Ed Lab: Fresno schools confront systemic racism; and the latest on reopening efforts
Hello Education readers,
This week, Fresno Unified’s Board of Trustees formally declared the district an anti-racist institution. The resolution also outlined steps to help curb racism within the school district and build a more inclusive educational experience.
The district plans to “examine and confront biases” and “engage with students, staff, and families to address practices, policies, and institutional barriers that negatively influence learning, perpetuate achievement gaps, and impede equal access to opportunities for all students in order to eradicate institutional bias of any kind, including implicit and unintentional biases, to eliminate disparities in educational outcomes for students from historically (underserved) and under-represented populations.”
Ed Lab reporter Ashleigh Panoo has the latest on what happened during the meeting and what the trustees said here.
Fresno-area schools are far from alone on the issue. A recent Ed-Week survey found, nationally, only about 14% of educators said they had the resources to teach an anti-racist curriculum.
School openings in Fresno
Fresno County elementary schools have been approved for reopening waivers. Fresno Unified and Clovis Unified are still awaiting approvals.
Clovis Unified will be hosting a reopening forum for parents on Oct 12.
Ed Lab series
Ed Lab reporters are working on a series of community-driven stories, and we’d love to hear from you. Our first series, Pipeline: Students, Mental Health, and Police, launched this week.
Mental health issues are rising among our young people, and many community members are looking for answers and solutions.
We are also examining issues surrounding the digital divide and how access to broadband and digital tools affects students, teachers, and professors. We have launched a short survey to get a better understanding of how Broadband is working for you. If you are a teacher or student, please fill out our survey and pass it along.
ASK THE ED LAB
Do you have an education question you’d like us to answer? Let us know! Contact the Ed Lab edlab@fresnobee.com.
That is all I have for this weeks newsletter. Do you like what you see? Subscribe to the newsletter or tell a friend. Also, feel free to follow the entire Ed Lab team on twitter at @IsabelSDieppa, @AshleighPanoo, @monicavelez21, and our editor @R0BParsons.