Racial Equity Audit

Framingham schools plan racial equity audit October 25, 2018

Zane Razzaq 508-626-3919 Metrowest Daily News

Framingham schools will undergo a racial equity audit to determine the best ways to address inequalities within the schools. The district is preparing to search for the right consultant to take on the work.
FRAMINGHAM - Framingham school officials are ready to look for a consultant to lead a racial equity audit of the schools, with a plan to release a request for proposals by the end of this month.
"I'm so interested to see who we're going to get for this. I'm ready to hand this over, post it, let's see who we're going to get," said Gloria Pascual, chairwoman of the Racial Equity Subcommittee, during a meeting on Wednesday.
The audit was recommended by the subcommittee and approved by the full School Committee in June. All bids will be reviewed by the members of the subcommittee, which includes Pascual, District 8; Beverly Hugo, District 1; Noval Alexander, District 5; and Tracey Bryant, District 9. The winning bid will be sent to the city's Procurement Office in order to finalize the contract. The audit will likely begin this winter.
In a draft, the district names a host of factors as reasons for the audit. While black and Latino students make up 34.1 percent of the student population in the district, they comprise twice as many in-school suspensions and three times as many out-of-school suspensions. The document also points to a need to increase and sustain staff diversity, saying that nearly 86 percent of teachers identify as white while over a quarter of the student body is Hispanic.
"As a district, we believe in inclusiveness and collaboration. The purpose of this audit is to understand the drivers behind the gaps in student opportunity and achievement in an effort to fully understand the challenges, identify best practices and align resources to meet the needs of our students of color," reads the draft document.
It's not known how long the audit will take, said Pascual. The panel will have a better idea of a timeline once a consultant is hired.
The consultant is expected to conduct focus groups with students, families, teachers, principals, central office staff and community partners and will give an in-depth report on the themes that emerge from those conversations. He or she will also evaluate and suggest ways to improve the district leadership's readiness, as well as current strategies to recruit and retain staff of color.
The project will examine questions such as what are the barriers to equity in the district, how can schools help foster racial identity, and what are some examples of other institutions that have made equity part of their culture. When the consultant is chosen, the outline is likely to add to the outline. Halfway through the work, the subcommittee asks that the consultant present preliminary findings.
Applicants will need to submit a work plan describing strategies for how they would take on the work; a detailed description of deliverables and outcomes; a timeline and estimated costs; and an outline of past experiences in providing consultant services with a focus on audits related to racial equity and inclusion.
Applicants are also required to provide a sample list of past and current clients and references. Proposals should be limited to four pages and emailed to Joe Corazzini, assistant superintendent for equity, diversity and community engagement, at jcorazzini@framingham.k12.ma.us.
"This is to tell the story," said Pascual. "A lot of these questions are going to the data. Tell us the story about our district. What's Framingham's story?"
At the June School Committee meeting, Superintendent Robert Tremblay said money had been allocated for the audit within the fiscal 2019 budget, calling it a "priority" of the district. The audit is expected to cost about $20,000.

Any racial equity audit that does not include discussions of DNA and Genetics is just total bullshit.
While wasting $20,000 on this audit, please research why blacks (people of color) always rank lowest on MCAS/SAT test scores (ahead of actual morons). I'm sure you'll find creative reasons to blame this on people of no color (whites).

Framingham schools plan racial equity audit	October 25, 2018
Zane Razzaq 508-626-3919	Metrowest Daily News
Framingham schools will undergo a racial equity audit to determine the best ways to address inequalities within the schools. The district is preparing to search for the right consultant to take on the work. FRAMINGHAM - Framingham school officials are ready to look for a consultant to lead a racial equity audit of the schools, with a plan to release a request for proposals by the end of this month. "I'm so interested to see who we're going to get for this. I'm ready to hand this over, post it, let's see who we're going to get," said Gloria Pascual, chairwoman of the Racial Equity Subcommittee, during a meeting on Wednesday. The audit was recommended by the subcommittee and approved by the full School Committee in June. All bids will be reviewed by the members of the subcommittee, which includes Pascual, District 8; Beverly Hugo, District 1; Noval Alexander, District 5; and Tracey Bryant, District 9. The winning bid will be sent to the city's Procurement Office in order to finalize the contract. The audit will likely begin this winter. In a draft, the district names a host of factors as reasons for the audit. While black and Latino students make up 34.1 percent of the student population in the district, they comprise twice as many in-school suspensions and three times as many out-of-school suspensions. The document also points to a need to increase and sustain staff diversity, saying that nearly 86 percent of teachers identify as white while over a quarter of the student body is Hispanic. "As a district, we believe in inclusiveness and collaboration. The purpose of this audit is to understand the drivers behind the gaps in student opportunity and achievement in an effort to fully understand the challenges, identify best practices and align resources to meet the needs of our students of color," reads the draft document. It's not known how long the audit will take, said Pascual. The panel will have a better idea of a timeline once a consultant is hired. The consultant is expected to conduct focus groups with students, families, teachers, principals, central office staff and community partners and will give an in-depth report on the themes that emerge from those conversations. He or she will also evaluate and suggest ways to improve the district leadership's readiness, as well as current strategies to recruit and retain staff of color. The project will examine questions such as what are the barriers to equity in the district, how can schools help foster racial identity, and what are some examples of other institutions that have made equity part of their culture. When the consultant is chosen, the outline is likely to add to the outline. Halfway through the work, the subcommittee asks that the consultant present preliminary findings. Applicants will need to submit a work plan describing strategies for how they would take on the work; a detailed description of deliverables and outcomes; a timeline and estimated costs; and an outline of past experiences in providing consultant services with a focus on audits related to racial equity and inclusion. Applicants are also required to provide a sample list of past and current clients and references. Proposals should be limited to four pages and emailed to Joe Corazzini, assistant superintendent for equity, diversity and community engagement, at jcorazzini@framingham.k12.ma.us. "This is to tell the story," said Pascual. "A lot of these questions are going to the data. Tell us the story about our district. What's Framingham's story?" At the June School Committee meeting, Superintendent Robert Tremblay said money had been allocated for the audit within the fiscal 2019 budget, calling it a "priority" of the district. The audit is expected to cost about $20,000. Any racial equity audit that does not include discussions of DNA and Genetics is just total bullshit. While wasting $20,000 on this audit, please research why blacks (people of color) always rank lowest on MCAS/SAT test scores (ahead of actual morons). I'm sure you'll find creative reasons to blame this on people of no color (whites).

Framingham: Panel wants senior adviser to oversee racial equity audit February 5, 2019

Zane Razzaq 508-626-3919 Metrowest Daily News

The Racial Equity Subcommittee wants to hire consultant Christine Robinson to act as a senior adviser to help oversee a planned racial equity audit of the district.
FRAMINGHAM - School officials want to bring on a senior adviser to act as "a bridge" to provide guidance on a forthcoming racial equity audit of the district.
In a Tuesday night meeting, the Racial Equity Subcommittee unanimously supported hiring consultant Christine Robinson to oversee the audit, help find someone to lead it and provide guidance on what to do with the results. The four-member panel tabled a vote on officially hiring her until receiving a final proposal from Robinson.
"We need to hire somebody who would be able to oversee this to make sure it's done correctly and we really make a systemic change," said Gloria Pascual, chairwoman of the Racial Equity Subcommittee.
The district is conducting the audit to determine the best ways to correct inequalities within the schools. The report was suggested by the Racial Equity Sub-Committee and approved by the full school board in June.
Superintendent Robert Tremblay said the audit is a "priority" for the district. The audit is expected to cost about $20,000. Money had been set aside in the fiscal 2019 budget.
Because of Robinson's schedule, she will not conduct the audit herself. The panel is still reviewing proposals submitted from consultants and plans to recommend someone to take on that work. That consultant is expected to conduct focus groups with students, families, teachers, principals, central office staff, and community partners and will give an in-depth report on the themes that emerge from those discussions. He or she will also evaluate and suggest ways to improve the district leadership's readiness, as well as current strategies to recruit and retain staff of color.
The panel began to weigh hiring a senior adviser as a way to avoid having the administration manage the audit themselves.
"No audit is a valid audit if they're involved. It's biased," said Tracey Bryant, of District 9.
Further, said Pascual, bringing someone on board in the new role will allow district officials to be more genuinely involved in the process.
"Their voices need to authentically be heard. You can't hear their authentic voices if they're managing this," said Pascual.
In a presentation to the panel, Robinson went over the best way to conduct a racial equity audit, including defining what "equity" means to the district and outlining what they're hoping will be accomplished before hiring a consultant.
"This is not an easy process," said Robinson. "It's not like I can come in and serve some equity Kool-Aid and we go out and change people because we had a sip of equity."
In March 2018, Robinson completed an equity audit on the Needham public schools that the group had previously examined. Her 60-page report examined, among other questions, how schools can help foster racial identity, what mindsets assist students of color and white students, and what are some examples of other institutions that have made inclusion part of their culture.
As part of her work auditing the Needham schools, Robinson reviewed more than 70 school documents and interviewed more than 50 school leaders, 50 middle-school and high-school students, and 115 parents, according to the Needham Times, a sister paper of the Daily News.
Beverly Hugo, of District 1, voiced concerns that a national vitriolic climate has "trickled down" into the district and reversed progress in equity within the schools.
"It's time for courageous and bold leadership now more than ever ... We need this. It's on us. It's time. It's time for our kids," said Hugo.

While wasting $20,000 on this audit, please research why blacks (people of color) always rank lowest on MCAS/SAT test scores (ahead of actual morons). I'm sure you'll find creative reasons to blame this on people of no color (whites).

Framingham: Panel wants senior adviser to oversee racial equity audit	February 5, 2019
Zane Razzaq 508-626-3919	Metrowest Daily News
The Racial Equity Subcommittee wants to hire consultant Christine Robinson to act as a senior adviser to help oversee a planned racial equity audit of the district. FRAMINGHAM - School officials want to bring on a senior adviser to act as "a bridge" to provide guidance on a forthcoming racial equity audit of the district. In a Tuesday night meeting, the Racial Equity Subcommittee unanimously supported hiring consultant Christine Robinson to oversee the audit, help find someone to lead it and provide guidance on what to do with the results. The four-member panel tabled a vote on officially hiring her until receiving a final proposal from Robinson. "We need to hire somebody who would be able to oversee this to make sure it's done correctly and we really make a systemic change," said Gloria Pascual, chairwoman of the Racial Equity Subcommittee. The district is conducting the audit to determine the best ways to correct inequalities within the schools. The report was suggested by the Racial Equity Sub-Committee and approved by the full school board in June. Superintendent Robert Tremblay said the audit is a "priority" for the district. The audit is expected to cost about $20,000. Money had been set aside in the fiscal 2019 budget. Because of Robinson's schedule, she will not conduct the audit herself. The panel is still reviewing proposals submitted from consultants and plans to recommend someone to take on that work. That consultant is expected to conduct focus groups with students, families, teachers, principals, central office staff, and community partners and will give an in-depth report on the themes that emerge from those discussions. He or she will also evaluate and suggest ways to improve the district leadership's readiness, as well as current strategies to recruit and retain staff of color. The panel began to weigh hiring a senior adviser as a way to avoid having the administration manage the audit themselves. "No audit is a valid audit if they're involved. It's biased," said Tracey Bryant, of District 9. Further, said Pascual, bringing someone on board in the new role will allow district officials to be more genuinely involved in the process. "Their voices need to authentically be heard. You can't hear their authentic voices if they're managing this," said Pascual. In a presentation to the panel, Robinson went over the best way to conduct a racial equity audit, including defining what "equity" means to the district and outlining what they're hoping will be accomplished before hiring a consultant. "This is not an easy process," said Robinson. "It's not like I can come in and serve some equity Kool-Aid and we go out and change people because we had a sip of equity." In March 2018, Robinson completed an equity audit on the Needham public schools that the group had previously examined. Her 60-page report examined, among other questions, how schools can help foster racial identity, what mindsets assist students of color and white students, and what are some examples of other institutions that have made inclusion part of their culture. As part of her work auditing the Needham schools, Robinson reviewed more than 70 school documents and interviewed more than 50 school leaders, 50 middle-school and high-school students, and 115 parents, according to the Needham Times, a sister paper of the Daily News. Beverly Hugo, of District 1, voiced concerns that a national vitriolic climate has "trickled down" into the district and reversed progress in equity within the schools. "It's time for courageous and bold leadership now more than ever ... We need this. It's on us. It's time. It's time for our kids," said Hugo. While wasting $20,000 on this audit, please research why blacks (people of color) always rank lowest on MCAS/SAT test scores (ahead of actual morons). I'm sure you'll find creative reasons to blame this on people of no color (whites).

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