Equity in Action: Reducing Suspensions�for African American/Black Students
Network Improvement Community (NIC)
Session 2 • December 4, 2024
Today’s Materials – Session Two Resources
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Partners
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OUR WHY
Improving Student Outcomes
Reducing Suspensions for African American/Black Students
Network Improvement Community (NIC)
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Interim County Superintendent of Schools
Assistant Superintendent, Educational Progress
Director, �State and Regional Projects
Administrative Support Staff
Administrative �Data Technician
Co-Director of the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) at WestEd
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Charter School Team Folders
https://sccoe.to/ReducingSuspensionNIC
Select the Equity in Action: Team Folders icon, there is a page dedicated to Charter School Team Folders.
This link will take you to your team’s designated Google Drive folder.
Please Rename Yourself in Zoom
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Team Number - Name - Organization
Example:
7 - Tracy - SCCOE
Welcome & Who’s in the Room
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Agreements
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Improvement In Action: Reducing Suspensions for AA/Black Students NIC
Framework
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NIC Outcomes
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Participating Teams will:
The Scope and Sequence
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Dates | Session | Improvement Science Content Overview |
10/2 | 1 | What does the system indicate regarding disproportionality of African American/Black students’ suspension? |
12/4* | 2 | Plan: From AIM Statement to Theory of Action.. Using Improvement Tools toward applying a change idea to root causes and implementing a Plan Do Study Act cycle. |
2/6** | 3 | Do: Refining your plan and collecting data |
3/6** | 4 | Study: Examining your results |
4/10 | 5 | Act: Adopt / Adapt / Abandon: Implications for schools |
In-person 5.5-hour Session *Virtual 5.5-hour Session **Virtual 3.5-hour Session
Outcomes for Today
Session 2 Outcomes
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Today’s Goal: Intentionality
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Today’s Agenda
8:30-8:50 | Introductions and Plan For the Day |
8:50-9:10 | Facing Into Our History and Break Out |
9:10-10:10 | One School’s Story: Torrin M. Johnson Executive Director Multi-Tiered System of Supports Merced Union High School District |
10:10-10:20 | Questions and Reflections |
10:20-10:30 | Break |
10:30-11:50 | Intentionally Reducing African American Student Suspensions Through Proactive/Inclusionary Discipline Dr. Owens- West |
11:50-12:25 | Reflection and Lunch |
12:25:12:35 | Intentionality in Planning |
12:35-1:45 | From AIM Statement to Theory of Action |
1:45-2:00 | Next Steps and Feedback |
Journey to Reducing Suspension
Torrin M. Johnson
Executive Director Multi-Tiered System of Supports�Merced Union High School District
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Reflections and Questions
Morning Break 10:20-10:30
Intentionally Reducing African American Student Suspensions Through Proactive/Inclusionary Discipline
Dr. Rose Owens-West
Team Reflection and Lunch Break 11:50-12:30
Intentionality in Planning LCAP/SPSA
Intentionality in Planning: LCAP/ SPSA
Applying the Four Leverage Points to School and District System Change Processes
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Our Process..
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Ferguson Middle School
Ferguson, Missouri 1998-2005
Systems Analysis: Who, what, when, and where and how do we share? | Professional Development Culturally Responsive Practices Mindset | A Focus on Rigor in Instruction and College and Career Readiness | A System of Positive Behavior Interventions and Support | Proactive Parent and Family Engagement | High Expectations and Recognitions | Age Appropriate Targeted Literacy Instruction #Creativity | African American Parent Advisory Committee LEA and School Level | Mentors and Community Groups | Know the Neighborhood Know the Culture |
Role Models
Writing Across the Curriculum
Note Catcher:
From AIM Statement to Theory of Action
Common Improvement Tools Reminder
Understanding Your Problem:
Data Analysis, Problem of Practice, Fishbone Diagram- Process Maps
Narrowing Your Focus/Generating Ideas:
Aim Statement, Driver Diagram-Theory �of Action
Test and Build:
PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) Cycles
Spread and Scale:
Scaling Opportunities
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From AIM Statement to A Theory of Action
Create an AIM Statement on the Note Taking Sheet.
Determine As a Group the Change Idea You Wish to Test for the Next 4 Weeks.
Generate Potential Change Ideas (Small in Scale) to Address the Hypothesis
Post the AIM Statement on the Driver Diagram
Generate 3 Hypotheses (Drivers) to Address the Area of Focus and Choose One
How will you measure the impact of the change?
If We (Change Action)
Then we will impact (Driver/Hypothesis)
That will result in (AIM)
As Evidenced By: Specific Measurement References
Review the Problem Of Practice and Root Cause Analysis Categories
AIM Statement
Driver Diagram
Identify a Change Idea
Create a Theory of Action
Write a Proximal AIM Statement
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Model for Improvement
PLAN
DO
STUDY
ACT
What specifically are we trying to accomplish?
What change(s) might we introduce
and why?
How will we know that a change is an improvement?
Making your theory explicit
Learning�through testing
The Aim Statement
Scoping the Improvement Effort
Improve homework completion rates in one classroom
Improve service in the school cafeteria
Decrease disciplinary incidents in a middle school
Reduce 9th grade failure rates in a network of �10 schools
Increase 3rd grade reading in a state
Redesign remedial math in community colleges nationwide
LESS complex
Less resources required
MORE complex
More resources required
Aim Statement: Clearly Defining Success
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Your Aim Statement answers the question:
What specifically are we trying to accomplish?
Creating an AIM Statement
Problem of Practice: African American/Black students experience a suspension rate of 28%, compared to the school-wide rate of 9% for all students.
Aim Statement Work Table
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Question | Answer |
What will be improved? (Clear definitions) | Decrease the suspension rate for African American/Black students |
By how much? (Measureable, specific, numerical goals) | Decrease by 10% from 28% to 18%, as measured by the percentage of AA/B students suspended |
By when? (Time Frame) | June 30, 2026 |
For what or whom? (Target population, setting, or process) | African American/Black students |
By June 2026, we aim to decrease the suspension rate for African American/Black students by 10%, from 28% to 18%, as measured by the percentage of students suspended.
Connecting to Equity Value
Equity Value
This milestone reflects our strong commitment to transforming the culture and climate by …
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Equity Pause
How does your equity value align with your aim statement?
Aim Statement
By June 2026, we aim to decrease the suspension rate for African American/Black students by 10%, from 28% to 18%, as measured by the percentage of students suspended.
Team Time One 12 minutes
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The Driver Diagram
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From AIM Statement to Driver Diagram
Driver Diagram: A visual representation of the team’s understanding of a problem, translating it into a theory of change by outlining the key leverage points and specific ideas necessary to achieve the aim.
Drivers: High-leverage adaptive and technical points of influence within the system that are critical to achieving the aim.
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Team Time Two 8 minutes
Create Drivers
What specifically are we trying to accomplish? | Key leverage points in the system | What changes might we introduce and how will we measure? | Impact? | |||
AIM Statement (Add Here) | Drivers (Brainstorm 1-3) | Change Idea (Brainstorm 1-3) | Method of Measure | Impact? �High or Low… | ||
Big Dot Aim By June 2026, we aim to decrease the suspension rate for African American/Black students by 10%, from 28% to 18%, as measured by the percentage of students suspended. | Review current policies and practice | | | | ||
Understand students’ lived experiences in the school setting (Transformational Culture & Climate) | | | | |||
Engage families and community | | | | |||
Employ inclusionary discipline practices | | | | |||
The Change Idea
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From Driver Diagram to Change Ideas
“What adaptive and technical changes can we make that will reduce the number of suspensions?”
Change Ideas are:
Where do “Change Ideas” come from?
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Translating a Concept to a Tangible Idea
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Build a culture of belonging in school Encourage teachers to intentionally connect with individual students to build authentic relationships |
Implement the 2x10 strategy |
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IMPACT
low
low
high
high
CONTROL
Impact & Control Matrix
High Impact /
High Control
(Green)
Low Impact/High Control
(Orange)
High Impact/Low Control
(Yellow)
Low Impact/Low Control
(Red)
SWEET SPOT!
High Impact / High Control
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Setting Proximal and Big Dot Aims
STARTING POINT
PROXIMAL AIM
What are we trying to accomplish?
BIG DOT AIM
What are we trying to accomplish?
A narrower, more focused version of the Big Dot Aim Statement, aligned with the scope of the high-leverage areas and change ideas being addressed.
Source: Grunow, A., Park, S., & Bennett, B. (2024). Journey to improvement: A team guide to systems change in education, health care, and social welfare. Rowman & Littlefield. Figure 7.2, p. 90.
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Proximal and Big Dot Aims Example
STARTING POINT
PROXIMAL AIM
By March 15, 2025, we aim to increase teachers' confidence in their ability to build positive relationships with 6th-grade African American/Black students by one level on a five-point scale, as measured by teachers' self-reflection, and weekly student referral data.
BIG DOT AIM
By June 2026, we aim to decrease the suspension rate for African American/Black students by 10%, from 28% to 18%, as measured by the percentage of students suspended.
Change Idea
Implement the 2x10 strategy
Driver: Key Leverage Point
Understand students’ lived experience in the school setting
Source: Grunow, A., Park, S., & Bennett, B. (2024). Journey to improvement: A team guide to systems change in education, health care, and social welfare. Rowman & Littlefield. Figure 7.2, p. 90.
Team Time Three 15 minutes
Brainstorm Change Ideas
What specifically are we trying to accomplish? | Key leverage points in the system | What changes might we introduce and how will we measure? | Impact? | |||
AIM Statement (Add Here) | Drivers (Brainstorm 1-3) | Change Idea (Brainstorm 1-3) | Method of Measure | Impact? �High or Low… | ||
Big Dot Aim By June 2026, we aim to decrease the suspension rate for African American/Black students by 10%, from 28% to 18%, as measured by the percentage of students suspended. | Review current policies and practices | | | | ||
Understand students’ lived experiences in the school setting (Transformational Culture & Climate) | Implement the 2x10 strategy to enhance teachers’ confidence in their ability to build positive relationships with AA/B students | Teachers’ self-reflection before and after implementing the strategy; student feedback; referral data | High Impact, High Control | |||
Engage family and community | | | | |||
Employ inclusionary discipline (strategies/practices) | | | | |||
Measurement Chart and
A Theory of Action
Measurement Chart
Based on Your Team’s Proximal Aim and
Selected Change Idea
How will we know that a change is an improvement?
What broad measure are you tracking? | Suspensions and discipline referrals for all students |
What is the specific measure you will be tracking? (# and type) | Suspensions and discipline referrals for African American/Black students |
At what frequency will it be pulled? | Weekly |
Who will be responsible for this task? | Data administrator |
What is the frequency and organizational structure within which the measure will be discussed and analyzed? | Data will be discussed during the NIC bi-weekly improvement team huddles |
The ability to measure will weigh into the choice of a change idea..
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Team Time Four 10 minutes
Theory of Action Based On Proximal AIM Six Week Period
If we __________ | then we impact ___ | that will result in __ | as evidenced by ________ |
Change Idea | Driver (Area of Influence) | AIM | Measurable Outcome |
If we have a restorative chat with students after each discipline referral | then we impact inclusionary discipline practices | that will result in decrease in discipline referrals for African American/black students | as evidenced by the weekly discipline referrals report. |
Resources
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Next Steps & Feedback Survey
Next Steps
Set up 30 minute coaching call with coach to review today’s work.
Review template of PDSA Cycle I during January 10-21, 2025 coaching call.
Discuss potential change ideas with coach January 10-21, 2025
Calendar Virtual Session 3 Thursday, February 6, 2025 8:30 am -12 pm
Encourage new team members to register for the series
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Coaching Assignments/Schedulers
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Dr. Hana Suleiman - Solano COE
| Hanna Ma - Contra Costa COE Debra Pettric - Contra Costa COE
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Bay Area Geo Leads Consortium
| Dr. Yee Wan Bay Area Geo Leads Consortium Carrie Blanton - San Mateo COE Gracie Estrella - San Mateo COE
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Q & A
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Feedback Survey
Please provide feedback by completing this survey.
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Connect with SCCOE
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