The St. Paul School District is doubling its commitment to erasing the racial achievement gap by renewing a partnership with a California consulting group and adopting a racial equity policy drawing upon 2 ½ years of work and candid talk.
The policy, approved by the school board this week, is believed to be the second such document enacted by a state school district, and it finds the district vowing to fight and overcome "inequity and institutional racism" to ensure all students succeed.
"A policy is a piece of paper, yes," said Michelle Bierman, the district's assistant director for equity, but in this case, it's proof to employees that they work for a district that "stands on equity."
For several months, the board had toiled over the racial equity policy statement, and this week, when it was suggested that action be delayed, Board Member Elona Street-Stewart spoke passionately about the need to turn around racial disparities that she said have put Minnesota and St. Paul "at the bottom of the heap," nationally.
People of color have said, "We've lost too much already. We're in a crisis that's been there for decades," Street-Stewart said.
Asian students are the district's largest ethnic group, at 31.4 percent. Black students are next at 29.6 percent, followed by whites, 23.7 percent; Hispanic students, 13.6 percent, and American Indians, 1.8 percent.
School staff members are 83 percent white, and 61 percent of administrators are white.
The policy seeks to ensure all students are engaged, parents are heard and multiracial perspectives are reflected in what's taught. In many ways, it is work that already has begun, Bierman said. An elementary school that is further along in equity training has fifth-grade teachers who step in to assist one another with students who may struggle with an individual instructor, she said. A multiweek Parent Academy is presented in English, Hmong, Somali, Karen and Spanish.
