in addition to ODE staff.
Is the use of this resource required?
The professional learning series is universally available to all administrators and educators across the state and aims to support good practice across the state. It is not required to be used by districts but in the future could be brought into future coaching or corrective action processes in some specific situations (example: HSS or SIA corrective action plan looking at sustained disproportionate outcomes). The series is developed as part of a coaching program that ODE is required to establish under the Student Success Act (ORS 327.214). The design and approach for the series was developed by ODE staff with input from community and education groups.
What is the research base for the series?
The professional learning series is grounded in adult learning theory and best practice as reflected through a professional learning theory by Knowles, Holton & Swanson most easily described as the science of adult learning. Research on professional development underscore the most effective way to improve educators’ practice is through adult learning that is job-embedded, content-focused, coherently linked to other curricular or instructional initiatives, and ongoing. The professional learning series seeks to meet high quality professional development standards.
WestEd’s research and practice base draw heavily from the work of the following key scholars and teacher educators: Gloria Ladson-Billings, Geneva Gay, Zaretta Hammond, and Django Pari. Collectively, these scholars promoted asset-based approaches as alternatives to popular deficit-oriented teaching methods, which position the languages, cultures, and identities of students as barriers to learning. While these pedagogies are not identical, they share a common goal: defy the deficit model and ensure students see themselves and their communities reflected and valued in the content taught in school.
WestEd has also shaped the professional learning approach on the research of scholars of disproportionality, inclusive education, and disability-race intersections - including Edward Fergus and Alfred Artiles - whose recent scholarship has contributed significantly to the field and our understanding. Academic scholarship is important to acknowledge. It is also important to acknowledge the lived experience of community leaders, educators, and elders whose wisdom this series is also indebted.
Can you share anything more about why and how this series was developed?
The Student Success Act (SSA) was passed in May 2019 and established three separate accounts, including the Student Investment Account (SIA). Within the SIA, the Legislature built in operational dollars and expectations that ODE develop a spectrum of supports for grantees including coaching resources to support successful implementation. This is a first offering within a set of additional supports that are being developed and released for the next few years. These are broadly described in Section 7, “Getting Better", of the Integrated Guidance.
The design and approach for this professional learning series was developed by ODE staff with input and information from several community and education groups over the last few years.
WestEd was awarded the contract and held a kickoff meeting in November 2021, which included representation from community leaders, Student Success Advisories, the Office of Indian Education, and Education Service Districts. WestEd has continued to meet regularly with ODE and staff has pilot tested the modules to prepare for bringing this offering forward to the state.
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