• Equity. Excellent. Engagement


    Equity

    Our children must experience both meaningful rigor and culturally responsive supports from teachers,

    support providers and leaders. We envision school communities where students, families and staff

    work together to build vibrant school cultures designed to ensure that everyone in our school community

    thrives. With Equity at the Forefront, we can ensure equity and excellence for everyone.

     Equity

    Equity

     

    We are committed to equity because leading for equity is the ethical thing to do. Equity requires

    that we champion the individual cultures, identities, talents, abilities, languages, and interests of

    every child. The goal of equity is achieved when we have broken the historical patterns of inequity

    that have resulted in far too few of our students succeeding at high levels. To do this, we must

    work to eliminate barriers and ensure that all our students have the supports they need to reach

    their full potential. We can do this if we are reflective, data-driven, and equitably distribute our

    resources to ensure access and opportunity for our historically marginalized student populations.

     

    Excellence

    Excellence

     

    Our students deserve the highest quality instruction. This means that our classrooms must be

    places where every child participates in engaging, rigorous, and culturally/linguistically

    responsive learning experiences every day. This also means that our schools foster a

    sense of belonging because they are vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming centers of learning.

    To do this, we must focus our efforts on the pursuit of excellence for all by ensuring that

    every child receives the necessary opportunities and resources to meet their unique needs

    and aspirations. We must also deliver the highest quality supports to our teachers and leaders.

     

    Engagement

    Engagement

     

    We define equity as the "quality or ideal of being just and fair, regardless of economic, social,

    cultural, and human differences among and between persons." To reach this ideal, we must

    invite our stakeholders, internal and external, into authentic dialogue about how to achieve

    equity. Achieving equity across the district requires attention from every member of our

    community. The APS Center for Equity and Social Justice will collaborate with every district

    office and school, families and community stakeholders to ensure that each undertaking is

    pursued with equity as a goal.

     

     

    What is the Center for Equity and Justice

     

    The APS Center for Equity and Social Justice (APS CES) will be established in 2021 as the

    district’s first office devoted solely to advancing equity in education.

    The APS CES will examine current policies and practices, work to interrupt and eliminate

    inequitable practices, and create inclusive and just conditions for all students, in particular

    ensuring that our most vulnerable and marginalized students receive a quality education,

    including the necessary social-emotional supports, and enroll in supportive postsecondary

    institutions.