Human Resources - Equity and Achievement

Equity and Achievement

Federal Way Public Schools’ efforts to close the achievement gap have been heralded by educators and agencies statewide*. The district’s Office of Equity and Achievement was established in May, 2001, following the release of a report showing disparities in students’ achievement by demographic groups.

In 2002, a plan was outlined for cultivating an education system in which parents are involved in more meaningful ways, teachers enjoy greater satisfaction, and all children can achieve academic success.

Staff Training

Professional development opportunities are provided for our staff to learn ways to enhance their instructional practices. Over the past two years, the Office of Equity and Achievement has been exploring professional development opportunities for staff in the areas of:

• Cultural Awareness
• Effective instructional practices based on research-proven models like those outlined in the literature such as the No Excuses - Lessons from 21 High-Performing, High-Poverty Schools work.
• Understanding Poverty (based on the book and workshop, A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne).
• Expanding the definition of “gifted” students to be more inclusive of the many types of intelligences  - (based in part on Removing the Mask: Giftedness in Poverty.

We continue to seek effective, research-proven programs that will benefit all students at both elementary and secondary levels, and to work with building staff to determine which programs can become part of their instructional programs.  We also offer opportunities for staff to participate in workshops designed to increase teacher skills in improving the reading fluency and comprehension of students.

This is a school district that continues to defy most expectations. Our community’s demographics continue to change at an amazing rate. In 1984, a total of 93 English Language Learners were enrolled in our district. In 2003, we enrolled 2,130 English Language Learners.

By far, our Hispanic/Latino population is the fastest growing community, with 1,740 students enrolled in our schools. However, 87 languages, other than English, are spoken in our district. The top 10 languages are Spanish, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Samoan, Tagalog, Cambodian, and Cantones

When Superintendent Murphy announced the formation of the Office of Equity and Achievement in early 2002, he noted that the achievement gap is not just a school problem. It is a problem that has roots at home, in the community and at school.

Equity and Achievement

The Task Force affirmed this and noted that the Federal Way community needs to be educated about the nature of this problem and how they can participate as solution providers.

Our goals include:

• Promoting a healthy community
• Improve the quality of life for students
• Increase parental involvement in schools and in the community.

In response, education, health, law enforcement, business and other community leaders have formed a community group called “Building the Bridge.”  It has actively promoted the creation of a safety net that supports the well-being and success of our youth from home to school and beyond.

The following reports include reference to Federal Way Public Schools:

*Closing the Achievement Gap – A Policy Action Guide for Washington State’s School Directors (published by Washington Association of School Administrators)

Closing the Achievement Gap through Shared Leadership (published by Washington Association of School Administrators)

Addressing the Achievement Gap/A Challenge for Washington State Educators (published by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction