SC3 Project Update (May 2015)

SC3 Support for State Educator Equity Plans

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced the launch of the Excellent Educators for All Initiative in July 2014 to foster the recruitment and retention of quality educators in high-poverty, minority, rural, and urban school districts.  The Initiative calls for state education agencies (SEAs) along with district leadership, school leadership, teachers, parents, and community stakeholders to develop statewide educator equity plans by June 2015.  The South Central Comprehensive Center (SC3) and Central Comprehensive Center (C3) at the University of Oklahoma Technical Assistance (TA) Coordinators and Liaisons are supporting SEA teams across the region in building collective capacity to prepare state educator equity plans by providing one-on-one support, research-based TA, and educator equity resources.
 
SC3 and C3 partnered with the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) to host a bi-regional webinar in December 2014 for SEA staff and shared resources designed to assist states in completing the 2015 Educator Equity Plan.  The Midwest Equity Assistance Center requested C3’s support to deliver an educational equity leadership conference in February 2015 for Missouri educators that focused on the challenges and strategies of educational equity and benefits of equity plans.  The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shared the work of developing their state educator equity plan at the conference to community stakeholders, district and school educators, parents, and students (future follow-up conferences will occur).
 
GTL Center and Council for Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) co-sponsored the Equitable Access to Excellent Teachers and Leaders Meeting in February 2015 that included forty-six state teams. SC3 and C3 assisted state teams at the meeting in preparing state educator equity plans.  Missouri leadership served on a panel during the first general session.  The Equitable Access Support Network and CCSSO State Consortium on Educator Effectiveness 5th National Summit in April 2015 convened with states to review and collaborate on state educator equity plans and teacher/leader initiatives.  The Kansas State Department of Education and Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) had an opportunity to participate in a peer review of their state Educator Equity Draft Plan.  Additionally, ADE was represented at the Summit on a panel to discuss their work to date.
 
As states transition from the planning phase to the implementation and monitoring phase of the equity work, SC3 is committed to supporting SEAs in each respective region.  The long-term goal is to ensure equitable access to excellent educators to improve student learning and academic achievement for all students.  SC3 provides educator equity links and resources through the Equity and Diversity portal under Projects & Resources at www.sc3ta.org.

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